Ginny was ready to play.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
"Something important that we'll be expected to know for the N.E.W.T. is protective enchantments. The general idea is kind of like the Disillusionment Charms we learned with Flitwick in fifth year but on a larger scale. There are spells you can use that will make you all but completely undetectable, so we're gonna go over some of them today."
His seven leads in the D.A. were watching him closely as he continued his discussion. "I'll be honest– they take some time to learn. And you can kind of pick your flavour of protection from them, depending on how secure you want to be. The first spell is Protego Totalum. When you're casting it, you just hold your wand up and visualise the space that you're wanting to protect. And like a normal shield charm, its strength is dependent on your will and strength, but it'll stop almost any spell.
"Salvio Hexia is almost exactly like it. You make a slashing motion with your wand, and it adds extra protection against hexes and dark curses. Cave Inimicum acts literally as a large-scale Disillusionment Charm, hiding everything you want hidden within the area, but you can still see everyone outside. For that one, you'll move your wand down in an arc, like this." He demonstrated before moving on. "And the last one that's gonna be part of the N.E.W.T. module on protective enchantments is Repello Muggletum, which just repels Muggles. If a Muggle gets too close, they suddenly remember that they have somewhere else to be and leave you alone. This one doesn't have a motion, like Protego Totalum.
"I should also mention, just because I'm familiar with it, that Muffliato helps with the sound because I don't think these other spells really focus on that. Muffliato replaces any sound you make with a faint buzzing in the ears of anyone around. Basically, the idea with all of this is to make a sort of protective bubble around your camp or yourself or whatever and give yourself the best chance of remaining undetected. So… any questions?"
Harry knew he'd just dumped a load of information on them, but in his defence, that was a better explanation than Hermione had given him when they'd started camping a year ago. She'd just told him to cast the spells and expected him to know them. Everyone did look sort of overwhelmed, staring at him with wide eyes and maybe slightly vacant expressions.
"So that was how you stayed hidden then? Last year, I mean," Justin asked, provoking more curious looks from everyone else.
"Er, yeah. Pretty much. I should mention that none of these enchantments hold up against a Taboo. So on the off chance that that ever becomes relevant again, you have to recast the protective enchantments and would probably be better off moving anyways. Learned that one the hard way."
"That was… when the Snatchers brought you to Malfoy Manor," Dean recalled, and Harry nodded, trying to avoid looking at Luna, who'd been there too, or Astoria, who knew Draco, or anyone else really. He didn't need to remember what had happened there right now.
"Right… so are there any questions about the actual material? I'm honestly not sure how well they'll work in the Great Hall, but we can try it out or move outside if we need to."
When nobody spoke up, Harry dismissed them to start practising, while he tried his best to keep track of all seven of them. It became a much harder task when they started disappearing sporadically as they finally started getting the hang of the protective enchantments. They wouldn't be perfect the first time– he could still see Mia in an almost hazy outline when she thought she'd mastered Cave Inimicum. But it had taken him a month or more to master these spells himself, and he'd been practising almost daily with Hermione then. On the other hand though, it was impressive to see that both Owen and Ginny were performing exceptionally well with them, even if he wasn't too surprised at Ginny's skills.
The other thing he didn't anticipate was that when they started using the Muffliato Charm, all anyone could hear was a buzzing in their ears. Harry had to resort to shooting sparks towards the ceiling for them to finally stop practising because the other students would be there soon.
Owen slung an arm around him and clapped him on the shoulder several times. "Cracking lesson, Harry. Really makes it easier to understand when you're teaching from experience."
Harry did feel a bit of pride at successfully teaching another N.E.W.T. level concept, especially one that was as positively received as this one. He had a couple more ideas for the last handful of lessons before the end of term, and he figured they'd be pretty popular considering this one was.
"I never realised how much more there was to Defence beyond just combat," Mia admitted.
"Ideally these protective enchantments aren't ever needed, but–"
"Ideally nothing we learn in Defence is ever needed," Astoria corrected Harry, who nodded.
"Exactly. But we learn it because we don't live in an ideal world."
"My daddy says that it's better to say 'I deal with the world we have' than wait for the ideal world. After all, in an ideal world, the Ministry wouldn't have an army of heliopaths, but that's just the way the world is," Luna offered sagely, even if her advice was a little faulty, at least in its delivery.
"That definitely isn't ideal," Ginny agreed, winking at Harry, who just smiled and shook his head before the doors opened and the students began pouring in for another Defence lesson.
