Hi everyone. I come back from a long pause following a trip to Disney World. The pause was longer than I was planning, but I'm going back full speed into this fanfiction, with new ideas from my visit in Florida. I'm not abandoning it.

Note for ARAAL fans: I'm not abandoning this one either. I'll just resume it once my Harry Potter fanfiction is completed.

We now return to trials for a certain Quidditch match.

GINNY XVIII

The ambiance was boosted in the Great Hall during breakfast. It was Saturday, March 24, 1995. Today were the trials to select the seven players who would represent Hogwarts at the Quidditch match between the school and the combined team of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons in one month.

Ginny was just as excited as the rest of the school. The week that just ended had revived the old rivalries between the houses, and they were further fuelled by the additional rivalries created by the Triwizard Tournament. Ginny still felt though that the tensions were not as negative as during the month of November, although she still heard on a regular basis people talking about the so-called love triangle. Couldn't they take an interest in something else?

Nonetheless, the ambiance was way more positive than negative. Some players from opposite teams were even seen wishing each other good luck. She guessed that the common practices between three of the houses that resumed made them better. Not to mention the fact that two of the Seekers were dating, and of course the relationships that emerged after the Yule Ball, often between students of different houses. Ginny noticed Michael waving at her as he walked near her. She returned his seducing smile. Like Ginny, he would participate to the trials today, even if he didn't think to much chance of being selected.

Ginny took a good breakfast, listening to her brothers' jokes. She was tensed, but not that much. She was more excited than anything else to actually participate to Quidditch trials today. Fred and George and the whole Gryffindor team were excited as well. She noticed Harry and Hermione refraining from laughing too hard when Ron inadvertently placed an elbow on his plate, resulting in broiled eggs covering his face. Ginny had no reserve to laughing on her side.

Even if she didn't manage to get on the team today, Ginny thought it would be a good practice for next year. It was now known that Ron wanted to try for the position of Keeper next year, so why couldn't Ginny try to become Chaser. She may not get a position, since Angelina, Alicia and Katie would all still be on the team, but she could join the reservists.

Dumbledore stood up from his chair, and everyone stopped talking. "Very well, everyone. The trials to choose the players of the Hogwarts Quidditch team will soon begin. I invite all those who applied for a position on the team to head towards the pitch right away. As for the others, you are cordially invited to attend the trials."

It is useless to say that the Great Hall emptied itself on the spot. Ginny saw very few students remaining behind. Everyone wanted either to participate to the trials or to see them.

The professors were waiting for them around the pitch, giving a broomstick to those who had none, which included Ginny, and verifying the names of those who participated to the trials. They registered over the last few weeks on the boards in their common room. When Ginny had written down her name, she had the impression that the whole Gryffindor house applied for the trials, and yet the list of signatures grew longer afterwards.

The teacher of Astronomy, Professor Sinistra, stroke Ginny's name on a list when she identified herself, then Madam Hooch gave her one of the many brooms from the school's stores, and Ginny headed for the pitch.

The pitch was full of people, and more kept arriving. By her estimates, Ginny wouldn't be surprised if half of the school applied to be part of the team, while the other half was watching them in the crowd. The crowd of people on the benches looked as numerous as the people on the pitch ready to play.

Ginny had lost sight of her brothers with who she came to the pitch. However, this was not such a great loss, for she spotted someone she knew quite well. And just like at breakfast, he waved his hand at her when he saw her.

"Hi, Michael."

"Hi, Ginny," he replied. "So, you're ready?"

She nodded, then noticed his broomstick. "Is that yours?"

"Yes. My father gave it to me. It is a Comet 220. A little old, maybe, but it performs very well." He eyed her own broomstick. "You couldn't bring your own?"

"Only Fred and George have their own broomsticks in my family."

"Oh. True. I'm sorry."

"Don't bother. I only hope it will begin soon. I can't wait."

"I must warn you. I'm trying to be Chaser as well."

"If you want me to feel threatened, then you achieved the opposite."

He laughed at her jab. "I would never threaten you."

"No, it's obvious. It's me who should threaten you."

"I can't wait to be threatened then."

They laughed together, and kept talking for quite some time, some of Michael's friends from Ravenclaw joining them with time. Then a loud voice was heard.

"Attention, please." It was McGonagall's voice, but amplified, probably with the same spell that Ludovic Bagman used to amplify his own voice. Everyone stopped talking. "The trials to choose the players who are going to represent Hogwarts at the Triwizard Quidditch match are about to begin. We demand that you remain civilized through the whole duration of the trials that will last the entire day. Any violence will result in your immediate expulsion from the trials. Now, let me explain to you how the trials will proceed and how the players will be selected."

McGonagall was heard clearing her throat. "Each and every student will be given an equal chance to join the Hogwarts team. There will be no preferential treatment. Whether you are an actual member of a Quidditch team or not will have no bearing in the choices that will be made at the end of the day. Only your performance today will be taken into consideration. As such, you will all go through the same trials. Only the position you applied for will influence the tests you will be subjected to. At each test, some participants will be eliminated. The decisions will be taken together by Professor Dumbledore and the Heads of each house."

That meant Snape would be part of the committee that would decide who would be on the team or not. Ginny doubted that the process would be completely without preferential treatment.

"Now, to begin today's trials, we are going to ask students to create groups of ten. Then they will make a tour of the pitch as fast as they can. Collisions are prohibited of course. If you send another player off course or try to make him fall from his broomstick, you will be expelled from the trials. Now, form yourselves."

