"It's time for a Weasley family tradition."
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
After Harry finished opening presents, Kingsley, McGonagall, and Hagrid all had to leave to return to their work. Harry sincerely thanked them once again for coming; he was still shocked that they'd done that for him. Emily also had to return home, and Andromeda volunteered to take her since they lived in the same town and she was returning home too.
"Teddy can still stay with us," Harry offered, but Andromeda smiled and shook her head.
"Next weekend. I'm sure you'll be busy celebrating this weekend, and you should enjoy that."
Harry nodded and thanked her once again for coming and for her gift, which he was still anxious to open. He kissed the top of Teddy's head to tell him goodbye, gave Emily one of their secret handshakes, and then the three of them left too.
Arthur led the family into the living room, where the grandfather clock stood in the corner. He took the clock hands from Hermione and Harry and added them to the central spoke of the clock. Immediately, both of their hands spun a few rapid cycles around the clock before stopping above 'Home'.
Hermione started crying again, but even though Harry felt a little choked up, he was mostly just happy. He smiled at Molly and Arthur and hugged them both. "Thanks… Mum and Dad," he whispered, and he felt both of them hug him tighter. Maybe a tear or two did end up falling after all.
He finally stepped back, smiling at them both and wiping his eyes before any more tears fell. It was funny that on such a happy day, he was crying so much. He figured he'd finish dealing with the hard stuff now.
"Can you come with me for a second?" he asked Ginny, who nodded and followed him upstairs to her bedroom, leaving the rest of the family in the living room.
They sat together on her bed. Ginny was smiling softly, playing with the medal that was still hanging from his neck.
"Sorry for bombarding you with all that stuff I said," he commented, but Ginny just shook her head.
"Don't apologise for that, Harry. I like thinking about our future– living together, getting married, kids… we're not there yet, but that doesn't mean I'm not excited about it when the time does come."
Harry smiled at her and sat next to her on the bed. "I don't know how I got so lucky," he said. She kissed him softly.
"I feel the same. There's only one answer– magic," she whispered, and Harry kissed her once more before pulling back and taking a deep breath. He felt Ginny shift on the bed and knew that she was aware of why he wanted her to be with him right now. He pulled the small envelope out of his pocket and looked down at it. He took another breath and tore the envelope open, revealing the letter inside.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Harry,
I wish I was writing to you under better circumstances, but truthfully, I don't know anything about what the circumstances really are anymore. There have been rumours that the three of you broke into the Ministry a few days ago, so I went to Grimmauld Place and scouted it out for a day. I saw a couple Death Eaters going in and out of the home, so I'm assuming they got the secret somehow, but I know the three of you are safe because it would've been announced everywhere if you'd been caught.
I wanted you to know I'm sorry for what happened the last time I saw you. I've spent the better part of a month thinking about what you said, and I told Tonks about our conversation too. As I'm sure you can imagine, she agreed with you on several points, and you were both right. I very badly want to help you still; I'd do anything I could to keep you safe and help us win the war. But it was wrong of me to try to leave her the way that I did.
Something you said really stuck with me, Harry. You said James died trying to protect you and Lily, so he wouldn't want me running away from my own wife and child. You were right about that too. I understand that you reacted so strongly because your parents didn't leave you, and I'm thankful that you refused to let me come with you. The more time I've spent with Tonks and our unborn child, the more I've realised how much I love them both. I'd do anything to keep them safe, just like James did for you.
I'll still be doing everything I can to help the Order, but I promise I won't abandon my family again. I don't know if I'll ever be able to give you this letter; I don't know where you've gone, and I'm sure the three of you will be doing everything you can to stay hidden. I want to ask you to stay safe, but I know that's not a promise you can make.
Instead, I'll ask you to not give up. Dumbledore believed you're the best hope we have for winning the war. I believe that too. You're an exceptional wizard and an even more exceptional man, a far better man than I. Your parents would be so proud of you. I know you'll do everything you can to end this war, and I have every confidence that you will. We're all behind you, Harry.
Moony
Ginny finished reading the letter and looked at Harry, who was still staring down at the letter, but it looked like he was more just trying to process it rather than still reading it. She tentatively placed a hand on his knee, not wanting to disturb his thoughts but wanting him to know she was still there. He blinked and looked at her. In his eyes, she saw an uncertain mix of happiness and regret.
"I– I called him a coward," Harry whispered, looking at the ground in front of her feet now. She raised her eyebrows, a little surprised. It was clear from the letter that there'd been some sort of altercation between the two of them, and she was very confused about what Remus had said about leaving Tonks. It seemed like Harry was willing to explain things to her though if she gave him the opportunity.
"Why?" she asked, not judging him at all. Harry was usually a pretty good judge of character, and even though it was surprising that he would've said something like that about a man he looked up to as much as Remus, she was sure his reasons were valid.
He exhaled slowly. "Remus found us a few days after Bill and Fleur's wedding. He told us what had been going on since the Ministry had fallen, and then he asked if he could come with us and at least help protect us, even if we couldn't tell him what we were doing. He said Tonks would be safe with his parents and then told us she was pregnant. He told me he was sure that my dad would've wanted him to come with us, but I said I thought my dad would want to know why he wasn't staying with his own kid.
"Remus started pushing back, saying that he made a mistake marrying Tonks because she'd be an outcast for being married to him, and he was worried Teddy would inherit his… wolf problem. I disagreed, very strongly, and I decided to do whatever it took to get him to go back to them. I said if I was his kid, I'd be ashamed of him trying to abandon his responsibility to his wife and child to go on an adventure. I said he was a coward for running away, and then he left. I didn't see him again until the night he told us that Teddy had been born."
Ginny pressed her lips together and gently rubbed Harry's back, trying to wrap her mind around this part of the story– something he'd left out when he told her about everything, not that she could really blame him for not mentioning this. It was surprising and more than a little upsetting, thinking that Remus really tried to leave his family– to leave Tonks and Teddy.
"You're such a good person," she stated. Harry looked at her questioningly, and she continued. "I doubt it was easy for you to refuse help like that. And even though you meant every word you said, I don't think it was easy for you to say all that to Remus. But you did it because it was the right thing to do."
"Parents shouldn't leave their kids," Harry responded quietly.
She fully wrapped her arm around him and kissed his cheek softly. "And you helped Remus see that."
Harry shook his head. "He still left his kid. Teddy doesn't have any parents now because of a war. He's just like–"
Harry suddenly stopped talking, still looking down at the floor. Ginny reached her other hand up to his chin and gently turned his frowning face so he was looking at her. "No. He's not just like you, and he's not going to have to grow up like you did. He's got Andi, and he's always going to have us. It's like what Remus told you in the forest… he and Tonks… they– they died fighting to make the world a better place for Teddy. He can always be proud of his parents for what they did, and that's what makes him just like you."
"We're always gonna be there for him," Harry echoed, and Ginny nodded.