Once again, the lesson went very well by Harry's standards, but he was surprised to see Professor McGonagall observing near the entrance to the Great Hall as the lesson wound down. After he closed out the session with a few final remarks, he made his way over to her, expecting that she'd have some notes for him on the way he was conducting the class.
"I'm pleased to see you've proved me right with your teaching abilities," she said before he had a chance to ask if there was anything she wanted to talk about.
"Er– thanks, Professor. I know it's not really conventional, and we're not really covering things like dangerous creatures or anything, but I think it works."
"I think you were right in your decision to prioritise combat magic. I'll ask Hagrid to consider adding more creatures that would traditionally be covered by Defence to his curriculum. You're playing to your strengths, and it seems to be succeeding. I look forward to seeing how you continue progressing the defensive abilities of our students."
"Speaking of, I wanted to ask you about something a little more personal," Harry remembered. "In my duel with– with Grimhall, he used a lot of transfiguration. I'd only ever seen Dumbledore and Riddle do that before… in combat I mean. I know I've never been the best at transfiguration, but… I was wondering if you had any suggestions for how I might learn how to get better at using that in a fight. I almost lost because he could do it and I couldn't, and I really don't want to risk that happening again."
McGonagall seemed to consider him for a moment, motionlessly staring at him. "I have a free period on Tuesday afternoons that I believe you have available as well. If you were interested, I could tutor you in combat transfiguration, as payment for your services as our Defence professor. Of course, I'd still expect you to continue maintaining a high level of work in the regular course, as well."
Harry was a little surprised. He'd sort of been expecting her to recommend a textbook, but this was way more useful. "Yeah… that would be great, actually. Thanks, Professor."
She nodded slightly. "I look forward to it, Potter. But I do promise that I will not be taking it easy on you."
He grinned. "I'd be disappointed if you did."
The corners of her mouth moved a fraction of an inch before she turned and exited the Great Hall, leaving him alone as everyone else had already left. That was fine though. He had something he needed to do before dinner, so he exited and began walking up the Grand Staircase.
About an hour later, he went into the Gryffindor common room, where he immediately found Ginny sitting in their favourite armchair in front of the fire, hunched over her Arithmancy book. Harry did his best to sneak up on her before putting his fingers in her hair, brushing through it repeatedly.
When she didn't react, he chuckled. "I'm glad it was me and not someone else that's doing this to you."
She snorted. "Believe it or not, you're the only person that randomly starts messing with my hair."
"I am thankful for that."
"I bet. And I thought we already established that I can feel when you're around me."
"You know, I still don't get that. Like how is that possible?"
She looked up at him, smiling wryly. "Out of everything you've seen and done that's seemed impossible, that's where you draw the line?"
"Well, when you put it like that…"
She laughed. "I don't get it either. But I do have to admit that I like it quite a bit."
"I have something else you're gonna like," he said, and she turned around in the chair, sitting on her knees.
"What is it?" she asked eagerly, and now it was his turn to laugh at her innocently childlike reaction.
"Come with me and I'll show you."
Without hesitation, Ginny stood up and jumped over the back of the chair, letting her Arithmancy book fall to the floor. "Let's go!"
He took her hand, still smiling. "Alright, Blaze. Prepare yourself to be amazed."
She tried to get him to reveal his secret, but he held firm in refusing. All he said was that she'd love it, and he was positive he'd be right about that. It did seem like Ginny figured out at least part of the surprise once they reached the seventh floor in a part of the castle they really only visited when they wanted to go to the Room of Requirement. However, she was surprised to see that the door to the room was already visible, which, of course, was part of Harry's plan.
Harry opened the door and led her into a small room with two more doors on opposite walls. He pointed to the one on the right. "That one's yours. You'll know what to do when you get in there, and then go out the other door when you're finished."
Without giving her time to ask any more questions, he quickly ducked into his room, which held a light blue suit for him to change into. The colour was probably a little flashier than what he'd wear if they were in public, but when it was just the two of them, he was happy to try out something new.
It didn't take him long to change, and he ran a hand through his hair, even though it didn't help at all. Then he stepped out of his changing room and into the area he'd spent a while designing and modifying. It really felt like they were in the woods, with trees growing as far as the eye could see. In the centre of a small clearing was a gazebo, lit up by fairy lights. A single table and two chairs waited for them.
Harry turned when he heard a gasp, feeling his heart skip a beat when he saw Ginny in a stunning pale gold dress. Somehow, she'd done something to her hair to make it almost glow, with golden flecks standing out in the magnificent redness of it. She was radiant, and she was absolutely beaming at him.