Ginny decided to remain with Michael and his friends, and all together, they created a group of ten by adding students from both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, either in third or fourth year. They then made a line to wait their turn to fly.

Ginny thought this first test was stupid first, but she soon realized how useful it was. The first group of students were all in first year, and most of them couldn't manage to get their brooms in the air. The one who went the farthest crashed into the wall of the stadium. Even Snape agreed to eliminate them all, despite the fact there were two Slytherins in the group.

The next group was way better. It essentially consisted of the Gryffindor team, to who you could add Ron, Seamus, Dean and Sophie Roper, a girl in the same year as Hermione. They all made their tour very easily, although Harry arrived in advance with quite a large margin, under the cheers of many people. Then came the Hufflepuff team and a few others, and again no one was eliminated. But the next group saw half of its people crash or land before the tour was completed, and two more were eliminated for not completing fast enough. When Ginny made her own tour, she arrived first to the finish line. Michael made it as well, but four people in their group were eliminated, including one for pushing someone off course.

At the end of this process, nearly half the candidates had been eliminated, most of them joining the crowd who attended the trials. Ginny noticed that many people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had come to attend as well. She saw Hermione waving in her direction, something Ginny returned.

Despite removing half the candidates, they were still many. The following test was some sort of obstacle race, which involved dodging a Bludger. This one took more time, as they only evaluated two students at a time, having only two courses. Ginny went through it quite easily. Michael as well. All Quidditch players managed to get through. In fact, the obstacles were pretty easy. However, some students who managed to get through the first test may have proven they could make a tour of the pitch, but that didn't mean they flew well enough or had the necessary reflexes to get through the obstacle race without problems. At the end of it, another half of the remaining students were removed. There had be about a hundred candidates still left, a quarter of which were actual Quidditch players.

"Alright," McGonagall declared, her voice amplified once more. "The next tests are going to concern your abilities for the position you applied for. So, we will divide you into four groups, one for each position. The Chasers, come near me. Beaters, with Professor Flitwick. Keepers, with Professor Sprout. And the Seekers go with Professor Snape."

Ginny had a feeling Harry would not be happy at all to fall under Snape's responsibility. However, this proved to not be that consequent in the end. They were now doing exercises proper to their position, but they started pretty basic. Chaser candidates had to make passes between them, first while being immobile, then while moving, and then while receiving Bludgers. In the meantime, the Beaters had to prove they could reach immobile targets while being unmoving themselves as well, then to hit moving targets, then to hit them while being in movement themselves. The Keepers were asked to stop Quaffle shots from various directions and at various speeds, thrown at them through magical ends. As for the Seekers, they were asked to get through obstacle races way more difficult than those they initially did. Ginny watched Harry easily go through and around everything that was shot at him. His maneuvers were often cheered. Those of Cho Chang, who followed him, were cheered as well. Diggory and Malfoy didn't perform as well, but none of the official Seekers were eliminated. This lasted for a very long time. At around two o'clock in the afternoon, the professors proceeded to another round of elimination. When it was done, less than twenty people remained for the position of Chaser. There were even fewer people for the Beaters, and half a dozen folks for the position of Keeper. Ron was no longer among them. As for the Seekers, only Harry, Cho Chang, Cedric Diggory and Draco Malfoy remained. Barely forty people, at most.

Ginny was waiting excitedly as she waited for the announcement of the next tests. With so few people remaining, she actually began to think she had a chance to make it to the team. It was almost unbelievable. She noticed Michael, in the crowd since he was removed from the trials, raising his thumb at her. She smiled. Maybe she really had a chance, however small it might be. She couldn't underestimate the Chasers of Gryffindor and many other Chasers on the other teams.

She was standing next to Harry now.

"Congratulations. You made it this far," he told her.

She reddened a little. "I must say that I'm surprising myself. I didn't really think I would go so far."

"I'll confess something. I didn't think it me neither. Keep going, Ginny. Don't give the others an inch."

She nodded. Harry had actually suggested her to participate to the trials. Not that she needed his encouragements, but it was good to know that he thought to make her participate to the trials.

"Alright, everyone. Listen to me," McGonagall declared with her amplified voice once again. "The next tests are the final ones. They will determine who will occupy a position. As for the others, they will be kept on a waiting list in case we need reservists and substitutes."

Ginny was happy to hear it. It meant that she made it to the team, in some way. She would at least be a reservist. Even if reservists had very few chances to play, it was still something she felt she could be proud of, especially since she wasn't even a player on the team of her house.

"We will now proceed to the selection of each position, one after the other. We will begin with the Chasers. Beaters, Keepers, Seekers, you go on the side of the pitch until we tell you otherwise. We may need you for the trials of the Chasers later."

"Good luck, Ginny," Harry told her.

She was left behind. Ginny felt acutely how small she was next to the other Chasers, most of them being several years older than she was.

"We will begin by evaluating your performance on a solo basis," McGonagall announced. "One-on-one duels. One Chaser tries to get to the goalposts while the other tries to take the Quaffle away from him."

"Or her," Angelina shouted.

"Now, take flight," McGonagall ordered, ignoring Angelina's loud comment with a clear frown for being interrupted.