"Just like we're always gonna be there for each other."
Harry nodded now too and leaned his head on her shoulder. She did have things she was supposed to be doing right now for his birthday, but this was far more important. As much as he loved the rest of the family, she knew he wouldn't be this vulnerable with anybody other than her. She was more than happy to spend as much time with him as he needed. That letter was a lot to take in, and he was clearly wrestling with all sorts of emotions.
"They were good people," he said simply, still not moving from her shoulder.
"The best," Ginny agreed, so thankful that Remus hadn't left Tonks and Teddy. And he almost certainly would've if it hadn't been for the special man sitting next to her.
A few moments later, Harry sighed. "Guess we'd better go back downstairs."
"Whenever you're ready," Ginny responded, not wanting to rush him at all. He sat up and smiled at her.
"I know I'm a lot to deal with sometimes, but I love you so much."
She leaned forward until their noses were almost touching. "I love you even more," she whispered, kissing him before they had to leave the sanctuary of her bedroom again. They were a little sadder than when they'd entered, but she found that yet again, they grew closer in every conversation, further intertwining their lives and committing to each other forever.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
When they returned downstairs, Harry was grateful that nobody asked any questions about what he and Ginny had been doing. They'd all been there when Andi had given him the letter; he was sure they understood. However, when they did enter the living room, Harry was ushered outside by everyone but Molly, who was already in the kitchen again even though they'd just finished breakfast an hour or two ago.
Charlie was standing outside in the yard, holding a broomstick in either hand. "I think it's about time we had another Seeking competition," he challenged.
Harry grinned and took one of the brooms from Charlie. Ginny came running out to him and handed him the new Seeker gloves Charlie had given him, then proceeded to give him a gratuitous kiss for luck, which Harry definitely appreciated, even though it might have hindered him slightly– his vision was a little blurry now.
Everyone was in the yard at this point, and Arthur was once again chosen to be the releaser of the Snitch. Wordlessly, Harry and Charlie bumped fists.
"As usual, the Snitch gets a ten second head start. Good luck to both of you" Arthur said, releasing the golden ball.
Harry inhaled slowly, tracking the ball with his eyes for several seconds before it finally disappeared somewhere over the orchard. He felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins as time seemed to slow. He could just faintly hear the family counting down from ten, but when they got to one, he crouched slightly, springing off the ground at the same instant they said go. Charlie didn't have quite as good of a jump as Harry, but he wasn't focused on Charlie. He'd already seen a glint of gold above the trees and was racing after it.
It turned out that that actually was the Snitch, but it was being particularly evasive and quick today. Harry followed it all over the orchard and around the Burrow, weaving around for several minutes, following the path set by the Snitch. Charlie must've only been a couple broom lengths behind him, but at least he wasn't gaining.
Suddenly, the Snitch dropped as they passed by the Burrow once again, flying very low to the ground. Harry instinctively followed, starting to take one hand off the broom as he drew closer to the Snitch. As he began reaching his hand out, he vaguely saw several shapes in the distance that didn't belong on the pitch. Almost as soon as he saw them, he remembered that he wasn't on a Quidditch pitch, and he was barreling straight for the Weasleys.
They were trying to get out of the way, but Harry was moving much faster than them. Just ten feet in front of them, he pulled up, losing his bead on the Snitch but safely avoiding a collision with them. Charlie, on the other hand, was much less considerate. He didn't adjust his course, forcing Ron and George to drop to the ground as he flew mere inches over them. Somehow, the Snitch chose that moment to slow, and Charlie was able to pluck it out of the air with ease, triumphantly raising it in the air and smirking at Harry.
Harry shook his head as they landed, unable to help being a little annoyed at the turn of events. "Guess we're even," Charlie said, landing next to Harry and grinning much more brightly than Harry was used to seeing from him.
"Guess Harry doesn't want to kill his family," Ron muttered, standing up and dusting himself off.
"Quidditch is Quidditch. If you're on the pitch, you better get out of the way," Charlie responded easily, although Harry suspected that he wouldn't be that confident if it had been Ginny or Molly that he'd almost trampled. Ginny looked like she disagreed with Charlie's methods too, crossing her arms and glaring at her brother.
"Rematch?" Harry asked, but Charlie shook his head.
"Not now. Now it's time for a Weasley family tradition– birthday Quidditch."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Birthday Quidditch?" he asked, and Ron answered.
"Yeah, we have enough to play three on three Quidditch. You, me, Charlie, Bill, George, and Dad."
"Your dad plays Quidditch?" Harry asked, a little surprised.
"Well he's the one who taught us all how to play," Bill responded.
"I'm not the best, never played at Hogwarts or anything, but I do still like to play. And I know none of you are going to take it easy on me," Arthur added, smiling at all of them.
Harry grinned, thinking that sounded brilliant, before he saw Ginny smiling too. "Wait, aren't you playing?" he asked, disappointed when she shook her head.
"I've got to help Mum with a couple of things for your dinner and cake," she answered.
He must not have disguised his disappointment well at all because she stepped closer to him. "Don't worry, you won't have to spend much of your birthday without me," she promised, quickly kissing him before walking back into the Burrow. He couldn't be sure of it, but to him, it looked like she was glowing or floating or both.
Charlie cleared his throat, jerking Harry out of the near-trance he'd been in watching Ginny. He smiled sheepishly and turned back to the group, thankful that everyone knew better than to say anything, but Arthur was smiling at him happily.
"So, what are the teams?" Harry asked.
"Oldest brothers always pick teams," Ron answered, and Harry nodded, still happy to find how much he enjoyed being a part of a large family where sentences like that made sense.
"I've gotta take the birthday boy," Bill said, and Harry walked over to stand next to him. This was the first time that he'd been picked first for any sort of schoolyard draft for a game. Dudley had always threatened to beat up anyone who picked Harry, so he was always picked last or not at all. This was a very welcome change of pace.
"I'll take George," Charlie responded, slinging an arm around his younger brother.
Bill looked back and forth at Arthur and Ron a few times. Arthur smiled and put a hand up. "I'll save you from feeling like you're hurting my feelings. You take Ron, and I'll go with George and Charlie."
Bill nodded, and the teams were set. Once everyone had grabbed brooms, Harry, Bill, and Ron huddled around a little ways from the others. "I'll be honest– you two are much better at Quidditch than me. I'll do my best to keep up though," Bill offered, and Harry clapped him encouragingly on the back.
"We've got this."
Ron jumped in to offer strategic advice for the match. "Since we're just playing with the Quaffle, I'm going to hang back and play more defence and keeper. Harry, you're probably the fastest flyer out here, so we'll need you to try and either work your way through them or draw attention away from Bill. I'm gonna push up where I can, but I don't want to overcommit to moving forward and leave us open to a counterattack. Bill, do what you can to help Harry– they're gonna be all over him, but that may leave you open. Go under him if you have to, just make yourself available for him to give you the Quaffle. And– Charlie may decide to go hard after Harry. Just… if that happens, keep Harry alive."