"You look incredible," he whispered, stepping forward, almost in awe at her breathtaking beauty.
Her cheeks reddened slightly, which somehow only made her look better. "And you look perfect." She looked at him for another moment before blinking. "What's all this for?"
"We're celebrating. Your first match as captain is tomorrow, so we're gonna have a great date and carry all the positivity from tonight into a win tomorrow. I already thought it all through," he assured her.
She laughed, and it sounded so joyous and beautiful and loud and imperfect and Ginny that his heart skipped another beat. "Well, if you've thought it all through, that's good enough for me."
Harry stuck out his hand and Ginny took it, letting him guide her up the steps of the gazebo to their table like a proper gentleman, even though she typically rebelled against those sorts of stereotypical gender roles, which he loved about her. A loud crack signalled the arrival of their host and their dinner.
"Thanks for helping me with all this, Kreacher," Harry said immediately.
The elf bowed before giving them something vaguely resembling a smile. "It is always a pleasure serving Master Harry and Miss Weasley. Kreacher will be ready to serve if there is anything else you need."
There was another crack, and Kreacher was gone, leaving them alone with their dinner– steak with potatoes, a classic and something Harry knew Ginny was especially partial to. Her bright eyes signalled that he'd definitely made the right choice in food.
"So how long have you been planning this?" Ginny asked as she began cutting into her steak.
"Just a couple days. I'd been meaning to take you on a date up here for a while, but we've been so busy that I hadn't gotten around to it until now. But I thought this was the perfect time."
"I'd say so. I'm happy to take my mind off the match for a while."
"I've never known you to be nervous about Quidditch before," Harry commented.
Ginny poked at a potato before looking back up at him. "It's not so much the Quidditch as being captain. I know I've been doing it for almost two months now, but still… it's different than a real match."
"I still think you're gonna be brilliant. This is your team, and we're all gonna follow you, no matter what. You remember my first match as captain?"
Ginny smiled at the memory and nodded. "Ron played like he was Keeping in the Quidditch World Cup, you almost didn't catch the Snitch, and I crashed into that bastard, Smith."
"I thought that was an accident?" Harry teased.
"I guess you'll never know."
He chuckled. "I definitely remember hugging you after that. It was pretty impressive."
"I'd forgotten about that," she responded, looking pleased at the reminder.
"Glad to know it was memorable," he quipped sarcastically.
"I'd just crashed into the commentator's podium. I was probably suffering from head trauma."
"If you say so," he laughed. "Anyways, I was nervous about losing too. And it didn't help that Ron was falling to bits about playing. I had to make him think he'd taken Felix Felicis to finally get him to stop overthinking the match."
"I remember Hermione telling me about that. She didn't think it was very funny, though," she remembered with a grin.
"Yeah, I know. Didn't help that she was pissed off at him that whole year."
"He finally came around at least," Ginny pointed out in a rare admission of credit to Ron.
"Like brother, like sister, I guess," Harry joked, laughing at Ginny's eye roll.
"I'd made my feelings for you obvious for years before then. Not my fault it took that long for you to figure things out."
"Maybe we both take the blame for taking so long?" he suggested hopefully.
Ginny snorted. "I think you're being a little generous to yourself, but–" Harry cut her off by leaning over the table to kiss her. He did his best not to smirk when she blinked a couple times, letting out a soft breath before nodding.
"Yeah, okay. It was both of our faults," she agreed.
Harry laughed and they went back to eating. Not long after, Ginny looked back up at him. "I don't suppose you've got any more Felix Felicis?"
"Afraid not. I'm pretty sure it's not legal anyways. Besides, you don't need it. You're a far better Chaser than Ron ever was a Keeper."
"I guess so…"
"Seriously, the match is gonna get started and you'll get all the confidence back. And that's good because it's weird seeing you not crazy confident."
She shrugged, and he reached over to take her hand. "Hey… I promise you're gonna be great tomorrow, and we're gonna win. But we can talk about something else to take your mind off it."
Ginny immediately snapped out of her worry and grinned at him. "Okay then. I like the dress you picked out for me. I didn't know you had such good taste."
"I didn't pick it out, really. I just asked the room for the dress you wore at Bill and Fleur's wedding, and it figured it out from my memory, I guess."
Her grin grew even wider. "Glad to know I made an impression."
"You always make an impression. Your Auntie Muriel was certainly impressed with how low cut it is," Harry ribbed, making her giggle.