Ginny followed the others. While flying, a part of her stress evaporated, but some of it still remained. They organized one-on-one confrontations in each half of the pitch. First, Angelina Johnson was pitched against Graham Montague, while Malcolm Preece faced a seventh-year student from Ravenclaw, who if Ginny was correct, was a reservist for his house's team.

Angelina managed to narrowly get through Montague to the goalposts. The Ravenclaw student surprised by stopping Preece on his side. Then Heidi Macavoy defeated her teammate Tamsin Applebee while Marcus Flint stopped Katie Bell, to Ginny's displeasure. Parts of the crowd were shouting, roaring, groaning as Chasers either succeeded or failed. Ginny noticed the people of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang on the benches, looking with interest at what was going on the pitch. Ginny didn't know how their players would be chosen. No announcement was made about selections to create their team. But some seemed enthusiastic, even pushing some cries from time to time when someone pulled off an impressive move.

When it came to Ginny's turn, she faced Jeremy Stretton, one of the Chasers for Ravenclaw. She had to go through him to reach the goalposts. He was bigger and taller than she was, and he obviously had a better broomstick. He waited for her to make the first move. The Quaffle was shaking in her hand. Deciding what to do, Ginny rushed forward and down. The Ravenclaws had a habit of playing in higher altitudes. So she dropped as much as she could, Stretton closing on her, while keeping her trajectory relatively down. She was holding the Quaffle in her right arm. When Stretton approached, she turned right so he flew by her on the opposite side to where the Quaffle was. She then accelerated, and he missed. She gained altitude and reached the goalposts easily. She saw Ron and Hermione cheering for her in the crowd, and Fred, George and Harry doing the same on the ground.

The second attempt Ginny got was against Alicia Spinnet. This time, she didn't have as much luck as the last time. She tried to outmaneuver Alicia, but the Chaser stole the red ball from her at the last moment, when she was nearing the scoring area. In the meantime, Roger Davies gave a lesson to a Hufflepuff in his fifth year. Marcus Flint crushed Randolph Burrow from Ravenclaw when he almost literally flew through him. Katie Bell stopped the seventh-year Ravenclaw. Graham Montague flew through the defenses of Adrian Pucey, his teammate. Angelina herself also stopped Alicia from getting through her. Heidi Macavoy went through Roger Davies. Then Davies himself stopped Katie Bell.

Ginny was then placed to stop a Chaser from scoring. He was a Slytherin of maybe sixteen. Ginny had to admit she wasn't as good for retrieving the Quaffle than for scoring. Training alone all these years allowed her to practice throwing stones with precision and to hold things in hands while flying, but she could never train to steal something from someone else. The Slytherin got past her. However, on her fourth attempt, she stopped a Chaser from Hufflepuff, Tamsin Applebee. Then she flew through Graham Montague of Slytherin, despite his attempt to grab the tail of her broomstick. This brought to her a lot of satisfaction.

Overall, Ginny made ten attempts. She lost some and won others, but she thought she won more than she lost. Then McGonagall announced them a new series of exercises.

"You will make teams of three so we can evaluate the quality of your teamplay. Again, the objective is only to reach the scoring area. First, Heidi Macavoy, Ginny Weasley and Adrian Pucey will try to score against Marcus Flint, Roger Davies and Angelina Johnson."

Ginny took a sharp intake of breath. She would be facing three captains for her first attempt. Well, two, but many people thought Angelina would be captain of Gryffindor if the season wasn't cancelled.

"Okay," the girl from Hufflepuff said as they gathered at the central circle. "So, we must reach the goalposts. Don't try to shoot. We make passes to each other, or they will get the Quaffle from one of us. Agreed?"

Ginny nodded, and Adrian Pucey did it as well, though more reluctantly. Ginny guessed that he didn't like getting orders from a Hufflepuff, and a girl on top of that. Perhaps he didn't like to play with two girls short.

Heidi started with the Quaffle, but she quickly sent it to Ginny, who then made a pass to Pucey when Flint approached her, and then she dodged to avoid his charge. Angelina almost took away the Quaffle from Pucey, but he sent it back to Ginny, who finally made a pass to Heidi who received it straight in the scoring area, despite Roger Davies' attempt to intercept the pass. Ginny rejoiced internally. They did it. They defeated the captains.

Ginny participated to nine other such attempts, with various results. They often depended on the quality of her partners and the players facing them. Then the time to evaluate Keepers came. They were announced that Chasers would be evaluated at the same time from now on.

Ginny excelled in individual attempts to score against Keepers, scoring eight times out of ten, to many people's astonishment. It proved more difficult when they made attempts to score at three players against the Keeper, for Ginny was not as used to play as part of a team. They also repeated the exercise of having three Chasers against three others defending their goalposts, along with a Keeper this time, and again Ginny performed with various success.

Then the Beaters were called forward. They now had to avoid Bludgers while the Beaters tried to hit them. Ginny wasn't sure how she would perform at this exercise. After all, she never trained to dodge Bludgers. It was difficult to do alone. But she succeeded quite well in the end. Only a single Bludger brushed her left arm on one occasion. Then they made an exercise that looked a lot like an actual game, with three Chasers, one Keeper and two Beaters on each side. Only the Seekers and the Golden Snitch were missing. Harry, Cho, Cedric and Malfoy were the only ones to remain on the ground on a permanent basis.

Ginny had lots of fun participating to such reenactments of Quidditch matches. She scored two times during these and only got hit by a Bludger once. After a time that looked too short, while obscurity was beginning to fall on the pitch, they were called back to the ground. And McGonagall addressed them all.