Bill glanced at Harry, who shrugged cluelessly, hoping Charlie wouldn't be trying to knock him off his broom. Bill looked back at Ron and nodded seriously, and Harry repeated the gesture. It was really interesting seeing Ron in a coaching position– giving advice or orders to his oldest brother would've seemed intimidating from Harry's point of view, but it all seemed to come to Ron naturally. It was a good thing too because Ron was usually right about strategy, whether it was in chess or Quidditch. But now it was time to test if this strategy was the right one.
They bumped each other's fists and returned to the centre of the orchard between the goals on either side. Charlie, George, and Arthur met them there. They all nodded to each other, clenching their jaws– even Arthur, and Harry suddenly realised that all the Weasleys took Quidditch very seriously. He didn't have much time to dwell on it because Arthur levitated the Quaffle high into the air and released it, causing all of them to kick off from the ground as the match began.
As they planned, Ron immediately retreated to play defence, which was a good thing because Charlie beat both Harry and Bill to the Quaffle. Since they'd both gone for it, George was completely open for Charlie to pass to, and George rushed at the goals, only being stopped by a last ditch save by Ron, who immediately began screaming at Harry and Bill to work together rather than go after the Quaffle at the same time.
They took that instruction to heart, passing the ball smoothly between each other until they reached Arthur and George, who were trying to keep them from passing. Harry took the Quaffle, feinted going above them before dropping and diving below them, allowing him to score with ease since Charlie had been playing further up in attack.
The other Weasleys stormed back though, scoring the next two goals through synchronised passing that Harry and Bill couldn't keep up with, which led to Ron being scored on by both Charlie and Arthur, who surprisingly had a wicked shot. Bill took the ball following their second goal, driving towards the defence with a purpose when Charlie came from behind and punched the ball out of his arms. Luckily, Harry was quick enough to scoop the ball out of the air and score in the confusion of everyone lunging for the Quaffle.
Taking inspiration from that play, the next time they got the ball, following a wayward pass from George, Bill once again flew straight at them before dropping the ball to Harry, who was streaking below all of them and again had an easy goal waiting for him. They were leading once again, and it was obvious that the other Weasleys were feeling less confident. They tried starting another attack, but it evaporated when Harry intercepted a pass from Charlie intended for Arthur and sped down the field, pulling up when George cut him off, but Bill was wide open for an easy pass and goal. Grinning, they high fived each other as they returned to their side of the pitch, but Harry noticed the glint in Charlie's eyes.
The next time Harry had the ball, Charlie gave his best impression of a Bludger, following him around incessantly and bumping up against him as much as he could. While Harry was trying to avoid Charlie, Arthur swooped in, punching the ball out of Harry's arms, and he and George easily scored on Ron. When this repeated a second time, Ron yelled for Bill to play Beater, which Bill took very seriously.
Instead of trying to play offence at all, he solely focused on knocking Charlie away from Harry, which helped but also left Harry alone against George and Arthur. He was able to get around them once and score by virtue of being slighter and faster than both of them, but they began playing closer to the goals to prevent him from having the room to get around them again. Ron clearly sensed the strategic shift of the game, moving forward enough to take the Quaffle off Harry, which drew George forward. At the last second, Ron passed the ball back to Harry, who head-faked around Arthur before scoring, to bring their lead back to twenty points.
After they scored two more goals in similar fashion, Charlie apparently realised his insane Bludger tactic wasn't working and returned to helping Arthur and George in actually playing Chaser, and that shift was enough for them to score two goals while Ron adjusted to returning to defence. Unfortunately for them, once Ron returned to playing defence, it was much more difficult for them to get through Harry and Bill's defensive line and score on Ron.
At least, it was until Arthur beelined straight for Harry, who realised as the man drew closer and closer that he wasn't going to pull up. He was forced to drop out of the way, which left Ron exposed and Arthur scored, grinning like a little boy as he high fived George and Charlie. Harry shook his head in disbelief but decided to try the same manoeuvre on Arthur going the other way. Somehow, Arthur stood his ground, and Harry was forced to fly over him. However, he'd been going so fast that he blew past George and Charlie and scored a goal out of nowhere, bringing them within one goal of the one hundred point threshold needed for victory.
The winning goal came when Bill surprisingly threw himself at Charlie, who was calmly trying to fly up the pitch and wasn't expecting to be facing pressure so quickly. Bill managed to punch the Quaffle out of Charlie's hands, and Harry was there to pick it up, doing a celebratory loop in the air before he gently tossed the Quaffle through the goal to win the game for him, Ron, and Bill.
They were whooping and hollering as they landed, pulling each other into a group hug, celebrating their hard-fought victory. When they pulled back, Harry was happy to find that Arthur and George seemed fairly good-natured about their defeat, clapping him on the back while they walked back to the Burrow. Charlie was maintaining his surly demeanour, but Harry thought he'd definitely seen him much angrier before, so he wasn't too bothered by it.
Once they entered the house, he went into the kitchen, where he expected Ginny to be, but nobody was in there. He ran up to her room, but it was empty too. Frowning, he came back down into the living room, where the other five were lounging and regarding him with some vague form of amusement.
"Do any of you know where Ginny is?" Harry asked, becoming slightly frustrated at them seemingly knowing something he didn't.
"Yep," Bill answered simply.
Harry exhaled slowly. "Can you tell me where she is?"
Arthur looked at his watch. "You'll find out in about five minutes," he offered cryptically, which frustrated Harry a little more, but he could wait five minutes.
After four minutes had passed, he asked, "Are you sure she's coming back?"
George snorted. "You're a rather needy boyfriend, aren't you?" Harry scowled at him, making everyone laugh, especially Charlie.
"She's not coming here, Harry. Now, everyone gather round. It'll be any second now," Arthur instructed. They all gathered around him, reaching out to touch part of an old pan that he was holding. Harry suddenly understood that they must be travelling by Portkey, and he placed his hand on the pan too.
"Ready for your last birthday gift, mate?" Ron asked, grinning from ear to ear. Harry opened his mouth to ask what it was, but before any words could come out, the pan glowed blue, and he felt a jerk behind his navel as they disappeared and reappeared somewhere else entirely in a second.
He started to look around when his eyes were covered by a pair of hands. He instinctively tensed but then relaxed, smelling a familiar flowery scent and hearing his favourite voice say "You can't look yet."
Harry chuckled and reached behind him, blindly hugging Ginny against his back. "I missed you," he said quietly, and he heard her giggle.
"I missed you too. Did you win?"
"Yep, one hundred to seventy," he answered proudly.
He could almost feel Ginny smiling. "Close game. Hopefully this one's a more convincing win."
Harry nodded before realising he didn't understand what she was talking about. "Wait, what?" he asked, and Ginny suddenly lifted her hands off his eyes.