"I did have to make some alterations to impress a certain someone, but it still wasn't even that low. I'd swear she's senile, but she still has an incredible memory."
"I dunno. It's certainly low enough for it to be tempting for some people… I'd imagine," Harry responded.
"I guess it's a good thing I've got a big, strong boyfriend that can protect me from all those tempted fools," Ginny said while exaggeratedly batting her eyelashes.
He snorted and shook his head. "Nah, you wouldn't need any help taking care of it."
She laughed and kissed him, a reward he was more than happy to receive. "And that is why you're the perfect person for me. It's sweet that you remembered this dress, you know."
"I don't know how I could forget it. You always look beautiful, but something about that night… and tonight, for that matter… it's just unbelievable," Harry stumbled a little, struggling to put into words just how great she looked.
He didn't think he'd done a good job, but her red cheeks told a different story. "You know, sometimes when you don't know what to say, you say exactly the right thing?" Ginny asked in a soft voice, gently rubbing his hand atop the table.
"I guess I'm pretty lucky."
She shook her head, leaning closer to him again. "I don't think there's anything lucky about it."
He wasn't sure how long they were kissing before the table and food disappeared– either Kreacher or the room itself was trying to move their night along. Startled, they broke apart and began laughing, which felt just as romantic and intimate as their flirting and kissing had been. Harry did have a plan for the rest of the evening though, and it began with the wireless radio that magically materialised on the railing of the gazebo.
As the first strains of Celestina Warbeck's Smell the Amortentia began, Harry took Ginny's hand. "May I have this dance?"
She smiled up at him. "Always."
He wrapped his arms around her waist while she clasped her hands together behind his neck, looking into his eyes with her beautiful, blazing brown ones. There wasn't much for Harry to say, except, "You know… I don't think I ever made it official, but you being so gorgeous definitely belongs on my list of reasons I love you. There's a lot more reasons that are a lot more important, and I'd love you no matter what you looked like, but… it doesn't hurt that you're the most beautiful witch in the world."
She caressed his cheek with one of her hands. "Now I definitely don't think it's luck. You know exactly what to say. And I feel the same way, just so you know. I'll love you when we're old and grey and wrinkly, but I definitely like looking at the most handsome wizard in the world every morning when I wake up and every night when I go to sleep."
He was sure his heart skipped another beat, more at the idea of growing old and grey with Ginny than at the compliment itself. It was a far cry from the time in his life when he was certain he wouldn't make it to eighteen, let alone eighty. He wasn't about to waste a second of their time though, tonight or ever, and he kissed her to prove it.
"I love you so much, Gin."
"I love you too. I feel like I should remind you that we do have a curfew tonight though."
Harry grinned. "I know the captain. I think we'll be okay with the team rules." Ginny laughed, and they went back to dancing.
They'd established over the summer that neither of them were proficient dancers, but it didn't matter. They alternated between dancing goofily like they only would when nobody else was watching and dancing so closely that anyone watching would've felt uncomfortable at their expression of love. It wasn't perfect, but it was perfect for them.
And they definitely broke the team curfew.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Ginny woke with the first light of the day. As quietly as possible, she changed out of her pyjamas and snuck down the stairs, making sure to step over the creaky board that none of her brothers had ever figured out. Fred, George, and Percy had left for Hogwarts about a month ago, and her parents and Ron were asleep upstairs.
She slipped out the back door and shivered in the cool autumn air. It usually didn't get this cold for a couple more weeks, but Ginny wasn't going to be deterred. She had to be prepared for any sort of weather conditions, and she had grown accustomed to the cold over the past few years. She walked the familiar path to the broom shed and opened the small wooden door, inhaling the musty scent that she associated with freedom.
For reasons entirely unknown to her, her brothers hadn't ever let her play Quidditch with them. They had said when she was six that it was because she wasn't good enough, but how was she supposed to get better if they wouldn't let her play with them? That wasn't their problem apparently, so Ginny had to take matters into her own hands.
She'd started sneaking out early in the morning, even though she loved sleeping in more than almost anything. They never locked the broom shed, so she taught herself how to fly on Charlie's Cleansweep Six. Or at least, that was the plan. It turned out that flying was much harder than it looked, especially on a broom that was faster than the ones she was used to watching her brothers fly.
Ginny hadn't gotten very far off the ground when she leaned too far backwards. The broom shot out from underneath her and flew into the distance while she fell ten feet back to the ground. That had hurt. A lot. Once she caught her breath, she panicked, knowing that Charlie's broom was gone.