"First, I want to congratulate you all for going so far in the trials. You are all exceptional players." Ginny felt herself redden at the compliment. "However, the team can only include three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper and one Seeker. And the time has come to choose the Chasers and Keeper who will constitute the team of Hogwarts. Substitutes will also be designated for each one of them."

Ginny felt trepidation winning her over. The time had come. They would know now.

"The three Chasers who will represent Hogwarts are…" Ginny's heart pounded very loudly. "Angelina Johnson, Roger Davies, and Heidi Macavoy."

Her heart fell immediately. Perhaps she shouldn't feel like that. After all, it was already something that she managed to get so far in the trials, among the twenty people retained for the final evaluations. People cheered while the names were announced, but like many other Chasers who were eliminated, Ginny did not have the heart for celebrating, even though she got along quite well with Angelina.

"The substitutes will be Marcus Flint, Katie Bell, and Ginny Weasley."

She was stunned. Did she hear her name? Really? In no time, Fred and George had grabbed her by the arms and lifted her up to carry her on their shoulders, and Ginny squeaked.

"Alright, everyone calm down," McGonagall said, looking at them. Fred and George had to put her back on her feet, but Ginny got the impression that she saw the shadow of a smile on the lips of her Transfiguration teacher. "As for the Keeper, the Heads of House have decided to choose Kevin Bletchley."

This elicited applauses and cheers in particular from a certain section of the crowd. But the Slytherins were the only ones to really celebrate. Even some students of the other schools looked around, surprised that this choice didn't create more enthusiasm. Ginny politely clapped her hands a few times, not very more convincingly than Fred and George.

"His substitute will be Herbert Fleet," McGonagall announced.

There were some cheers from a section of the crowd where many Hufflepuffs had gathered. Looking at it, Ginny's gaze fell on the figure of Susan Bones. She looked away and decided to focus on what McGonagall would say next.

"The choice of the Beaters will be finalized later. For now, I invite the Seekers to approach."

The excitement grew in the crowd. Ginny could feel it from where she was. She stared at Harry approaching with the three other candidates. Ginny finally realized that she was a reservist on the team. Although she was unlikely to play in the game, the fact she was chosen filled her with ecstatic joy, and now all she wanted was for Harry to be selected as Seeker.

"The choice of the Seeker will be made with the following formula. Each Seeker will be randomly attributed an opponent, against who he will compete to catch the Golden Snitch. The victors of each duel will then face each other to determine who will represent Hogwarts for the match."

Everyone seemed to be holding their breaths. McGonagall took a hat and picked a piece of paper in it. "Cedric Diggory…" She then picked a second piece. "…against Cho Chang. Please advance. You will be the first ones to face each other."

Ginny looked with interest at those two approaching McGonagall. She was quite interested in seeing what they would do. The two were dating after all. The whole school knew about them. The Transfiguration professor explained that Beaters would be sending Bludgers towards them as they would both try to catch the Snitch. The first to get his hands on the golden ball would be victorious.

The pitch was cleared. Ginny went on the side to join Harry, who was with the rest of the Gryffindor team, except for Fred and George who were to send Bludgers towards Cho and Cedric.

"Well played, Ginny," he told her as she approached.

"He's right," Angelina said. "I didn't know we had a hidden expert Chaser in our house."

Ginny refrained a satisfied smile. "It is well deserved, Ginny," Katie told her. She had been chosen as a reservist as well.

Ginny was about to reply when McGonagall announced something. "BEGIN!"

She snapped her head straight to look up, where the two Seekers were already rushing in opposite directions, looking for the Golden Snitch. There were four Beaters also flying who threw Bludgers at them at every opportunity. Soon, both Chang and Diggory were swerving and turning and rolling to avoid the iron balls.

Since she arrived at Hogwarts, and even before when she attended games with her parents, Ginny had seen many Seekers perform. Diggory and Chang were very good Seekers indeed. However, they were not as good as Harry was. She looked at him for an instant. He wasn't leaving his eyes from the action going on over them.

Resuming to look at them, Ginny saw that what she concluded long before still remained true. Cho Chang was a better Seeker than Cedric Diggory. Ginny didn't think, like some of her brothers, who only thought so because Diggory defeated them, that the Hufflepuff was untalented. He had talent. They could claim that he would never have defeated Harry without the Dementors last year, the way in which he caught the Snitch on that occasion remained spectacular. After all, this was no small feat to find and catch the Golden Snitch in such a storm while Dementors were disturbing the game. However, Diggory was not as good as Cho. Perhaps it was due partially to his taller and bigger frame, or perhaps he had a broomstick of lesser quality, but Cedric wasn't moving as swiftly and fluidly as Cho could. The girl was almost easily dodging every Bludger sent in her direction, while Ginny noticed Cedric getting hit once or twice, though never in a way to significantly harm him.

Ginny noticed while they flew that Harry seemed to be looking at Cho Chang more often than to Diggory. Perhaps he hoped it would be her who would catch the Snitch. To Ginny's knowledge, Harry was closer to Cho than to Cedric. It was certainly not for nothing that he invited her to the Yule Ball in the first place. Too bad for him that she refused.