"Surprise!" she shouted, along with several more voices. Harry blinked and stared in shock at what was in front of him. It wasn't just the Weasleys there who'd shouted, although every member of the family was there. The majority of the voices belonged to more friends from Hogwarts than Harry could count– it seemed like half of Gryffindor was there, along with all of Dumbledore's Army. As he looked at all the faces of his friends from school– Luna, Neville, Seamus, Dean, Hannah, Parvati, Padma, Dennis, Terry, Ernie, Cho, and several more– he noticed that there were also a lot of people present who'd graduated, including his teammates– Oliver, Alicia, Angelina, and Katie.
Behind them, he saw a large, slightly worn down structure with orange flags cropping up all around it. He was fairly certain he knew where they were, but he still turned around to Ginny, who was beaming at him. "Is this where the Cannons play?" he asked, still a little stunned.
Ginny eagerly nodded. "Are you ready to play in a Quidditch match in the Chudley Coliseum?" she asked in response, and his jaw dropped.
"Seriously?"
She nodded again, and he picked her up in a tight hug. "You're the best," he whispered, and she hugged him even tighter. He set her down after a moment and they walked towards the crowd, where Harry was immediately enveloped by a lot of hugs, claps on the back, and greetings of all other sorts. Once he'd said hello to everyone– there must've been fifty people there– and small talk had drawn on for a while, Ginny finally interrupted.
"Oi! We're gonna get started soon, so if you're playing, come with me; otherwise, get into the stands!"
Several people, including Molly, Fleur, and Hermione, wished him luck as the area outside the stadium slowly thinned, leaving behind just fourteen people, all of whom Harry had played Quidditch with at some point. "What are the teams?" Ron asked.
Ginny looked at him like it was obvious, and seeing everyone lined up, Harry realised what the teams were going to be before she said anything. "It's Old Gryffindor versus New Gryffindor. On Old Gryffindor, Oliver's the Keeper, George and Bill are Beaters, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie are Chasers, and Charlie's the Seeker. On New Gryffindor, you're the Keeper, Jimmy and Ritchie are Beaters, Demelza, Dean, and I are Chasers, and Harry's our Seeker."
Harry felt the smallest twinge of wishing Katie and Dean had swapped places, but he knew it was stupid to feel jealous when Ginny had put all this time into making the day so special for him. He just grinned, thinking this was such a brilliant gift.
"I can't wait," he said, eagerly following everyone to the changing rooms for the two teams, following his team when they reached the junction in the slightly dark and dirty hallway.
They filed into their changing room, a round room that was much nicer and larger than the one at Hogwarts. Somehow, their Gryffindor Quidditch robes were there, complete with their names and numbers across the back.
After they donned their robes, Ginny spoke up. "Anything to say, Captain?" she asked, smiling at Harry.
Harry's eyes widened slightly in surprise. This was technically the team he'd built as captain in his sixth year– other than Katie, but Dean had played well as a substitute– but his time as captain felt like a lifetime ago.
He cleared his throat and stood up, feeling everyone's eyes on him. He thought back, trying to remember what he'd said to his team to encourage them before matches during his last season at Hogwarts.
"Well– we're up against a really good team. Their Chasers played together for several seasons, and Oliver's a professional Keeper, so our Chasers and Keeper have their work cut out for them. But I don't doubt that we can control the game. Their four Quaffle-handlers won a Quidditch Cup, but so did ours. Our Beaters are more familiar playing with each other than Bill and George are, even though they're brothers. And I– well I've beaten Charlie getting a Snitch before. I'll do my best to do it again today," he finished.
"We're winning this one for you mate!" Ron shouted, jumping up and very visibly expressing his eagerness to start playing again. Everyone else echoed his sentiment, and Harry grinned for a moment before assuming a more serious expression as he fell back into the rhythms of preparing for a real Quidditch match.
"Alright, Captain?" Demelza asked as he sat down near her.
He nodded. "Just getting ready to win."
Demelza snorted. "We've got this. I mean, having me on the team practically guarantees it… but we really can't win with you and Ginny on the team. You're one of the best Seekers Hogwarts has ever seen, and she can easily play professionally if she wants. I'm feeling pretty good about our chances."
Harry nodded again, glancing over at Ginny, who was obviously in the middle of coaching Dean through some sort of Chasing strategy she wanted to implement. She must've sensed him looking at her though because she turned to look at him, still talking to Dean, and winked at him, once again clearing up any lingering feeling of jealousy he had. Demelza went over to join them, and Harry stopped to check in on Jimmy and Ritchie.
"You guys ready?" he asked the two Beaters.
"I've been waiting for this for more than a year," Ritchie responded eagerly, tapping the bat against his hand for emphasis.
"We're gonna win it for you. No doubt about it," Jimmy added, grinning easily and clearly feeling no nerves.
Harry clapped them both on the back. "Let's do it then," he said encouragingly before walking over to Ron, who looked somewhat constipated, staring at the air in front of him like it had done something to greatly offend him.
"Ready mate?" Harry asked tentatively, crouching in front of him.
Ron grunted, which Harry figured was the best he would get out of him. This was pretty much his dream come true after all– playing Quidditch in the Cannons' stadium. He was obviously nervous, and, even though Harry didn't have the placebo Felix Felicis to use this time, he was confident that Ron would perform brilliantly.
They heard a whistle from outside on the pitch, indicating that it was time for both teams to begin walking towards the pitch. Harry led the team out of the locker room, and Ginny fell in step right next to him.
"This is gonna be awesome," she whispered, barely able to contain her excitement, and Harry lost his serious composure, smiling at her.
"Best birthday ever," he responded, and she looked up at him suggestively.
"And it's not even over yet," she said mysteriously, making him wonder if there was somehow even more to this already incredible day than he already knew about. He couldn't think on it for long though because he suddenly realised they were all missing something very important.
"Er– where are our brooms?" he asked as they made their way into the tunnel that would funnel them onto the pitch. At least this one was much nicer than the ones they'd walked through to get to the changing rooms. He suspected that had something to do with these being more publicly visible.
"Mister Trumble said we could use the team's Firebolts that are hanging on the wall up here," Ron answered, and Harry looked back at him, a little confused.
"Mister Trumble put this whole thing together?" he asked.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Bloody hell. No, he didn't put this whole thing together. Ginny's been working on this for a couple weeks, and Mister Trumble was more than happy for us to do it here when I asked him about it."
Harry looked down at Ginny, both of them taking their brooms off the wall. "You've been working on this for a couple weeks?" he asked.
She grinned proudly. "Since before your hearing," she responded, and he shook his head in disbelief. He really did have the best girlfriend in the world. At that moment, the second whistle went off, indicating that it was time for warmups to begin.
Everyone else mounted their brooms and flew out, but before Harry could get on his broom, Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a searing kiss that left bells going off inside his head.
"For luck!" she exclaimed, giggling slightly as she mounted her own broom.
