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

Epilogue: Wouldn't Have it any Other Way

-Twelve Years Later

Today was a good day to be Harry Potter. Of course most days were good days for Harry. A decade after retiring from professional Quidditch, following captaining the English National Team to victory in the World Cup, Harry's life could only be described as idyllic. Thanks to money owed him from an old Tornados contract, Harry had fallen into a minority ownership of Tutshill when the previous owner had again run into financial hardship. Harry had even for a time managed the Tornados, but after a few successful season he stepped down from the post. The three reasons for his resignation came bursting into his room. James, Arthur and Luna bounded onto the bed and snuggled in close to their mum and dad.

"What's this all about, you'll wake your mum," Harry said. He tried, and failed, to keep the grin off his face. It was moments like this that he missed when he had been involved in the day to day operation of the Tornados, and he was glad he had the chance to enjoy them now.

"But last night you said we'd be going to Grandma and Grandpa Potters today," James, the eldest and every bit the trouble maker his namesake was, said.

"It's far too early in the morning James," Harry said. "They aren't expecting us until later, and maybe we won't even be going at all. Your mum was out late for an assignment and the last thing she needs is you hellions waking her up. You know how mum gets if she doesn't have enough sleep."

"Harry, stop trying to scare my children," Ginny said from underneath a pillow. "This certainly is the best way to wake up." Ginny sat up in bed and held out her arms. Arthur, Luna, and even a reluctant James, all piled in for a good morning hug. "Now the three of you should all run along downstairs. Dad and I will be down in the moment and we can all have a nice big breakfast." She shooed the children out of the room and turned to face Harry.

In a move that had shocked many, Ginny had recently accepted a position at the Daily Prophet writing a column on Quidditch. She made her way into Quidditch reporting shortly after James was born. Luna came by for a visit one day and found Ginny ranting at the wireless while a Quidditch match was on. As Luna kept Ginny from tossing the wireless out a window she suggested that Ginny focus her energy on writing about Quidditch instead of frightening her son. Luna's father Xenophilus would happily print whatever Ginny wrote in the Quibbler. Ginny leapt at the opportunity, even though it was something she had never considered taking on, and since no one read the Quibbler, even if she was rubbish it would go unremarked on, beyond the usual teasing from the twins.

Much to everyone's surprise though, Ginny was a brilliant writer. Her columns were pithy and informative. She provided insights that no other writer could, and merged that with a readable style. But what really set her apart from anyone else was that she pulled no punches. If she thought a manager made a bad decision she's say so. Ginny didn't care a whit about losing access to anyone. She often said that access to post-match quotes didn't matter nearly as much as what happened on the pitch, so a ticket to the match was all the access she needed. To the Quidditch public, Ginny's coverage of the sport was a breath of fresh air, and they flocked to the Quibbler to read her. Especially the younger Quidditch fans who always assume the older generation doesn't have a clue what it's talking about. Ginny's rising popularity caused sales of the Quibbler to explode and it was only natural that Quidditch Weekly came calling with a lucrative offer for Ginny to write for them. Ginny accepted the new assignment, but not without some regrets since it was the Quibbler that gave her the chance in the first place. Old Xenophilus insisted she move on though. Luna would later tell Ginny that her father was glad to be rid of her since he felt that the Quidditch coverage was taking away from the Quibbler's core mission of exposing the existence of the Deathly Hallows, and how the shadowy cabal that wielded them was shaping Britain. From Quidditch Weekly it was then a short hop to the premiere position in Quidditch reporting, senior columnist for the Daily Prophet. The prestige of the position didn't matter to Ginny nearly as much as the fact that she displaced the hated Don Shackleton in doing so.

"Good morning love," Harry said. He leaned over in the bed and kissed Ginny on the lips.

"Good morning Harry," Ginny said before deepening the kiss. "Admit it, you're just cross at the children because you had plans for a wake up shag."

"What if I did?"

Ginny nipped lightly at Harry's throat. "I think it's a marvelous idea that we'll have to table for now. I have to be at the Ministry soon and you need to get the kids to your parents."

Harry frowned. "What's going on at the Ministry today?"

Ginny swatted Harry in the stomach. "They're announcing the next national team today. How could you have possibly forgotten that? You were on the committed that selected the squad!" She noticed a smile cross Harry's face. "What's so funny ?"

"Oh nothing, I was just remembering." He tugged on Ginny's shoulder and pulled her in next to him.

"Remembering what?"

"The last time I woke up with a beautiful woman in my bed who wasn't you was the day the national team was announced twelve years ago."

Ginny's eyebrows shot up at Harry's admission. "Do I want to know who it was?"

Harry thought back to that morning with Lavender. She had patched things up with Seamus not long afterwards and they were now parents of a lovely daughter. Deciding that somethings were best left in the past he shook his head. "I don't suppose you do. Not anymore than I want to know who you spent that night with."

"His name was Paolo, he was Italian and very fit." Ginny shifted so she could stroke Harry's jaw. "But don't worry, I binned him straight away and got the superior model."

"And then you had to settle for me."

"Oh stop, humility was never a good look for you." She craned her neck up and planted another kiss on Harry's lips before pushing off him. "Now get out of that bed. Your sons are in our kitchen unattended. Merlin knows what sort of trouble they're getting into." Ginny pulled on her dressing gown and left the bed room.

Harry leaned back and gave out a contented sigh. Twelve years ago he never would have believed this was where his life would end up, but now that it had he wouldn't have it any other way.

-The End

Author's Notes: And there you have it. First of all I just want to say thank-you to everyone who has bothered to read this silly little story and make it the third most read thing I've ever posted here. That means the world to me, so thank-you. Second of all, I think I spent more time thinking about Ginny and Harry's kids in this altered timeline than I did any other element to this story. Third, why end the story now? Because that's the arc, going into the next Quidditch season is a different story. Lastly, I am pleased to announce that work is well underway on my next story. Look for Puppet String sometime around the heat death of the universe, it's very long you see and I am a very slow writer. Once again, I can't thank all of you enough for reading When You Wasn't Famos, and let's do this again real soon okay?

-sam