Cedric Diggory barely dodged another Bludger that Fred just sent on him, and it was at this moment that Ginny noticed Cho Chang rushing from the other side of the pitch. Ginny saw it a second later. The Golden Snitch was there, somewhere right in the middle of the pitch. Diggory saw it too for he rushed in the same direction. But he was too late. When Cho caught the Golden Snitch, he was still few meters away from the small ball.

There was an explosion of happy shouts coming from sections of the crowd which Ginny guessed were occupied by Ravenclaws.

"Cho Chang catches the Snitch," McGonagall announced as the two Seekers landed on the ground. "Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are called forward for the next round."

Harry walked forward. "Good luck, Harry," Ginny told him.

He turned and sent her a smile. Malfoy was heading towards McGonagall as well. Ginny watched them attentively. She may not have cared much about the results of the previous duel, but she did care about this one. It was out of the question that Malfoy won and represented Hogwarts in this match, and it was even more inacceptable for Harry to lose to him. In the meantime, Cho and Cedric had joined their group who remained on the side on the pitch.

"That was a nice catch. You got me," Cedric was telling her.

"I hope you didn't lose on purpose," Cho replied.

"Even if I did, you would mind?"

"Maybe not."

They kissed. Ginny looked at Harry right when McGonagall called for the start of the trial. He rushed forward with his Firebolt, while Malfoy did the same with his Nimbus Two Thousand and One.

Harry had defeated Malfoy on the two times they faced each other. Last year, this victory gave Gryffindor the Quidditch Cup. Ginny knew that Harry could defeat him again, but she was apprehensive. The last thing she wanted was for someone like Malfoy to become the Seeker who would represent Hogwarts.

To Ginny's relief, Malfoy adopted the same strategy as last time. He tailed Harry and tried to cut his trajectory. However, it didn't work very well. Ginny had a hunch that it was because Harry trained several times with Cho Chang, who used exactly the same strategy, and he got very good at handling such a situation as a result. For every time Malfoy did manage to cut Harry's trajectory, Harry managed to outsmart Malfoy ten other times. Malfoy struggled to catch up on Harry, who flew way better than he did. And since Harry didn't have to watch over the score, he didn't have to hesitate like last year.

Harry just avoided a Bludger that was targeting his head, and Malfoy had to swerve to avoid the same Bludger who continued its course and almost got him in the stomach.

"Nice hit," Fred said.

"Too bad we're not up in the air. I would love to show Malfoy what real Beaters can do," George added.

Her brothers were confined to the grounds. Beater candidates from Gryffindor and Slytherin were banned from participating to this trial, to avoid any favoritism. Knowing her brothers, Ginny knew that the decision was right. They would only have targeted Malfoy. The Beaters of Slytherin would only have targeted Harry as well. Instead, other candidates, including the Beaters from other teams, struggled to get a hit on Harry and Malfoy. Still, despite not making any hit, they hampered their efforts to find the Golden Snitch.

At one point, Malfoy approached Harry to cut his trajectory again, and he failed once more. But this time, it wasn't because Harry outsmarted him. It was because Harry plunged to avoid a Bludger, and Malfoy was so focused on Harry that he didn't see it coming. He swerved at the last instant and almost rammed into one of the towers of the stadium. From her point of view, Ginny saw that his foot hit the tower as he changed his trajectory.

"Hey, Malfoy! Too hard to focus on two things at the same time?" Cho shouted as he flew next to them.

"Well, he doesn't have your ability to focus on multiple things," Ginny further heard Cedric say.

Then, at this moment, Harry rushed towards one of the goalposts, and Ginny saw it at the same as he did. It was the Golden Snitch. And Malfoy was far behind. He was barely at the middle of the pitch when Harry reached the goalposts and caught the Snitch.

Cheers followed, which Ginny, Fred and George joined.

"Harry Potter catches the Snitch," McGonagall proclaimed. "Harry Potter and Cho Chang are to present themselves to the central circle. The victor of their duel will represent Hogwarts."

Tension grew all of a sudden in the crowd. Ginny watched Harry hovering over the central circle while Cho Chang prepared herself to take flight, kissing her boyfriend one last time. The girl took the air and went to hover close to Harry. In the meantime, McGonagall explained that there would be four Bludgers instead of two this time, and that six Beaters would be allowed on the pitch to try and stop the Seekers. Fred and George were called forward this time. There weren't enough candidates to ensure enough Beaters on the playground if they were to exclude all those from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

Harry and Cho faced each other at the center of the pitch, high in the air. Neither of them looked away. Ginny had seen this before. When he played Quidditch, Harry was very focused, not allowing anything from the outside world to distract him. Strangely enough though, Ginny had the feeling there was more to it this time. As if it was about more than Quidditch.

The whistle resonated, and the duel began. Only after a few seconds, Harry and Cho both began to receive Bludgers in their direction. With four of them and six more players on the field, this final trial to determine the Seeker proved to be the most acrobatic of all. Both Harry and Cho avoided Bludgers and Beaters again, and again, and again. All that in darkness. The light of day had diminished so much that magical lights were added to the pitch. Maybe it would be good. From what Ginny gathered, the game against the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons team would be played late in the evening as well.

Just like Malfoy, Cho ended up tailing Harry and looking for opportunities to cut his trajectory. This was nothing new. Cho Chang didn't use this tactic only when she and Harry faced each other last year, but also during their practices. This proved more problematic to apply this time though, as both Seekers kept changing their paths to avoid obstacles sent in their way. Still, they adapted, and Ginny soon saw Cho cutting Harry more than once. Harry did his best to avoid her, but he didn't always succeed.