"I bloody love you," Harry said reverently, and she flashed him a brilliant smile before taking off, leaving him to follow her close behind, out the tunnel and onto the pitch.
Even though he knew there weren't a lot of people there compared to the size of the stadium, it still felt like the cheers of the people that were there echoed throughout the stadium, making it seem like they'd be playing in front of thousands. As Harry began making laps around their half of the pitch, he saw that the Old Gryffindors were wearing gold robes with red accents, the inverse of the robes he was currently wearing.
He practised a few dives and quick manoeuvres, knowing Charlie was doing the same on the other side. After spending the summer riding a Cleansweep Five, it felt really nice to have the quick and responsive Firebolt instead, and he could tell everyone around the pitch felt the same way. He watched as Dean, Demelza, and Ginny practised passing and attacking Ron's goals, working so quickly and cohesively that he didn't have a chance most of the time.
The final whistle blew, telling the teams that it was time to land because the game was about to begin. Harry took one more quick lap, spiralling downwards and grinning as he passed the crowd, picking out several people, including the non-playing members of his family, cheering him on. When he landed, his team joined him in a brief huddle.
"We've got this. We're fast, we're strong, and we work well together as a team. Let's play our game, and we'll flatten them," he encouraged, breaking the huddle and they met the Old Gryffindors in the middle of the pitch. Harry was surprised to see that Arthur was wearing black robes and holding his own Firebolt, apparently having been called on to referee the game.
"You all know the drill. Everyone's playing to win, but we're really here to have fun. Enjoy yourselves, be safe, and play a clean game. Captains, shake hands," Arthur instructed, winking at Harry as he stepped forward, taking Oliver's hand in his.
"Bit different than the first time you played Quidditch, isn't it?" Oliver asked, surprising Harry with a faint smile, which seemed out of place considering how seriously Oliver took Quidditch.
"Just a bit," Harry responded with a similarly faint smile before stepping back to the rest of his team. Everyone mounted their brooms, and Arthur released the Bludgers and Snitch. Harry almost immediately lost sight of it as it darted away. He looked back across from him and saw Charlie looking more than a little menacing. This was going to be an interesting game, he thought. He was about to find out just how interesting though. Arthur tossed the Quaffle in the air, waiting a second before blowing his whistle, and fifteen brooms quickly rose in the air as they all kicked off and the game began.
Ginny was the fastest one to the Quaffle, unsurprisingly. Her launch and flying had been so fast that she had basically an uncontested breakaway, and Harry watched in awe as she completely fooled Oliver with a fake shot, giving her an easy goal through the middle hoop. She pumped her fist and flew back towards their side, high-fiving Dean and Demelza as they set up in a defensive formation. She was brilliant.
Harry suddenly remembered that he was actually supposed to be playing too, and he broke off looking at her, rising higher over the stadium and sweeping back and forth, looking for the Snitch.
"That all happened very fast. Ginny Weasley scored a goal for the New Gryffindors, making everyone else look like they were flying on much slower brooms. She's very good at Quidditch," Harry heard Luna say, and he laughed out loud hearing her commentating the match. He wasn't really supposed to be paying attention to the commentary, but it still increased his enjoyment of the game quite a bit.
"At the top of the stadium, Harry's flying around. In case anybody didn't know, today is Harry's birthday. He seems to be enjoying it quite a bit. He deserves to have a good birthday," Luna observed, ignoring the crowd roaring as Ginny scored another goal, this one courtesy of a brilliant pass by Demelza.
The game predictably fell into a very exciting but steady rhythm. Neither team could score more than a couple consecutive goals, and neither Keeper was letting in anything other than exceptional shots. After about thirty minutes, New Gryffindor was leading 70-60. Everyone on the pitch seemed to be playing at their best, and that was proven when Harry saw the Snitch for the first time, hovering close to the stands where everyone was sitting.
He immediately took off with a large head start, and he was confident he was going to catch it until a wicked Bludger hit by George forced him to careen out of the way. The Snitch had disappeared by the time he reoriented himself.
"George Weasley just hit the Bludger at Harry. Apparently he doesn't care that it's Harry's birthday," Luna commented. George grinned and mock-saluted Harry, who just shook his head and began flying above the stadium again.
More than once, he found himself distracted watching Ginny. It was obvious that, even though she was younger than all the Chasers on Old Gryffindor, she was the best Chaser on the pitch by a long shot. And the fact that she'd scored several goals against a professional Keeper spoke volumes for her Quidditch abilities. It wasn't just that she was scoring goals either– she was a tenacious and well-rounded player, as proven when she intercepted a pass from Angelina that was almost certainly going to guarantee Katie an open goal. She then passed the ball upfield to Demelza, who was able to fly in unopposed before dropping the Quaffle to Dean, who scored on the hoop Oliver hadn't been able to defend.
"You can't make it too easy on me," Charlie taunted as he passed Harry on one of his sweeps over the pitch, causing Harry to jerk back to his responsibilities, and he began roaming around the pitch in the opposite direction. He was going to have to learn how to not stare at Ginny if they were going to function on the same Quidditch team at Hogwarts this season. He'd figure that out later. For now, he just had to focus and find the Snitch because, as good as both teams were playing, neither team was going to take a big enough lead to nullify the Snitch when it was caught.
It turned out to actually be a good thing that he was finding it so difficult to stop watching Ginny when he heard Luna say, "Ginny has the Quaffle, and I think she wants to score." He turned to look at her from his vantage point above Ron's hoops when he suddenly saw the Snitch. It was hovering around the middle of the pitch, about level with him.
He took off without hesitation, realising as he rapidly flew across the pitch that Charlie was mirroring his flight path, coming from the opposite direction. Harry thought Ginny might've scored, but everything other than the Snitch became a blur as time slowed down. Luna might've said his name, but he couldn't make out what she actually said. The wind was whipping at his face, and he pressed himself as low as he could to the broom, willing himself to go faster.
Charlie was just as far away from the Snitch as he was, and Harry had a sickening epiphany, remembering the events of the Seeking competition earlier in the day. Charlie had clearly shown that he wouldn't pull up, and Harry wasn't about to give him a free run at the Snitch. He'd just have to hope he got there first. Then whatever was going to happen would happen.
This entire mental calculation in Harry's mind took place in a fraction of a second. He and Charlie were mere feet away from each other and the Snitch, which had somehow remained almost perfectly stationary. They both stretched their hands out, and Harry lunged, hearing the faintest echoes of a girl's scream as he barrel-rolled out of the way. He'd been going too fast though, and he only had one hand on the broom. He began slipping off as he rolled more than he expected, and before he knew it, he was dangling from the broom by just his fingertips.
He started losing his grip when he felt hands underneath his arms, hoisting him back up onto his broom, which had thankfully stabilised. He let out the terrified breath he'd been holding and gratefully turned to thank Arthur and Bill. "I thought I told you to be safe," Arthur said in a joking reproach.
