Disclaimer--If you like it, assume I don't own it. The Potterverse belongs to JKR, Steve Klowes, Scholastic and WB. Fanon belongs to the multitude...I'm simply paying homage with the sincerest form of flattery. Most of this scene is from GoF by JK Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended, and no money is being made.
Author's Notes-- Progress has been a lot slower in this work--this has been an absolutely hectic month! I apologize for taking so long to catch up! (In the meantime, may I recommend you hop over and check out "Pirates from Potions" by EEDOE? It's a riot.) I hope you're still willing to stick with me anyway. As you all know, I may not own it, but I work hard, and I love it, so if you read it and enjoy it, please review it!
Raiining--I think Ginny sometimes wishes her family had more money, but growing up without a lot of it has forced her to realize it's not really that important...a lesson Ron needs to learn. As for her reaction to the Veela, you got the impression I was trying to create. For Harry and the Weasley boys, the attraction of the Veela is a simple physical thing, and that doesn't necessarily affect Ginny because she's female, but Ginny is very emotional, and her reaction to the Veela has to do with her appreciation of their performance as an emotional art...something that takes a little time to build up. I hope that makes sense!
J. Rhaye--I try to keep the perspective fresh and interesting. *looks anxious and sheepish*. It is nice Ginny choses to focus on Hermione, and I think it does demonstrate her caring nature...of course, it can also be easier to deal with other people's demons than our own, and that probably played a part. Hmm...yes...Percy...I tend to think we've yet to see just how misguided he can be, and I feel a little sorry for him because he hasn't benefited from the examples his family has set. I love it when people compliment my descriptions! *does happy dance* After all, writing is the attempt to help others paint a picture in their heads. *winks* As for the Veela, I'd love to take credit, but JK had already taken care of that. *sighs and grins* Thanks for the review...I hope I get another one! *hugs*
EEDOE--You've been making me feel guilty for neglecting this story (the motivation is FANTASTIC *grins*), and I've loved every word of it! *winks* Something to do with the Longbottoms...*muses* Maybe we should write an alternate series (if only we had time!) *winks* The similarity between Lucius and Tom Riddle has always struck me as pretty strong...something in the way they speak? Or the way Rowling describes them? I'm not sure. Yeah...I would have loved to have seen that scene with the Veela firsthand...but I'd probably have been distracted by all the really cute men. *giggles* Looking forward to hearing from you! *hugs*
Bill--My number one fan...sorry I've been MIA so long, but I really haven't forgotten you! I know what you mean...I probably would have tried to push Malfoy from the Top Box. You nailed Percy! *giggles* A real facer! *whistles and stamps feet* Maybe the Malfoy family crest is a slug someone mistook for a dragon? They certainly are slimy enough...too bad they probably don't taste that good. *looks horrified, blushes, and slaps hand over her mouth* Fudge...I'm still not sure I think we've seen the last of Harry and Dumbledore's trouble with him...there's something about him I don't care for--besides stupidity, I mean. *grins wryly* I think you're probably right about Ginny and Ron's differing approaches to class. *smirks* Looking forward to more of your thoughts. *hugs*
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The action was such a blur Bagman didn't have time to do anything but shout a continuous list of names. Ginny's head was moving back and forth so quickly it felt like the Quaffle. Even in the chaotic swirl of the field below, she could tell the Irish Chasers were absolutely amazing. She watched Troy fake an upward dart with the Quaffle, only to drop it neatly into the waiting hands of Moran. Nearly breathless, she saw the Bulgarian Beaters react quickly, hitting a Bludger at Moran and forcing him to drop the ball. Amazed and thrilled, she screamed with delight as his teammate Levski caught it and tossed it in a high arc...right into the waiting arms of Troy, who was mere feet from the goal... "TROY SCORES!" Bagman roared before the Quaffle had finished falling through the hoop. "Ten zero to Ireland!" Ginny shouted with the rest of the crowd, waving her fist in triumph over head.
"That was amazing!" She shouted in happy disbelief.
"I told you they were good!" Charlie shouted, beaming.
If the Gryffindor Chasers were inspiring, the Irish Chasers were inspirational. Ginny couldn't take her eyes off them as they dove, looped, and whirled in close and rhythmic tandem. In ten minutes time, they had scored twice more, and Ginny was nearly as captivated with them as Harry and Ron had been with the veela. Unfortunately, the Bulgarian Beaters were almost equally good, and frustration only fueled their skills.
Ginny groaned as Bulgaria scored. She thought she could see Fred and George exchange a telling glance.