As time went on and the trajectories of both Seekers met again and again, Ginny couldn't stop herself from seeing a certain grace in their movements. Harry's and Cho's changing paths were so fluid and quick that it almost looked like a dance of some sort. Once, Harry avoided a Bludger at the last moment. It had targeted Cho, who dodged it, but it continued its course straight towards Harry. Cho had shielded Harry's view from this iron ball. On another occasion, Harry climbed to the top of a tower, turning around it, Cho on his tail again, when a Bludger came from above and almost smashed his head. Harry plunged back to the ground to avoid the Bludger, and Cho swerved like Ginny rarely saw to avoid the iron ball that continued on its path.

There were many near misses. For a long time, neither of the Seekers managed to see the Snitch. Ginny thought they were probably too busy avoiding the Bludgers that rained on them. She saw iron balls brushing the two of them more than once.

"Go, Cho! Go!" Cedric Diggory was shouting. "You can do it! Don't let him defeat you!"

Ginny shouldn't be surprised that Cedric Diggory supported his girlfriend. Ginny also supported Harry. Though not exactly for the very same reason, she realized after a moment.

Harry and Cho now both rushed towards a tower. And Ginny saw the glint. "LET'S GO, HARRY!" She couldn't stop herself from shouting this time.

The two Seekers approached the top of the tower where the gleam was coming from. As they neared it, three Bludgers headed in their direction, and they flew in opposite directions to avoid them. Two Bludgers collided, while the third flying towards the Snitch. Harry and Cho both readjusted their trajectory and headed back towards where the golden ball was an instant before. From her point of view, Ginny thought the ball was closer to Cho, and she feared the worst.

But an instant later, Harry grabbed the ball. He had reached it before Cho somehow. Ginny exploded with Angelina, Alicia, Katie and a large part of the crowd.

"Harry Potter catches the Snitch," McGonagall announced for the second time today, not without a hint of emotion. "Congratulations to all those who applied to be the Seeker."

Her voice was however drowned by the crowd cheering. Harry landed next to them, and Ginny along with the other Gryffindors on the ground hugged him.

"Harry Potter will be the Seeker for the team of Hogwarts on April 24," McGonagall said loudly after a certain time, even for her amplified voice. "Cho Chang will be his substitute."

Ginny looked at the girl, who was standing with Cedric. Strangely enough, she and Diggory were applauding, and both were smiling. When Harry got free of the Gryffindors, they both approached him.

"Well played, Harry," Cedric said.

"Thank you," Harry replied.

"Yes. I must admit that was very good," Cho said, her voice not as enthusiastic as that of Cedric. "Be careful not to get hurt before next month. I would be too happy to replace you."

Harry laughed, and the two others as well.

"A little calm, everyone," McGonagall declared. "The Heads of House reviewed the results and have decided of the Beaters who will represent Hogwarts." The cheers somewhat receded, but not entirely. "Fred Weasley and George Weasley."

Her brothers were ecstatic, and Ginny joined them in their celebrations. She didn't even hear the names of the substitute Beaters, and she didn't really care anyway.

The celebrations continued back to the common room. They were already late when the selections were over, so after a good dinner in the Great Hall, the Gryffindors headed for their common room where they celebrated the fact that four of them would constitute over half the team representing Hogwarts. Ginny had her own share of the glory this time, and even Ron looked happy for her. Fred and George brought back a lot of food from either the kitchens or Hogsmeade, and Ginny spent a very good evening drinking Butterbeer and eating sweet.

The next morning, after breakfast, she went for a walk with Michael, who looked at her in admiration. She felt very well.

"I knew you loved Quidditch, but… You should have told me you were that good," he almost scolded her, though in a way that showed he wasn't serious at all.

"Would you have believed me?" she asked, feigning disbelief.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Maybe because I'm a little girl."

"You're not a little girl, Ginny," Michael protested.

"Thirteen-years-old. Youngest child of a seven children family. Small," she summarized while raising her fingers.

"Way too mature. Only girl in her family. Special," he countered, raising one finger for each compliment as well.

"You wouldn't have believed me, admit it," she continued.

"No, I wouldn't have." They had spoken on playful tones so far, but Michael looked way more serious now. "I would have believed you, Ginny. You're a fantastic witch. I would never doubt you."

This proof of trust touched her in some way, but she continued on a playful banter. "Well, in this case, I don't know if that makes you more mature or stupid than my brothers."

"I think your brothers underestimate you. I saw them when you were selected. They were happy, but also surprised. It was obvious."

"Maybe I won't be able to hide from them how I steal their broomsticks anymore."

"After that, they would really be stupid to not let you use them."

He kept being serious. That made Ginny a little uncomfortable as she tried to maintain their conversation in a bantering mood.

"They're like that. They're brothers," Ginny said, judging it was a more than sufficient explanation.

"They shouldn't. They should help you, support you, instead of denigrating and downgrading you," he insisted.

"They're not!" This time, she wasn't joking. "My brothers can be stupid at times, they can have flaws, but they have always been nice to me. It's just that… Do you have brothers and sisters?"

"I have a sister. She's ten-years-old. She will come to Hogwarts next year."

"And do you think you always know what she wants and what she thinks? Do you help her whenever she wants to do something? Anything?"