Harry chuckled. "I didn't realise that applied to me. You know I can't follow those instructions."
Ginny flew right next to him. "What the hell was that?" she asked furiously, punching him in his arm harder than he was expecting.
He winced. "At least we won," he responded, holding the Snitch up for her to see. Her eyes widened looking at the Snitch before looking back up at him and shaking her head. She looked disapproving, but he saw the smile threatening to come on her face.
"You're a lucky bastard," Ginny commented, and Harry grinned.
"Believe me, I know," he answered, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek, which made her finally smile even as she rolled her eyes.
Having seen the Snitch in Harry's hand, Arthur blew his whistle to signal the end of the game, and a feeble cannon blast went off. New Gryffindor had won 240-60, and Harry had barely touched down on the pitch when he was mauled by his teammates, who piled on top of him. It took several minutes before Harry was able to stand again, walking over to the other side of the pitch to talk to everyone else.
Katie, Alicia, and Angelina all hugged him. "Good to see all the hero stuff hasn't affected your Quidditch," Katie said, and he blushed slightly before moving on to Oliver, who clapped him on his back.
"Finding you is still the best thing I've done in Quidditch. I'm telling you, Harry, you can easily play professionally if you want. I guarantee you could start for Puddlemere if you wanted to come play with me," Oliver offered, and Harry chuckled.
"Thanks, Oliver. I'll… think about it. I've still got another year left at Hogwarts first though."
"I forgot that I'd heard you were going back. You'll win the Cup easily there with this team," Oliver responded, and Harry nodded, thinking that if everyone but Ron was coming back to Hogwarts, they certainly did have a good chance at winning the Cup.
His conversation with Oliver was interrupted when George put an arm around his shoulders. "Harry, you're absolutely insane. It's almost like you want to die on the pitch."
"There are worse ways to go out," Oliver commented, almost confirming Harry's long-held belief that Oliver did in fact want to die on a Quidditch pitch.
Harry shrugged. "He wasn't going to pull up. If I'd pulled up, we would've lost," he responded simply.
George just shook his head. "I repeat– insane."
Speaking of insane, Charlie walked up to the three of them. "What the hell was that?" he asked incredulously, echoing the exact same question Ginny had asked him minutes earlier.
"That was me winning," Harry responded, cracking a smile. Charlie glared at him for a second before shaking his head and chuckling, surprising Harry a great deal.
"I didn't think you had it in you. I thought for sure you'd pull up like you did earlier today, but I'm impressed. That was real ballsy, going for it even if I almost took your head off."
Harry grimaced. "It couldn't have been that close."
George rolled his eyes. "Everyone in the stadium thought the two of you were about to kill each other. Ginny screamed when it looked like the two of you collided, but Charlie just kept flying straight through."
Harry sighed. "At least we won," he offered, and Charlie snorted.
"You're starting to sound like Oliver."
Oliver puffed his chest out proudly, as if that was a compliment, and Harry smiled grimly, walking with them back over to where the rest of the players had gathered.
"– you should've seen him diving through the trees to catch it last month," Ron was saying to the other players, telling the story of Harry and Charlie's first Seeking competition. Harry chuckled and clapped his friend's back.
"How'd it feel playing on the Cannons' pitch?" he asked.
Ron grinned from ear to ear. "Best feeling ever."
"You sure you don't wanna come back to Hogwarts this year? It's gonna be hard to replace you at Keeper," Harry said, mostly kidding, but Ron shook his head.
"I can't, mate. I'm going with Hermione to Australia, and I– I just can't," he answered, a little shakily, and Harry nodded understandingly.
"I get it. Still… it was pretty great to play Quidditch together again."
Ron nodded, grinning once more. "Yeah it was."
Harry stepped away from Ron when Ginny began tugging at his free hand. "Where are we going?" he asked.
"Everyone's gotta go back to the changing rooms and get ready. We don't wanna be late for the party," Ginny called, and everyone that was on the pitch followed the two of them down the tunnel.
"I thought this was the party," Harry commented, sliding an arm around her waist as they walked towards the changing room.
Ginny shook her head, smiling impishly. "This was just the pre-party. The real party is happening upstairs in the owner's lounge."
"Merlin, you really went all out for my birthday," Harry responded, shaking his head yet again in disbelief.
Ginny earnestly looked up at him. "I promised you a great birthday. You deserve all of this."
She said it so matter-of-factly that Harry couldn't help but believe her, amazed at how she'd done all of this for him without him knowing about it, and he somehow didn't feel guilty or something for being the centre of attention for this long. And it was all because of her.
One by one, the team removed their robes and walked to the showers wearing their undergarments. Harry noticed Dean had taken the first stall, and he couldn't help but nudge Ginny down to the last one, taking the one next to her.
"Jealous, are we?" Ginny asked, smiling proudly at Harry who nodded.
"Very," he almost growled possessively, and she stood on her toes to kiss him.
"I would say you should join me, but I don't think we'd make it up to the party if we did that. You know how much Quidditch Captains turn me on," she whispered seductively. Harry bent down longingly, and she kissed him quickly before retreating into her shower stall, giving him one last sultry look over her shoulder as she closed the door.
Harry groaned and entered his own stall, stripping down and taking a cold shower to calm himself down, doing his best to not think about the scene in the stall next to his. It took great effort, but he was finally able to clean himself and breathe normally again before drying, dressing, and exiting the stall at the exact same time as Ginny.
She was wearing a short yellow summer dress that complimented her curves very nicely in his unprofessional opinion, and he couldn't help but notice just how much of her legs he could see. He obviously wasn't being discreet about his admiration of her because she giggled and stuck a leg out.
"You can take a closer look if you want," she offered, still giggling.
Harry surprised himself when he knelt down and pressed a kiss to the soft skin of her thigh, causing Ginny to inhale sharply. "Harry," she whispered, and he looked up at her. She looked beautiful, staring down at him with her hair down and eyes looking at him like he was the only thing she wanted. He pressed another kiss to her thigh before standing up.
"You're perfect," he said, kissing her softly. When he pulled back, her eyes slowly fluttered open.
"I love you," she responded.
He grinned. "I love you more." She smiled at that too, taking his hand and walking out into the now-empty changing room. Apparently they'd been the last to leave the showers, so they began walking up to the owner's lounge by themselves.
"You look amazing by the way," he commented offhandedly while they climbed the stairs.
Ginny smiled brightly. "So do you," she answered, and even though Harry didn't think that he measured up to her in any way, the way she looked at him told a different story.
They finally reached the top, a little out of breath but eager to begin partying. They entered the lounge, still holding hands, and everyone exclaimed, "Happy Birthday, Harry!"
The room wasn't very big, but it was entirely decorated, not with Chudley Cannons orange, but with Gryffindor's red and gold. Balloons, streamers, and banners decorated all the walls, and there was a large table covered with snacks and sweets and a large Snitch-decorated cake, much like the one Molly had made for his seventeenth birthday.