Fortunately, Ginny was admittedly devious, and she was a quick thinker. The problem was that she couldn't let her parents lock the door to the shed because then she'd lose the ability to learn how to fly. So she took a rock from the garden and threw it through the small window at the top of the shed, shattering it. When everyone else discovered that the broom was missing, they blamed an unknown thief and repaired and magically reinforced the window without considering that the door was still unlocked. Ginny was just relieved that Charlie was in Romania and wouldn't be needing the broom that had been a gift from his parents for becoming Quidditch Captain in his fifth year.
She was much more careful after that, and it was a little easier on a Cleansweep Five. She spent weeks flying three feet above the ground, determined to understand how to control the broom before elevating and risking a fall or losing another broom. And the truth was that it was addicting. Ginny couldn't get enough of flying, practising every day that she could.
Now, she'd been doing it for three years and would argue that she was a better flyer than anyone in her family aside from Charlie. Her brothers still hadn't ever let her play with them, so she'd stopped asking last year. She was better off training by herself. Almost as soon as she'd gotten the broom really into the air, she'd started practising with their ratty old Quaffle.
Yesterday, Fred and George had sent a letter saying they'd made the Gryffindor team as Beaters, something that was rather impressive for a pair of second years. It only made Ginny more determined to improve, to prove her brothers wrong for leaving her out, which is why she was braving the chilly October air to throw a Quaffle through an opening between two branches that was smaller than a regulation hoop. It made it harder, but it made her better too.
She practised for a little over an hour before deciding that her parents and Ron would probably be waking up soon, so she landed and went to return the broom and Quaffle to the shed when she froze, hearing footsteps behind her. Cautiously, she turned around, very surprised to see her dad smiling at her.
"You're a natural," he told her.
She barely heard the compliment. "I'm sorry for breaking into the shed. I just wanted to learn how to play and they wouldn't ever let me, so I taught myself, and–"
Her dad interrupted her. "Ginny, you're not in trouble. I've known that you were using the brooms since the boys told me someone had broken in through the window to steal Charlie's broom. I never thought it made sense, considering the door was unlocked."
She felt herself blushing. "I lost it the first time I tried to fly. I'm so sorry."
"That's okay, sweetheart. I know you didn't do it on purpose. That's why I left the shed unlocked even after Charlie's broom went missing. I know your brothers leave you out sometimes, and I didn't want you to miss out on learning how to fly because of that."
"Do you know how to fly?" Ginny asked, suddenly very curious.
He chuckled. "Not as well as you, I'm afraid. You'll be a great Quidditch player at Hogwarts."
Ginny grinned at him. "I'm gonna play with Gwenog Jones one day!"
"I believe you. You can do whatever it is that you set your mind to, and if you decide to play Quidditch, everyone else had better just watch out."
"Yeah, they should," Ginny agreed. "But… can you not tell anyone else about it? I want it to be a surprise."
Her dad may not have understood, but she knew she could trust him when he nodded. "Your secret's safe with me," he promised.
Ginny woke before Harry, which didn't happen very often. She wasn't sure what time it was– it was still fairly dark outside, and she didn't want to wake Harry by getting up to check his watch. She was positive it was very early though, considering he never slept late. Part of her wanted to get out of bed and find something to do to take her mind off the match, but she was also very fond of laying in bed with Harry.
Ultimately, Ginny decided that she could relax by simply listening to Harry's even breathing. He hadn't had a panic attack in over a month, but Ginny still went to sleep some nights worried that his sleep would be disturbed by those horrible nightmares. It was nice to hear that he was sleeping peacefully now.
Although she was rather calm, curled up against Harry, her thoughts still roamed about uncontrollably. She couldn't understand why she was so nervous about playing a match, even if it was her first as captain. She'd been there for Harry's first, and nothing had gone wrong. Realistically, she expected that once the match started, her worries would fade away, but the waiting until that moment was torture.
Quidditch had been her escape for a decade. In some of the darkest moments in her life, flying helped her feel freed from the weight she was carrying. Tom Riddle couldn't touch her when she was on a broom. Voldemort couldn't either. Crippling loneliness and anxiety were left on the ground while she soared above, unburdened and liberated. It didn't feel right being worried about something as wonderful as that.
Harry woke soon after her, and she was completely distracted from all her other thoughts, watching him slowly blink his eyes open. He yawned and rubbed his face with the hand that wasn't resting on her hip before glancing down at her. Even though he was barely awake, he still smiled, seeing that she was looking up at him, and she felt another of the regular surges of love she was becoming accustomed to.