"Well, I think most of the time…"

"Alright. Let me explain something to you, Michael." Ginny was dead serious right now. "I have six brothers. I come from a big family. I am the only daughter my parents have. And my brothers don't always understand me, and they don't know everything about me either. It's like that. They're not being evil or willingly pushing me aside. Sometimes they do, but it's never consciously. They have always all been kind and protective of me, but they also give me space. And I like having that space. So don't talk against them as if you knew better than them. They're family. Don't forget about that."

"Okay," Michael then said, nodding quickly, not seeming to want to argue.

Their walk together ended quite quickly afterwards. Ginny went to the common room, her mood not as good as she wished it had been. But this was Michael's fault. She regretted snapping at him, in some way, but she also considered it was his fault, for speaking out of turn about her family. She saw Hermione reading not far away, and she went to sit next to her.

"Hi, Ginny," she told her.

Ginny only made a sound with her throat as an answer. Hermione raised her eyes from her book.

"Something's wrong?"

"Can you tell me why boys are so stupid?"

Hermione closed her book. "Okay. Tell me what happened."

And so Ginny summarized her discussion with Michael. Hermione listened attentively. However, when Ginny was done telling the story, not without lashing about Michael once or twice, Hermione only said a single sentence, and with a somewhat contrite and amused smile.

"It seems like you had your first fight."

"First fight?" Ginny couldn't realize what Hermione was saying. "He insulted my brothers."

"I don't think he meant to do that, Ginny."

"Well, he talked as if he knew better than anybody. As if I needed him to know how to deal with Fred and George, or Ron, or Percy, or even Bill and Charlie."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like it."

"What was that supposed to mean then?" Ginny asked, frustrated.

"I think he wanted to support you. And somehow, impress you."

Ginny was speechless for a moment, not understanding. "What?"

"He was saying that because he wanted to take your defense, Ginny. He wanted to please you, to show you he was on your side."

"He doesn't need to be on my side," Ginny argued. "I mean, I have some problems with Ron and the others, from time to time. They're my brothers. It's normal. It's never a big deal. He doesn't need to…"

"I know that he doesn't Ginny, but… You remember how most men and the boys did stupid things around the Veela at the Quidditch World Cup?" Yes, she remembered very clearly. Her expression must have told so, for Hermione continued right away. "Well, it's not just with Veela that they can behave like this. Sometimes, when a boy likes a girl and he wants to attract her attention, he… does stupid things. He thinks he does things that will please her, but he doesn't realize right away this is stupid. And sometimes, he believes it's stupid, but he does it all the same because he wants to please the girl. Look at Viktor. He hid at the library for weeks only to see me, but it was also because he noticed how often I was carrying books and reading, and he somewhat believed that I could take an interest in him if I believed he was into the same things."

Hermione never told that detail to Ginny. But there was something else in Hermione's words that struck Ginny. "You really think that… Michael is… in love with me?"

Hermione didn't roll her eyes, but her nose blew air in a very meaningful way. "Ginny, it is clear that he is in love with you."

"But… we're not together. We're not dating."

"Given the amount of time you spend together, just the two of you… Some people might doubt about it."

Ginny blinked several times. "Well, I don't think we will be together anymore. Not after how I lashed at him."

She regretted it now. Maybe she shouldn't have been so hard on Michael.

"You had a disagreement. It's not the end of the world. If I decided to end my friendship with Ron the first time we didn't agree on something, I would have stopped talking to your brother a long time ago." Ginny noticed how Hermione mentioned Ron and not Viktor Krum. "Just let things settle for today and go talk to him tomorrow. Try to reconcile. And if he doesn't want to forgive you, or if you don't want to forgive him… then you'll know you're not meant for each other."

Ginny found herself to be afraid of being rejected by Michael. It was the first time a boy didn't look at her as if she was a little girl. She didn't want to lose that.

"Do boys often do that? Making stupid things only to impress girls?" she asked.

"Or to get their approval?" Hermione added. "A little too often. Ron is sadly a little too much of a good example of that."

"Really?"

Hermione made a sound with her throat again. "You should have seen him yesterday. Whenever he stopped the Quaffle, he made gestures as if it was a great stop, and he looked at Hannah all the time."

Ginny noticed the disapproval in Hermione's voice as she said the name of Ron's girlfriend. Ginny had to admit that she wasn't sure what to think about her brother's relationship. She didn't know much about Hannah Abbott, but the girl had a reputation of spreading rumors, and she had also been responsible for the leaving of Professor Lupin last year, one of the best teachers Ginny had since she arrived at Hogwarts. She had tried once to ask Ron about his girlfriend, and he only said she was fine. That seemed strange to only say that about your girlfriend in Ginny's eyes. Also, she heard him when he announced to some other boys of his year that he and Hannah Abbott were dating. The boys had looked surprised. Then Ron almost berated them, saying that if Harry, Hermione, Seamus and others could have dates, he could have one as well.

"Anything to grab a girl's attention," Ginny summarized, making her disdain plain through her voice. She didn't understand why some boys would do that. Why not just let a girl decide who she was in love with?

"Yes, I agree. Boys should just remain themselves," Hermione said.

"Something Ron isn't when he's with Hannah," Ginny concluded.

"Not at all."

As Hermione said those words, Ginny noticed Seamus Finnigan discussing with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. He turned away from them to talk with Neville who just approached him, and the two girls went giggling between them.

"Why did Harry date this girl?"