Harry raised an eyebrow when Hermione walked up to them holding a camera. "What's that for?" he asked.
Hermione rolled her eyes reflexively. "I thought you'd want a picture to start the album Ginny gave you."
Understanding, Harry nodded, and he and Ginny pressed close together, grinning at the camera. After Hermione took a picture, Harry said, "Wait, get one more."
Hermione raised the camera up to her eye again, and Harry pulled Ginny into a deep kiss, lasting far past when he heard the click of the camera. When they separated, Hermione was gone, and both he and Ginny were blinking like they'd been stunned.
"D'you– you just wanna get out of here and go home?" Harry asked, grinning a little dumbly.
Ginny looked like she was genuinely considering it for a moment before she shook her head. "Not yet. Soon though," she promised, and the look in her eyes told Harry he still had a lot to look forward to after the party.
This was still a party for him though, and he wanted to see everyone who'd made the time to attend. He began moving around the room to talk to people, and Ginny stayed by his side, not wanting to let him go for even a second. Harry certainly wasn't complaining about that.
"How have you been?" Harry asked Neville when he found him in the crowd.
"Good… I'm doing good. I've spent some time with Professor Sprout this summer, and I'm going to be spending some time at Hogwarts throughout the year learning more about teaching Herbology."
"That's great, Neville!" Harry said, congratulating his friend.
"You really grew into teaching in the D.A. last year. I think you'll be a brilliant professor," Ginny added.
Neville blushed and nodded. "And I guess I'll be seeing more of you two. I heard you're both going back to Hogwarts."
"Yep we are. You know how much I care about my education," Harry joked, and Neville laughed loudly.
"Right, Harry. I'm sure that's the only reason you're going back," he responded, smiling at both of them. "I'm just glad you're both back together. Ginny was an absolute nightmare when–"
Ginny's jaw dropped as she swatted his arm, and he broke off laughing. "I'm just kidding. We all missed you… Ginny was just way more obvious about it," he said, retreating before Ginny could hit him again.
Harry laughed, looking down at Ginny. "I missed you too, Gin," he whispered into her ear, and even though she didn't say anything, her small smile and the squeeze on his hand told him enough.
They spent close to two hours walking around the party, learning about what people were up to now that it was possible to have a life after the war. Hannah had received an offer from Madam Rosmerta to work as a manager at The Three Broomsticks, so they'd be seeing her more in Hogsmeade. Luna, Dennis, and Dean were all coming back to Hogwarts.
Surprisingly, Dean told them he was happy they were together. "I think deep down I always knew that Harry was the guy you really belonged with… it just took me a while to see it," he said to Ginny.
"To be fair, it took him a while to see it too," Ginny responded, and they all three laughed.
Harry still felt a little jealousy, but he knew Dean was a great guy and a good friend of his. It was also good to know that Harry would have a familiar face in the dorm this year since Ron, Neville, and Seamus had all moved on. Seamus was actually enrolling in the Auror Academy after talking to Kingsley about it after Harry's hearing.
Parvati hadn't decided what she wanted to do yet– she still seemed a little lost after Lavender's death, not that Harry could blame her. Katie had recently been accepted for a curse breaker apprenticeship with Gringotts, meaning she'd probably be working closely with Bill and they'd get to see her more. Alicia and Angelina were both working in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Harry also noticed that Angelina seemed slightly off, but he wasn't exactly sure why that was.
The party was still going strong even though it was late in the night, but as grateful as Harry was for the incredible party, he was beginning to get rather tired, and he was eager to find out what Ginny had in store for him at home. "D'you think–" he began to say to Ginny, but he was interrupted when she squeezed his hand incredibly tightly, and it took everything in him to not visibly react as Cho walked up to them.
"Hi Harry," Cho said, smiling widely at him and not so subtly ignoring Ginny altogether.
"Hey Cho," Harry answered carefully, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"Oh, hi Ginny. I didn't see you there," Cho said awkwardly a moment later, which Harry thought was a little hard to believe.
"How are you?" he asked, hoping they could keep the conversation short, both because he wanted to go back to the Burrow and also because he felt like Ginny's jealousy was a touch more pronounced than his had been with Dean because she'd never been friends with Cho.
"Oh, I'm doing good. I'm about to start training as a Healer at St. Mungo's, so I'm really looking forward to that. But how have you been? I'm sure you've been busy with all the responsibilities of a hero," she said in a way that should've been complimentary but just made him more uncomfortable.
"Ah– I've been keeping busy between my godson and the family. I'm looking forward to going back to Hogwarts though," he answered, smiling slightly when Ginny ran her thumb along the back of his hand.
"Oh, I didn't know you were going back to Hogwarts," she responded, looking slightly disappointed.
"Well, that's where Ginny's gonna be, and I wasn't about to spend more time away from her after the past year," he explained, and Ginny squeezed his hand once more, but this time it was much more gentle and loving.
"I see. Well, I wanted to tell you that a group of us are going to go to The Leaky Cauldron after this, if you want to join us," Cho offered, and Harry thought she might've been batting her eyelashes at him. This was so weird.
He could feel Ginny starting to say something, but he could handle this. "Sorry, Cho, but I can't. Ginny and I were just about to leave. Thanks for coming to the party though. It was good to see you," he said, walking away and out of the room before Cho could respond.
"That slimy conniving bitch!" Ginny exclaimed once they started walking down the seemingly endless flights of stairs.
Harry chuckled. "Who's jealous now?" he asked, and she exhaled angrily.
"Oh, whatever, Harry. Dean was really nice to us, but she was practically throwing herself at you in front of me! I can't believe– you know what? I'm gonna go back up there and give her a piece of my mind!" Ginny exclaimed, turning to walk back up where they were coming from, but Harry didn't let go of her hand.
She glared at him when she turned back since he wasn't letting her leave. "Hey, it's okay. I– I do know she was throwing herself at me, but I couldn't possibly care less. How could I when I was there with the best and most beautiful witch in the world?"
Ginny blushed and sighed. "It's just… I remember thinking when you started fancying her that my chance with you had completely disappeared. I was so jealous back then, even though I was dating Michael for part of that time. I– I guess I still feel that some… even though we're together."
Harry nodded and pulled her closer to him. She stepped down so she was one step above him, looking directly into his eyes. "I get it. I really do. But I'm never, ever going to pick somebody over you again. I'm yours, forever."
Ginny's eyes blazed brightly at that statement, and she tightly wrapped her arms around Harry. He began leaning in to kiss her, but he was caught completely off guard when she spun on her heel, disapparating them.
"What the–" he gasped when they landed, but then he saw the Burrow. She'd brought them home.
"Come with me," she said, acting like everything was completely normal, taking his hand and leading him towards the house, up the stairs, and into her bedroom, closing the door behind them and putting an Imperturbable Charm on it. Harry felt his heart beginning to pound with anticipation at whatever was about to happen.
