When You Wasn't Famous
By: Sam Lincoln
Disclaimer: The characters from Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling and are used here without permission.
"When you're a famous boy/it's gets really easy to get girls/It's all so easy you get a bit spoiled/but when you try to pull a girl who is also famous too/It Feels Just Like When You Wasn't Famous
-When You Wasn't Famous, The Streets
Chapter 14: What is He Thinking?
The next morning Ginny woke with a start when she realised she wasn't in her own bed. She settled back into the overstuffed pillow when she remembered she had spent the night with Harry and was in his hotel suite. She rolled onto her side and saw that Harry was already awake, and looking at her.
"Don't you think it's a little creepy to stare at a girl when she's asleep?" Ginny asked.
Harry's face reddened. "Not when the girl looks as sexy as you do when your asleep." Ginny arched an eyebrow in response. "That came out wrong. It's just that you…"
"If you say the words peaceful, innocent, or any similar sort of rot you will eat this pillow." Ginny reached behind her hand and took a firm grasp of the pillow she was resting on.
"In that case you looked like a coiled spring ready to leap into action."
"That's a bit of a tortured metaphor."
Harry shrugged. "It was the best I could come with without being forced to eat a pillow."
Ginny tightened her grip on the pillow, then swung it at Harry. It hit him square in the face and sent him tumbling backwards on the bed.
"Merlin, what was that for?" Harry asked as he straightened back up. "I didn't say you looked peaceful, adorable, or anything of the sort."
"No but you were thinking it," Ginny said. She reared back and clocked him on the face a second time. "That was for yesterday."
Harry rubbed his jaw. "What did I do yesterday?"
"I didn't need your help during the match. I was about to knock that ass off his broom even before you said anything."
Harry reached over and stroked Ginny's bare shoulder. "I know, it was just my old captain's instincts kicking in I suppose. Don't worry, it won't happen again."
Ginny leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "You know, I still think of you as my captain. So thank-you, even if I didn't need your help.
"You still think of me as your captain?"
"Of course I do, those were some good teams we had, even if that second year was a little, oh what's the word I'm looking for?"
"Awkward?" Harry said.
Ginny cuffed him on the shoulder. "That's probably the most mild way of putting it you prat."
Harry's cheeks flushed red. "I really am sorry about whatever you went through that year."
"No you're not. You got what you wanted and I got what I wanted, everybody won. Why exactly are we dwelling on old times the day after we won the first match of the Euros?"
"Well you did kind of bring it up." This time Harry was able to dodge out of the way of Ginny's pillow strike. He seized on the opening and lunged forward, pinning her to the bed. "Okay, that's enough of that now," he said to Ginny, their faces mere inches apart. "There are far better ways we could be spending the morning than you beating on me with a pillow."
A smirk spread across Ginny's face. "Oh are there now?"
Harry leaned in closer and planted a soft kiss on Ginny's lips. "Yes, care for me to demonstrate?"
Ginny ducked her head down and kissed Harry on the hollow of his neck. She sucked on his skin every so slightly. It was something she remembered from their broom cupboard days that he especially liked. "Yes please do," she said after she finished nuzzling him.
"It will be my pleasure," Harry said. He cupped her face in his hands and pulled her in for a long kiss.
Later on that morning there was a gentle knock on the door and the back of Neville's head appeared in the room. "Is it safe for me to come in?"
Ginny tugged the bed sheets up to her chin. "We're not shagging at the moment if that's what you're asking Neville," she said.
Neville turned his head to look at Harry and Ginny. "That's a relief. Hermione sent me an owl to remind both of you that you have a team meeting this morning."
Harry fell back on the bed and covered his face with a pillow. "Neville reply to Hermione's owl and tell her that she's an irritating busybody."
Ginny smacked the pillow covering Harry's face. "Be nice, Hermione is just doing her job. There's no need to be snippy about it. Besides, it's not like you can afford to miss a meeting at the moment. You're already in the dog house with Cabbock."
Harry tossed aside the pillow and heaved a great sigh. "All right fine, I'm getting up. How much time do I have?"
"About an hour," Neville said. "Hermione also sent this along." He tossed a small bag at Ginny. She opened the bag and pulled out a change of clothes.
"See this is why I pay Hermione so well. She is always looking out for me."
"I'll leave the pair of you to it then," Neville said and ducked out of the room, letting the door shut behind him.
Harry looked over at Ginny. "So we've got an hour then."
Ginny tossed her clean clothes onto the foot of the bed. "The shower in my suite is very spacious. What about yours?"
A grin broke out across Harry's face. "Let's go find out shall we?" he asked as he tossed off the bed sheets.
"Admit it," Ginny said as she followed Harry's lead and leapt towards the bathroom. "I have the best ideas."
Harry circled behind Ginny and wrapped his arms around her waist. "In this instance yes, you have the best ideas." He lifted Ginny up and carried her into the shower.
Precisely fifty-five minutes later a freshly washed Harry and Ginny walked into the meeting room in the team's temporary headquarters. Ginny was relieved to see that she and Harry were not the last ones to arrive. The team's Beaters, Colbrun and Prentiss had yet to show.
"Ginny, Harry, good to see you!" Shetley said. "And how are the two of you this fine morning?"
"I have no complaints," Ginny said as she slid into the seat next to the burly Chaser.
"How about you Harry? You doing all right back there?"
"It's a beautiful morning on a gorgeous Mediterranean Iiland. How could I be anything other than fantastic?" Harry said as he fell into his customary seat in the back of the room with a dramatic flourish.