Suddenly the two Seekers plunged, nearly as one, through the heart of the field. Ginny gasped. "Going...crash!" She heard Hermione shriek from the far end of the row. Suddenly she saw not the Seekers of the Quidditch World Cup, but Harry, plunging toward the ground at breakneck speed...she almost thought she could hear the echo of her own scream as she ran toward him... At the last possible instant, the round-shouldered hulk in red robes pulled sharply upward, his feet all but skimming the ground, as Lynch hit the ground with a thud-the sound was disturbingly loud. It was quickly followed by an equally loud groan from the Irish-supporters in the crowd.
"It's time out!" yelled Bagman's voice, "as trained medi-wizards hurry onto the field to examine Aidan Lynch!"
"He'll be okay," Charlie said soothingly, reaching out to touch the back of her hand with his fingers. And Ginny realized she was hanging over the edge of the box, staring after Lynch with tears stinging the back of her eyes. "He only got plowed-which is what Krum was after, of course..."
Ginny swallowed hard. She nodded at him gratefully as she sat back down and inhaled shakily.
Far below, Lynch was being given various reviving potions. Krum flitted about the stadium, his angular face screwed up in concentration as he used the time to search for the snitch. Lynch, obviously trying to limit his opportunity as much as he could, kicked hastily back into the air, and Mostafa blew his whistle again, signaling the resumption of game play.
The Irish played better than ever after Krum's-even Ginny had to admit it was clever-trick. They were ahead by another ten goals in fifteen minutes.
"And Mostafa takes the Bulgarian Keeper to task for Cobbing-excessive use of elbows--" Ginny heard with a sense of disbelief...Keepers hardly ever came into close enough contact with the other players to be involved in physical fouls.
"And-yes, it's a penalty to Ireland!"
The leprechauns, buzzing like a horde of Cornish Pixies with anger, formed the words HA HA HA! Far above the field. In retaliation, the veela soared up and began to dance. Having finally caught on, Ginny's brothers and Harry all stuck their fingers in their ears.
Hassan Mostafa wasn't so lucky...in no time at all, he'd landed in front of them, flexing his muscles and smoothing his mustache. "Now we can't have that!" Bagman laughed. "Somebody slap the referee!" A medi-wizard, fingers stuffed in his ears-ran across the field and kicked Mostafa. Mostafa stopped, looking more embarrassed than if he'd turned a Weasley red, and turned to yell at the veela, who were looking decidedly sulky. "And, unless I'm mistaken, Mostafa is actually attempting to send off the Bulgarian Team Mascots!" Bagman announced. "Now there's something we haven't seen before...oh this could turn nasty..." Even as he said the words, the leprechauns were forming the words HEE HEE HEE, and a few seconds later, when the Bulgarians were still arguing, Mostafa gave two short blasts of his whistle-"Two penalties for Ireland!" Bagman shouted in surprise. The Bulgarian crowd snarled with anger. "And Volkov and Vulchanov had better get back on those brooms...yes...there they go...and Troy takes the Quaffle..."
The Bulgarian Beaters had started to hit anything in sight, and Dimitrov fouled Moran almost immediately. Mostafa awarded the Irish another penalty, and the leprechauns rose in the air to make an extremely rude gesture toward the veela, who began hurling handfuls of fire across the field, their beautiful glowing faces elongating into sharp scaly scowls...
"And that, boys," yelled Dad, "is why you should never go for looks alone!"
Krum was hit full in the face with a Bludger, and Ginny felt a surge of reluctant admiration to see him flying in spite of it, blood streaming across his face, but Lynch was already diving, looking for all the world like Harry when he'd seen the snitch. Even feeling sorry for Krum, Ginny leapt to her feet, screaming encouragement to Lynch, but Krum was on his tail, blood spattering in a brilliant plume behind him as he drew closer to Lynch...
"They're...crash!" Hermione shouted again.
"...Not!" She thought she heard Ron answer.
"Lynch is!" Harry decided.
And he was right. For the second time, Lynch slammed into the ground. He was immediately trampled by a horde of angry veela-still looking quite frightening.
"The snitch!" Charlie-also on his feet-shouted wildly, looking around. "Where's the snitch?"
"He's got it!" Harry shouted back. "Krum's got it-it's all over!"
Krum, his face slick with blood so it was nearly as red as his robes, was rising in the air, the snitch clutched in his hand.
The scoreboard was flashing BULGARIA: 160, IRELAND: 170 as the Irish crowd slowly began to react.
"IRELAND WINS!" Bagman shouted, obviously aghast. "KRUM GETS THE SNITCH-BUT IRELAND WINS-good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!"
