I am not JK Rowling, and none of the characters or setting or world of Harry Potter belongs to me.
**I want to thank NotSoSirius92 and CNova for being here with me on this journey as the best Beta and Alpha a girl could ask for and helping to make this piece everything it is now.**
-This piece was written as a continuation drabble of another one shot I wrote, but it was also written as a gift piece for I_Was_BOTWP. Thank you for being a wonderful Alpha and an amazing friend!
This is part 2 in a series - Part 1 is called An Unexpected Touch if you want to read that one before you read this one.
When thinking about Marcus became too much, Ginny decided that getting back on her broom and spending time in the air was the best choice for her. Since her physical therapy was over with, she had led the Holyhead Harpies to multiple wins across the continents. They were now heading to compete in the semi-final rounds before the quidditch world cup. Quidditch was an easy distraction that she conveniently found from the sting of his rejection.
While on the fly, she went on numerous dates with different players from rival teams. She tried to find something in each one that she liked, but it never happened for her. This one guy from the Chudley Canons chewed with his mouth open, which made her think that he would get along better with her brother Ron. Another guy from the Montrose Magpies took a shower in cologne before he arrived, their date was right after their game, but still, she had taken the time to shower. The smell had caused a headache to form, she got sick in the restaurant loo, and then, she had to manage to find her own way home. The last one was a Seeker from the Appleby Arrows, and he was a wizard who, in spite of him being at least three inches shorter and his hair being two shades lighter - he could pass for Marcus Flint if he tried hard enough, except, he wasn't.
All that led her to where she was now, alone in Sydney getting ready for a game against the Ballycastle Bats, Marcus Flint on her mind. Occasionally, that kiss she shared with him would pop out of the depths of her mind, like the moon peeking out from behind the clouds in the dark of night. When that happened, she would dwell on everything that transpired between them, the slight touches, how easy it was to show him her worst. He was everything that she ended up finding herself wanting, and yet the sting of rejection lingered, and Merlin did it hurt. When she allowed herself to spend more time than necessary thinking about him, she still could not come to a conclusion as to how she read all the signals between them wrong. It took her a solid two weeks crying alone at home before she got herself together, realizing he did not feel for her as she did for him, and got back on the pitch with her team.
As the weeks went on and it turned into months, she remained determined but mostly hopeful that one day they would possibly work out. She gave him his space and did not contact him. All her time was spent practicing or at quidditch games, and on the rare occasion she wasn't doing that, she went out with the other girls from her team. She felt it somewhere down in her heart that one day they would end up seeing each other again, but she just had to be patient with him.
One thing she looked forward to was seeing her best friend, Hermione, and her husband Draco. Hermione had promised that they would come to visit her while she was in Sydney and she came through on the promise. She would be meeting them within the next five minutes.
Sitting down at the table, she had to remind herself not to mention Marcus. When she looked up across the room, she saw her best friend bounce in with Draco at her side. As they came closer, Ginny got up and pulled out a seat for Hermione. Once they reached the table, she embraced her in a hug.
"It is so good to see you! I've been looking forward to this breakfast date," Ginny said.
"I have missed you so much Gin. I was just telling Draco it's been almost a year!" Hermione squealed.
"She sure did. I'm starving, though. So why don't you ladies sit down and have a seat," Draco grumbled.
The two friends immediately began to gossip with each other and laughed as if they hadn't missed each other a day in their life. While the two girls proceeded to catch up on the last year, Ginny had come to find out that Hermione and Draco were trying to have a baby. They had not been very fortunate thus far, which lead to Draco hinting that their sex life was a little more exciting than usual. That was something she surely mentioned to them she did not need to know. She also found out that Harry and Tracey adopted Teddy, and he was living with them at Grimmauld Place. Andromeda wasn't getting any younger and appreciated that Harry was so willing to take care of her grandson. That did not shock Ginny in the slightest; she always knew that Harry would be a natural at being a dad.
Ron had begun dating Pansy Parkinson, which caused Ginnys' eyebrows to raise. Merlin knew Ron had a prejudice against Slytherins. Draco had interrupted, stating that Parkinson was giving her brother a run for his money, but apparently, he was enjoying it immensely. He also let it slip that their other secretly got hitched about a month ago. Everyone speculated that Theo and Daphne were either over the waiting game and did not want the hoopla that Mrs Greengrass was sure to deliver, or she was pregnant. Ginny wagered on the first option, knowing Daphne would be mad to find out her friends thought she was with child.
When the waitress came by, they all pitched their orders, and Ginny grabbed an English muffin, while Hermione ordered oatmeal, and Draco got a single apple.
"Seriously Draco, all you ever eat in the morning is apples. It's like you're in love with them or something," Hermione mentioned.
Ginny loved catching up with them and finding out how everyone was doing back home. She loved laughing about how Ron regularly made a fool of himself. She also really missed being back home physically with all her friends and just enjoying being in their company. She promised to return to England once the quidditch season was over.
As the breakfast date came to a close Ginny began to feel a pang of dread. While she and Hermione talked about her their mutual friends, Draco spoke about his friends, but she knew he had avoided a particular person altogether. So when Draco pulled Ginny aside before they left, and handed her a piece of paper.
"He has asked me about you plenty of times now. I think it's only fair I give this to you. He is too stupid to make the call," and with a wink, he left.
When Ginny got back to her hotel room, she toyed with the idea of looking at the paper. After a minute or so she grabbed her phone and dialled the number. On the third ring she heard a "Hello?" and she knew that voice anywhere, she drew in a deep breath and replied "Hello Marcus."