Shetley's response was cut off by the arrival of Colbrun and Prentiss. The taller Beater wore a pair of darkened glasses.
"Oh come on Prentiss, don't tell me you got pissed last night," Howse said.
"Sod off Howse," Prentiss said. "I didn't have anything to drink last night. My head's still sore from that Bludger shot I took in the match yesterday."
"Are you going to be okay for the next fixture?" Westerman asked.
"I'm full of restorative potions at the moment, I'll be fine." Everyone in the room nodded. Head injuries went hand in hand with being a Beater, it was just one of those things they had to deal with.
Cabbock entered the room and the conversations died down. "Good morning men, woman," Cabbock said. "I hope everyone got a good night's sleep, and did not spend it out celebrating, because it was quite frankly a sloppy win over a side we were expected to beat. If we play the way we did yesterday against Spain we won't be so lucky." Cabbock glared at Ginny and Harry as he spoke.
"Don't worry sir, we were both in bed at a reasonable hour," Harry said.
"And how would you know when Ginny went to bed?" Shetley asked.
"I know Hermione. She makes sure Ginny doesn't get too far out of line."
"Oh is that what she does now?" Ginny said.
"I remember those revising schedules she put together for you and Ron."
Cabbock cleared his throat. "I'm sure we're all curious about the schedule making ability of Ginny's assistant, but we have other concerns at the moment, starting with you Mr. Potter."
"Yes sir?"
"Remove that smile, you aren't going to like what I'm about to say."
Harry's face settled into a more somber expression and he rested his hands on the table in front of him. "I take it this is about the press conference?"
"You're damn right it's about the press conference! For those of you who haven't heard, our Mr. Potter had quite the press conference yesterday. He gets one question he didn't like and walks out. Nevermind the fact that your contract explicitly states you have to take questions for a half hour. No, our man Harry decided the rules don't apply to him. Well I'm sad to say that's not true, and that's why the Ministry fined him two thousand Galleons. We take your press availability seriously, because if you don't, this is the result." Cabbock held up a copy of the Daily Prophet. The front page was dominated by a picture of Harry storming off the dais; the headline blared "Petty Potter." "This is creating a distraction to the team, and that's the one thing I cannot stand."
Harry stood up from his seat. "Sir, I am not going to apologise for walking out on Shackleton, but I am sorry if that caused a distraction for the team, that was not my intent."
Cabbock nodded. "Good enough, it happened and we're moving on. But before we do let me just add that if any of you try to follow Harry's lead the fine will be even steeper so consider yourself warned. Yes Shetly?"
Shetley lowered his raised hand. "But what if an arse like Shackleton is impugning the good name of our teammates?"
"The rules say you have to be available for questions. It doesn't say you have to answer them. Now can we move on?" The team all murmured their agreement. "Good, my original plan for today was to run a full training session. However, the medical staff has informed me that I should give you all a day off to recover from yesterday's match. Wipe that grin off your face Prentiss, I'm not turning you loose."
"But what about our recovery?" Prentiss asked.
Cabbock glared at Prentiss. "You can recover while we discuss strategy for Spain just as easily as you can in the training room." The entire team let out an audible groan. "It's either this or you get on your brooms," Cabbock said. When the room quieted down he waved his wand and scrolls appeared in front of the players. "You'll find the scouting reports we put together on Spain in front of you.
Ginny opened the scrolls and flipped through them. They contained detailed information on the Spanish Chasers. She knew full well that the contents of the scrolls could mean the difference between victory or defeat, but it also was a week away. There was plenty of time for Hermione to digest the reports and break them down in easy to understand chunks. However she doubted Cabbock would appreciate hearing that, so she did her best to appear attentive as he began diagramming a play.
Several hours later, after Cabbock had finished his exhaustive analysis of the Spanish side's tendencies, Ginny and Harry walked out of the training facility.
"Thank Merlin that's over with," Ginny said. She stretched her arms and took a moment to luxuriate being back under the warm Mediterranean sun. "It felt like we were back at Hogwarts."
Harry laughed at Ginny's exaggerated shudder. "At least we were talking about something important like Quidditch, and not the History of Magic, Divination, or Potions." At the mention of Potions Harry gave his own shudder.
Ginny gave Harry a shove. "Oh come off, Potions wasn't that bad."
"Oh yes it was, remember Snape?"
"That was ages ago, you need to learn to let things go. "
"Hey want to get dinner?" Harry asked.
Ginny stepped in front of Harry and looked up at him. "You mean like a date?"
Harry's face flushed red. "No not like a date," he said with a stammer. "No I was thinking we get everyone together: Neville, Luna, Dean, Hermione, Seamus, and Ron. We haven't spend any real together as a group, and I think it would be fun if we all had the chance to catch up."
Ginny did her best to tamp down the disappointment that unexpectedly welled up in her. "That sounds, that sounds lovely."
"And then after maybe we could go back to your suite." Harry took a step towards Ginny, closing the distance between them.
Ginny held out her hand and shoved it into Harry's chest. "I think that should stay as just a post match thing don't you?" She said, biting back her anger. "Consider it a reward for winning."
Harry's face darkened at Ginny's rebuke. "All right fine, I'll have Neville send Hermione the details for dinner," he said before Disapparating away, leaving behind Ginny to curse herself for her reaction to Harry's suggestion.
Author's Notes: Oh noes, drama! Have no fear kids I think everything will turn out okay in the end. Thanks for reading.
-sam