With a start, Ginny remembered that wasn't quite right...Fred and George had. She glanced over in their direction, but they were hidden behind Bill and Dad who were nearly jumping up and down as they bellowed the Irish Anthem-not that they knew the words.
Author's Notes-- Progress has been a lot slower in this work--this has been an absolutely hectic month! I apologize for taking so long to catch up! (In the meantime, may I recommend you hop over and check out "Pirates from Potions" by EEDOE? It's a riot.) I hope you're still willing to stick with me anyway. As you all know, I may not own it, but I work hard, and I love it, so if you read it and enjoy it, please review it!
Raiining--I think Ginny sometimes wishes her family had more money, but growing up without a lot of it has forced her to realize it's not really that important...a lesson Ron needs to learn. As for her reaction to the Veela, you got the impression I was trying to create. For Harry and the Weasley boys, the attraction of the Veela is a simple physical thing, and that doesn't necessarily affect Ginny because she's female, but Ginny is very emotional, and her reaction to the Veela has to do with her appreciation of their performance as an emotional art...something that takes a little time to build up. I hope that makes sense!
J. Rhaye--I try to keep the perspective fresh and interesting. *looks anxious and sheepish*. It is nice Ginny choses to focus on Hermione, and I think it does demonstrate her caring nature...of course, it can also be easier to deal with other people's demons than our own, and that probably played a part. Hmm...yes...Percy...I tend to think we've yet to see just how misguided he can be, and I feel a little sorry for him because he hasn't benefited from the examples his family has set. I love it when people compliment my descriptions! *does happy dance* After all, writing is the attempt to help others paint a picture in their heads. *winks* As for the Veela, I'd love to take credit, but JK had already taken care of that. *sighs and grins* Thanks for the review...I hope I get another one! *hugs*
EEDOE--You've been making me feel guilty for neglecting this story (the motivation is FANTASTIC *grins*), and I've loved every word of it! *winks* Something to do with the Longbottoms...*muses* Maybe we should write an alternate series (if only we had time!) *winks* The similarity between Lucius and Tom Riddle has always struck me as pretty strong...something in the way they speak? Or the way Rowling describes them? I'm not sure. Yeah...I would have loved to have seen that scene with the Veela firsthand...but I'd probably have been distracted by all the really cute men. *giggles* Looking forward to hearing from you! *hugs*
Bill--My number one fan...sorry I've been MIA so long, but I really haven't forgotten you! I know what you mean...I probably would have tried to push Malfoy from the Top Box. You nailed Percy! *giggles* A real facer! *whistles and stamps feet* Maybe the Malfoy family crest is a slug someone mistook for a dragon? They certainly are slimy enough...too bad they probably don't taste that good. *looks horrified, blushes, and slaps hand over her mouth* Fudge...I'm still not sure I think we've seen the last of Harry and Dumbledore's trouble with him...there's something about him I don't care for--besides stupidity, I mean. *grins wryly* I think you're probably right about Ginny and Ron's differing approaches to class. *smirks* Looking forward to more of your thoughts. *hugs*
****************************************************************************************************************************
The action was such a blur Bagman didn't have time to do anything but shout a continuous list of names. Ginny's head was moving back and forth so quickly it felt like the Quaffle. Even in the chaotic swirl of the field below, she could tell the Irish Chasers were absolutely amazing. She watched Troy fake an upward dart with the Quaffle, only to drop it neatly into the waiting hands of Moran. Nearly breathless, she saw the Bulgarian Beaters react quickly, hitting a Bludger at Moran and forcing him to drop the ball. Amazed and thrilled, she screamed with delight as his teammate Levski caught it and tossed it in a high arc...right into the waiting arms of Troy, who was mere feet from the goal... "TROY SCORES!" Bagman roared before the Quaffle had finished falling through the hoop. "Ten zero to Ireland!" Ginny shouted with the rest of the crowd, waving her fist in triumph over head.
"That was amazing!" She shouted in happy disbelief.
"I told you they were good!" Charlie shouted, beaming.
If the Gryffindor Chasers were inspiring, the Irish Chasers were inspirational. Ginny couldn't take her eyes off them as they dove, looped, and whirled in close and rhythmic tandem. In ten minutes time, they had scored twice more, and Ginny was nearly as captivated with them as Harry and Ron had been with the veela. Unfortunately, the Bulgarian Beaters were almost equally good, and frustration only fueled their skills.
Ginny groaned as Bulgaria scored. She thought she could see Fred and George exchange a telling glance.