She stood right in front of her window and had him face her. "I have one more gift for you."
"Gin, you really didn't–" he began to say but she cut him off, placing two fingers over his mouth.
"I wanted to do everything for you today. And I'm very happy that I did because I saw how happy it made you. That's what I care about, more than anything. But there's one more thing. I know you're not ready for… anything more yet, and I'm still happy to wait until you are. But I wanted you to know that whenever you are ready, I am completely yours, and like you said, you are mine," she said in a low voice that made Harry weak in his knees.
"Gin–" he whispered longingly, bending to kiss her, but she put her fingers back on his lips, and he settled for kissing those instead.
"A year ago, I gave you a kiss to remember me by. But… I had to hold myself back because what I really wanted to do was throw myself on you and ask you never to leave me. I don't want to let another birthday go by without that. So Harry, will you please promise to never leave me?" she asked, and Harry smiled. Even though he'd made that promise already, he was more than happy to repeat it as many times as she wanted.
"Ginny, I promise to never leave you again. I want to spend as much time with you as I possibly can. I want us to be together forever– to, eventually, have a family together, a life together. You're all that matters now, and I love you," he answered.
She smiled back at him, and he saw tears in her eyes– tears she'd probably been wanting to shed when she gave him that gift a year ago. "I can't wait to spend forever with you. I love you, and I'm very happy to give you one last birthday gift. Happy Birthday, babe," she said adoringly before jumping into his arms and wrapping her legs around him, kissing him with a fire and passion that consumed him. Despite all the gifts he'd received today, this kiss and the promise it carried was easily the best and most important one to him. It really had been the best birthday ever.
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A/N: Well, I did tell you all that it was a very apt chapter title for this one. I do pride myself on typically having subtle or clever titles, but I couldn't ever come up with anything better than Birthday Quidditch. Plus, it definitely sets the tone as one of the more fun chapters we've had so far.
The least fun part of the chapter was something that, from my perspective, had been needing to happen with Remus' letter. I do recognise that part of the tragedy of war is that, oftentimes, people don't get any real closure when losing loved ones. However, I think that Harry deserved some closure with Remus, primarily as it concerned their argument at Grimmauld Place, and I felt like this was a totally appropriate way to deliver that. The 'closure' we get in canon is basically acting like the argument never happened, with Remus saying he supported Harry on Potterwatch and then asking Harry to be Teddy's godfather. It's a really touching moment, one of my favourites in DH, but it still felt like there could be a little more said on how Remus got from where he was at Grimmauld to Shell Cottage. Personally, it was a bit harder to write than I expected because of just how emotional it was, imagining what both Remus was going through as he wrote it and what Harry would go through reading it after Remus died. As sad as it was though, I do hope and think it helps him find some of that closure though.
I really liked the idea of getting Arthur on a broom and having him play Quidditch too. He's a great dad, and it was fully believable to me that someone had to teach the Weasley kids how to play. For that same reason, Bill does know how to play Quidditch too. I feel like Percy's the only odd one out when it comes to that, and, considering how good the rest of the Weasleys were, I was very happy for Bill to be a decent player in his own right, even if it's never said anywhere in canon that he played.
I know it was a bit of a Quidditch overload this chapter, but, considering how important it is to both Harry and Ginny, I can't really apologise for it. Their relationship developed, both in canon and in Ginny's memories that I'm writing, in large part due to Quidditch, so it's always going to be a very central part of their life together. So really, this chapter was just the warm up for their return to Hogwarts and even beyond! I thought the idea of playing at Chudley's stadium was really cool, and it also goes to show just how close Ron already is with Mr. Trumble as well as how kind Mr. Trumble is. It's technically the offseason, but still, it's definitely kind to allow anyone, even Harry Potter, to have sort of free use of a professional sports stadium.
The party also served as a very convenient way to get some life updates on several characters that we haven't gotten to see much of yet. Neville apprenticing at Hogwarts is one such example, even though he's going to be very busy with his work. It feels very perfect for his character, especially considering that we know he is a professor at Hogwarts in the Epilogue. Katie is pursuing curse breaking because of what happened to her in HBP, while Alicia and Angelina's roles in the sports department will be very important in the future. I also want to note that I've said before that I don't dislike Cho's character or have any intent of bashing her ever, and I'm not doing that in this chapter. There is a bit of an established trait of Cho having jealous tendencies and being very eager to help Harry when he showed up to Hogwarts in DH. That's the main point, but I do want to be clear and say, like I say with every decision I make in writing these books, is that I have a reason for pretty much everything, and by the time I'm done writing, whenever that ends up being, all those reasons will be public knowledge. I guess that's good incentive to stick around at least!
And I couldn't possibly let the birthday end without some more private Harry and Ginny time, especially since it mirrors Harry's last birthday so well. In Ginny's memory last chapter, her thought that's driving her is that she wants desperately for Harry to come back and keep that promise of forever, She also has a hope or a dream that eventually, after the war's over, he'll come back to her bedroom and kiss her without the weight of the world hanging over him. That's exactly what their kiss at the end of this chapter symbolises, although I feel like I should also mention that the first time they're in her bedroom after the Battle was when they were making out on her bed when Ron barged in and had a bit of a fit, so… parallels.
That will do it for Harry's birthday and Birthday Quidditch! Next, we've got a chapter that finally puts a lot of things to rest that they've been dealing with all summer. I know I've said that multiple times now, but this chapter was very specifically named to indicate that… well, they're moving on.
Coming Friday: Moving On- They both knew none of this was fair.
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I only have a couple specific responses for now, but to everyone, thank you all so much, as always, for your encouragement! I'm always floored by how kind your comments are, and this past chapter was no exception!
Zjy: The book I'm working on is about life after Hogwarts, but I feel like it bears mentioning that I've proven by now that you can't ever rely on me to follow the conventional path for their lives. Of course, I could just be saying that to misdirect everyone. That's the fun of making up the story!
TheRiflesSpiral: Haha I very much like how both you and the guest who made a similar comment are thinking with regards to the house. All I'll say for now is that Chapter 28 wasn't the last time they'll be in Weymouth! And you're totally good, I didn't even take it as a criticism; it's a very interesting point in regards to how everyone else in the world would perceive it as well. I think it'd be much more newsworthy and questioned if Hermione was in a more 'public' office, but she'll almost certainly still face questions about qualifications, particularly if she starts moving up the ranks into more public-facing roles.
I'm also glad you're enjoying the overall direction of the story and how it differs from the Pottermore version. I definitely agree with you that a lot of the postings on there, particularly as they redefine or expand the canon of existing main characters, feels out of place sometimes and driven by whatever would be popular. There's also just so much that is considered 'canon' that just isn't in the books that's impossible to keep up with. None of that is to say that I actively try to be different than the Pottermore story. If I don't have ideas that contradict that story, I will consider using it for some sort of inspiration, even though there's been very few needs for it so far in the year I've been writing.