Ginny must have said those words louder than she thought she would. In her mind, she would only be muttering under her breath. But Hermione caught her words right away.

"Oh, well…" Hermione looked a little uncomfortable all of a sudden. "If you want to know everything, Harry himself thinks he was stupid to date her."

"No wonder," Ginny replied.

"Look, Ginny we can all do mistakes in relationships."

"Okay, but really? Parvati Patil? And then, he goes after Cho Chang, and when she's not available, it's Susan Bones. Harry seems to be changing girls like socks."

Hermione looked troubled by Ginny's words. Truth be told, Ginny wasn't completely sure where those words came from. She tried to not think too much about Harry since the Yule Ball. And now those poured out of her mouth on their own.

"Ginny… It's not fair to say that," Hermione said on a low tone.

"Well, that's the impression Harry gives," she retorted, also on a low tone, almost ashamed of what she said. "I mean, is he even interested in a serious relationship? Or is he only jumping from one girl to another?"

For a long time, the two girls remained silent. Then Hermione spoke up.

"Look, Ginny. For Harry and Parvati… They only dated for about a month. And Harry regrets dating her. He realized very quickly that it was a mistake, and when he did, he ended things between them. He told me so at the Quidditch World Cup."

"He told you?" Ginny was surprised. Hermione had known about this all along? Ginny only heard about their relationship at the Yule Ball when Lavender revealed the truth to their table.

"Yes. I was the only one he told. In fact, even his mother wasn't aware of their relationship. She was completing her Auror training back then, and she was never at home. So Harry dated Parvati for a short time, and when he realized it wouldn't work between them, he ended things. And I believe he's ashamed of that. He looked so when he told me about it. He even told me that I could tell him he was stupid."

"Then why did he date Parvati at all?"

"Maybe for the same reason why I accepted to date Viktor in the first place." Ginny was surprised. "Or the reason why you started to see Michael." Ginny was further surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that a part of us, Ginny… only wanted to start seeing someone to know what it would be. I think it was the same for Harry and Parvati. You remember that day on the beach early in the summer holidays? She was after him, it was clear. I think Harry kind of started dating her because… he was somewhat curious and interested to have a girlfriend."

To Ginny, this looked totally stupid as a reasoning. You started to see someone because you were in love with him, or at least if he pleased you, not only for the sake of having someone. It was more Ron's style. Ginny found it suspicious that he began to see Hannah after both Harry and Hermione got someone in their lives.

"Well… he shouldn't have," Ginny pointed out.

"Probably not. He recognized it himself. At the same time… Maybe it's better that it happened with Parvati rather than with someone else."

A part of Ginny agreed on that. She imagined if Harry had started to date her. She imagined how happy she would have been… until he dropped her. The thought that it could have been her made her angry all of a sudden.

"Look, he made a mistake, and he knows it. We all make mistakes," Hermione said. "And Harry is definitely not jumping from one girl to another. If he was, he wouldn't have had an eye on Cho for almost a year…"

Ginny stared at Hermione at the mention of it, and her friend seemed to instantly regret what she just said.

"What?" Ginny sounded strangled as she said the word.

Hermione hesitated before she replied. "Look, Ginny… I shouldn't even be talking about all of this. This is Harry's private life. How would you feel if I talked to him about yours?"

Ginny heard her words, but she didn't listen. "Harry has been having a crush on Cho Chang for a year?"

Hermione hesitated again. But then she sighed. "Well, yes, Ginny. I think Harry has been in love with her since last year, perhaps ever since they played against each other. That's why he was anxious of inviting her to the ball, but he did it too late."

Ginny's mind was in turmoil, upon learning this. "But… What is he doing with Susan then?"

Hermione sighed again. "Ginny, I'm really not comfortable talking about all this. This is Harry's private life, okay. Look." She stared straight into Ginny's eyes. "What I can tell you, it's that the thing between Harry and Susan is serious. And to be honest, I'm happy that they are together. I think they can be good for each other. I don't know when they started having feelings. I never noticed anything before the Yule Ball, and to be honest, I'm pretty sure they only went there as friends."

"Why did he go with her if it was only as a friend?"

"Because Cho refused his invitation. He just fell into Susan's path right after, told her he had no one to go to the ball with, and she offered to go with him so he wouldn't be alone. He didn't even ask her to come with him. All that to say, Harry is definitely not jumping from one girl to another. I don't know when things started to be serious between him and Susan. Perhaps it was during the Yule Ball, maybe later, but I'm glad that they are in love. I really think they go well together."

Hermione stopped at this moment. She looked afraid. Ginny, on her side, wasn't sure about how she should feel.

"I'll go to the library," she said. She stood up and left the common room, without anything to work at the library she claimed she would be heading to.

Ginny wandered in the corridors for a short time, her mind reeling at Hermione's words. How did their discussion went from her argument with Michael to discussing Harry's relationship with Susan Bones? At the same time, she wondered what would have happened if it was her that Harry invited to the ball. If that girl who he dated right now was really only a friend to him back when he invited her to the Yule Ball, then why didn't he invite Ginny? Or even Hermione? They were way closer to him than that girl. Why her in particular? A part of herself wondered whether Ginny would be the one dating Harry right now if he had invited her to the ball as a friend.

Thinking about the dispute she had with Michael, she felt that she should definitely talk to him tomorrow. She had to.

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Next chapter: the Quidditch match