Suddenly the two Seekers plunged, nearly as one, through the heart of the field. Ginny gasped. "Going...crash!" She heard Hermione shriek from the far end of the row. Suddenly she saw not the Seekers of the Quidditch World Cup, but Harry, plunging toward the ground at breakneck speed...she almost thought she could hear the echo of her own scream as she ran toward him... At the last possible instant, the round-shouldered hulk in red robes pulled sharply upward, his feet all but skimming the ground, as Lynch hit the ground with a thud-the sound was disturbingly loud. It was quickly followed by an equally loud groan from the Irish-supporters in the crowd.
"It's time out!" yelled Bagman's voice, "as trained medi-wizards hurry onto the field to examine Aidan Lynch!"
"He'll be okay," Charlie said soothingly, reaching out to touch the back of her hand with his fingers. And Ginny realized she was hanging over the edge of the box, staring after Lynch with tears stinging the back of her eyes. "He only got plowed-which is what Krum was after, of course..."
Ginny swallowed hard. She nodded at him gratefully as she sat back down and inhaled shakily.
Far below, Lynch was being given various reviving potions. Krum flitted about the stadium, his angular face screwed up in concentration as he used the time to search for the snitch. Lynch, obviously trying to limit his opportunity as much as he could, kicked hastily back into the air, and Mostafa blew his whistle again, signaling the resumption of game play.
The Irish played better than ever after Krum's-even Ginny had to admit it was clever-trick. They were ahead by another ten goals in fifteen minutes.
"And Mostafa takes the Bulgarian Keeper to task for Cobbing-excessive use of elbows--" Ginny heard with a sense of disbelief...Keepers hardly ever came into close enough contact with the other players to be involved in physical fouls.
"And-yes, it's a penalty to Ireland!"
The leprechauns, buzzing like a horde of Cornish Pixies with anger, formed the words HA HA HA! Far above the field. In retaliation, the veela soared up and began to dance. Having finally caught on, Ginny's brothers and Harry all stuck their fingers in their ears.
Hassan Mostafa wasn't so lucky...in no time at all, he'd landed in front of them, flexing his muscles and smoothing his mustache. "Now we can't have that!" Bagman laughed. "Somebody slap the referee!" A medi-wizard, fingers stuffed in his ears-ran across the field and kicked Mostafa. Mostafa stopped, looking more embarrassed than if he'd turned a Weasley red, and turned to yell at the veela, who were looking decidedly sulky. "And, unless I'm mistaken, Mostafa is actually attempting to send off the Bulgarian Team Mascots!" Bagman announced. "Now there's something we haven't seen before...oh this could turn nasty..." Even as he said the words, the leprechauns were forming the words HEE HEE HEE, and a few seconds later, when the Bulgarians were still arguing, Mostafa gave two short blasts of his whistle-"Two penalties for Ireland!" Bagman shouted in surprise. The Bulgarian crowd snarled with anger. "And Volkov and Vulchanov had better get back on those brooms...yes...there they go...and Troy takes the Quaffle..."
The Bulgarian Beaters had started to hit anything in sight, and Dimitrov fouled Moran almost immediately. Mostafa awarded the Irish another penalty, and the leprechauns rose in the air to make an extremely rude gesture toward the veela, who began hurling handfuls of fire across the field, their beautiful glowing faces elongating into sharp scaly scowls...
"And that, boys," yelled Dad, "is why you should never go for looks alone!"
Krum was hit full in the face with a Bludger, and Ginny felt a surge of reluctant admiration to see him flying in spite of it, blood streaming across his face, but Lynch was already diving, looking for all the world like Harry when he'd seen the snitch. Even feeling sorry for Krum, Ginny leapt to her feet, screaming encouragement to Lynch, but Krum was on his tail, blood spattering in a brilliant plume behind him as he drew closer to Lynch...
"They're...crash!" Hermione shouted again.
"...Not!" She thought she heard Ron answer.
"Lynch is!" Harry decided.
And he was right. For the second time, Lynch slammed into the ground. He was immediately trampled by a horde of angry veela-still looking quite frightening.
"The snitch!" Charlie-also on his feet-shouted wildly, looking around. "Where's the snitch?"
"He's got it!" Harry shouted back. "Krum's got it-it's all over!"
Krum, his face slick with blood so it was nearly as red as his robes, was rising in the air, the snitch clutched in his hand.
The scoreboard was flashing BULGARIA: 160, IRELAND: 170 as the Irish crowd slowly began to react.
"IRELAND WINS!" Bagman shouted, obviously aghast. "KRUM GETS THE SNITCH-BUT IRELAND WINS-good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!"
With a start, Ginny remembered that wasn't quite right...Fred and George had. She glanced over in their direction, but they were hidden behind Bill and Dad who were nearly jumping up and down as they bellowed the Irish Anthem-not that they knew the words.