THC/The Houses Competition
House:Gryffindor
Category: Standard
Class: DADA
Prompt(s):[Action] Playing a pick-up sports game, [Character] Ginny Weasley
Word Count: 1500
Summary: A six-year old Ginny Weasley dreams beyond the limits that her brothers place on her.
Title: Goals
A young Ginny Weasley sat on the freshly cut grass, watching the impromptu Quidditch match her brothers started up after breakfast on a warm Saturday morning. Ginny watched in amazement as the brooms zoomed back and forth on the homemade Quidditch pitch her dad made before she was even born. She loved watching her brothers play, but not for the reasons one might think. She couldn't care less about her brothers; she loved the sport. To her, Quidditch was one of the best games in the wizarding world. As she watched her six older brothers play, she was able to quickly learn the rules of the game, and she was sure that if given the chance, she would be able to take on any of her brothers. she recited the game rules to herself, noting each time one of the boys didn't follow them
The twins, Fred and George, always played as the beaters and they were good; so good that their parents had to put a charm around the house in order to keep the windows from being smashed. Ginny giggled to herself as she remembered the first time a Bludger went through the kitchen window and destroyed the house, punching holes through the walls and smashing anything that was made of glass before her dad was able to get it out. All Fred and George had to say about the incident was that it was an amazing shot to be able to get the Bludger through the window at that distance.
The Quidditch pitch was soon moved further away from the house as Fred and George kept trying to get it through different windows, which was weakening the charm.
Bill played as the keeper, spending most of the time circling the three hoops as Percy, Ron, and Charlie played the Chasers. The three had a hard time working together, so it took them forever to get a goal. Ginny believed Bill was allowing them to score on him. Anytime Percy, Ron, or Charlie made their way to the score hoops, Bill made sure he was on the other side of the one they were going to score on. Ginny didn't understand how Bill could be so bad at the game. The only explanation she could come up with was that he was doing it on purpose. Being a good big brother as they would say.
The only thing that was missing from the game was a seeker…
Suddenly, Ginny got an idea. Getting up from her spot, she quickly made her way over to the worn out shed at the back of the house and pulled out one of her brother's old brooms. The broom was battered. The handle had a crack that ran all the way down to the seat of the broom and every few inches, it had a splinter that jabbed out of the handle. The undetachable bipod was crooked and wobbly, and the tail was ramshackle with the twigs falling out, but the broom was still rideable, even if it might be a little uncomfortable.
Ginny dragged the broom back to the pitch, leaving snapped tail twigs behind her. She swung her leg over the broom, feeling sharp pains along her inner thigh as numerous splinters poked into her. Ready to kick off, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Fred, George, Ron, and Charlie standing behind her.
"What you doing there, sis?" Fred and George questioned at the same time.
Ginny looked up to see Bill and Percy still flying around before looking back down at her four other brothers. "I just thought…You need a Seeker. I could play as the Seeker since you are missing one," she explained, watching as her brothers smirked in amusement as if she just told a joke.
"Girls can't play Quidditch," Ron said with a laugh, which was followed up by the twins.
"Yes, they can. What about Glynnis Griffiths or Gwendolyn Morgan? What about Gwenog Jones? They are all girls and they play Quidditch," Ginny protested, naming off her three favourite players for the Holyhead Harpies.
"Ok, girls can play Quidditch. But you," Fred started, shoving a finger in Ginny's face as George ended the statement. "Can't!"
"Yes I can…I can play Seeker. I won't even get in the way," Ginny said, in hopes of convincing her brother to let her join in on the game.
"Even if we needed a Seeker, you're too young to play," Charlie said as he grabbed the top of the broom handle and pulled it out from between Ginny's legs. "Plus this broom isn't even safe to ride. You would be up in the air for three seconds before falling off and breaking your neck. "
"I can get another broom. There are two more in the shed. I'm only a year younger than Ron," Ginny pointed out.
"Exactly, a year younger, which means you are too young to play Quidditch with us," Charlie said as he tossed the broom aside, leaving it to be forgotten.
"So when I turn seven, I will be able to play with you?" Ginny asked confidently.
The twins chuckled. "When you're seven, you're still a year younger than Ron, right?" George asked as he tossed his broom between his hands.
"I mean, yes, but I'll be seven…I'll be Ron's age... so I'll be old enough." Ginny said, confused. "I don't understand."
All four brothers laughed at her as Charlie stepped up so that he was right in front of her. "Why don't you go back in the house and do whatever girls do? Play with your dolls or something."
Ginny suddenly got mad, realizing that her brothers would never let her play because she was a girl. They would always come up with a reason as to why she wouldn't be allowed to play with them. "You'll See!" Ginny yelled, startling her brothers. Clutching her fists until her knuckles turned white, she continued. "One day, I will be a famous Quidditch player. I'll play for the Holyhead Harpies and I'll be the best Quidditch player anyone will ever see." Her anger was only met with laughter.
"Really? You're going to play for the Holyhead Harpies?" Fred teased. "Just last week, you told everyone you were going to marry the famous Harry Potter."
Ginny looked down and took a step back as Fred's words made George, Ron, and Charlie burst into laughter.
"So your big life plan is to become a famous Quidditch player for the Holyhead Harpies and marry Harry Potter? What is Harry Potter going to do? Be a Quidditch player as well?" Charlie mockingly questioned, folding his arms over his chest, his broom in the crook of his elbow.
"I don't know," Ginny mumbled as she took another step back, feeling less confident than she had before. "Maybe an Auror?"
"Ginevra Weasley, the glorious Holyhead Harpies player, married to the famous Harry Potter, who is an Auror!" Charlie described it with a sneer. "Looks like you have a pretty good life for yourself."
"...Yes…" Ginny whispered, unsure of what she could say at this point. All she wanted was to play Quidditch and now she was being made fun of by her older brothers just because she had what her mom would call big dreams.
"Just because you lot can't dream big, doesn't mean I'm ridiculous!" Ginny screamed before storming off towards the house, hearing her brothers laugh in the background.
Ginny made her way into the house, then stormed up to her bedroom, ignoring her mother's calls for her as she slammed her bedroom door shut and headed to the large window that overlooked the Quidditch pitch. How she wished she could be up on one of those brooms. She watched in excitement when Percy made what was known as a knuckle ball towards the score hoop. Ginny pretended it was her who was making that shot, it was her who was scoring. She could almost hear the crowd cheer out her name as the Quaffle went through the hoop with great speed.
Ginny closed her eyes and imagined herself at the Quidditch World Cup, delivering body blows to other players and checking an incoming Quaffle from the other team. She imagined herself performing the Hawkshead Attacking Formations, helping her fellow chasers to force the other teams aside. She smiled as she pictured herself doing the Chelmondiston Charge. She could see it as if it was happening right in front of her. Standing on her broomstick and leaping off, thrusting the Quaffle through the goalpost before landing back on her broom in a flawless motion.
Ginny promised herself that one day she would be playing at the Quidditch World Cup and she would be the best player out there. She promised herself that one day, she would be featured in the Quidditch Times and she would do it all as Ginny Potter.
The wife of Harry Potter.
Little did she know that her dreams would come true.