"Morning," she whispered.
"Morning, Gin." He yawned again. "Merlin, I'm tired."
"Maybe you shouldn't have stayed out so late."
"If I remember right, you were just as eager to stay out late as I was."
"I don't know if that sounds like me."
Harry chuckled deeply, his voice still a little scratchy from just waking up. "It sounds exactly like you."
She just gave him an innocent look and he responded by kissing the top of her head.
"You ready for today?" he asked.
Ginny took a second before nodding against his chest. "Ready as I'll ever be."
"Then let's go," he said, patting her hip before rolling out of bed. Ginny sighed and followed after him, quickly changing into jeans and a Gryffindor shirt like Harry was wearing before they left their bedroom. The common room was empty– they'd obviously still gotten up before most of their house.
It didn't take them long to reach the Great Hall, where a small handful of students were scattered among the four tables. They were the only Gryffindors at the table once they sat, and Ginny began slowly eating a bowl of porridge while Harry dug into eggs and sausage, obviously having more of an appetite than her this morning. She spent more time toying with her bracelet than eating, hoping that would take away some of her nerves. Harry gave her a small smile when he saw that, but he seemed to recognise that she didn't feel like talking at the moment.
Gradually, more people filtered into the Great Hall. Ginny was grateful when Owen stopped to wish them luck, and she was a tad surprised when Astoria did the same. Astoria must have noticed her surprise.
"You're not playing against my house, so why wouldn't I cheer for my friends?"
She didn't stick around for an answer though, and Ginny and Harry were both left pleased, if a little perplexed, at the fast friendship they'd made with the Slytherin Head Girl.
The entire team was scattered along Gryffindor's table by half past nine, although Demelza was the only member sitting right next to Ginny and Harry.
"How are you feeling?" Mia asked from across the table.
Ginny nodded. "Great. Ready to kick some Ravenclaw arse," she answered, more confidently than she felt.
"Hell yeah!" Demelza exclaimed.
Mia grinned. "Yeah you are," she agreed. "The Cup's gonna be ours this year."
"We should probably win a match first before we start–" Harry tried to rationalise, apparently less willing to joke about winning now than he had been at the start of the season, but Mia interrupted him.
"Nope. No need. It's already decided."
Ginny laughed, feeling like her friend's confidence was infectious. Demelza's confidence had a similar effect.
"Might as well give us the trophy now," she boasted. "Engrave our names on the plaque and save everyone the time."
Ginny grinned. "Nah. That wouldn't be as much fun as beating everyone to win it."
A cheer went up from around her– apparently more people had heard her than she'd realised. Ginny took advantage of the disruption to stand and give her team their marching orders.
"Oi! Gryffindor! Be in the changing rooms in fifteen!"
Demelza and Harry were on their feet right away. "You don't need it, but good luck!" Mia called after them as they walked the length of the table towards the exit, high-fiving well-wishing Gryffindors and even a few Hufflepuffs.
Ginny and Harry stopped at Emily, who was grinning widely. "You're gonna be great! I can't wait to watch!" she told them.
Harry gave her their secret handshake, and Ginny gave her a hug and a high five. "We're gonna win for you, Em," she promised her young friend, leaving her with an even bigger smile than she'd been wearing previously.
They didn't talk much on their way to the pitch. They were each carrying their own Firebolt, and even though they weren't holding hands, Ginny could feel the connection between them. Some things didn't need to be expressed physically, and that helped with her nerves even more.
Once the team was assembled in the changing room and had changed into their robes, Ginny felt some of the nerves returning. Her heart felt like it was pounding rapidly in her chest, but then she remembered what Harry had told her last night. He'd said that this was her team, and they'd follow her, no matter what. The looks in their faces expressed that even more.
These were her friends. They trusted her to lead them into the match, and she had worked hard to not let that trust be in vain. Now it was time to show off all that work– both in the last couple months and in the last ten years. They were as prepared as they could be, and Ginny, for all her nerves, knew there wasn't any more she could've done. She'd been made captain to do the best she could, and she knew she'd delivered to this point, even if she was still a little nervous.
"Right. We've been waiting for this moment for the last two months. We've put in so much time in training and in strategy, and it's time to let our work speak for itself. We're the more talented team and the better prepared team. There's nothing more I can say to you all about our tactics. We know them inside and out. Keep an eye on me in case we need to change something on the fly, but otherwise… let's make Gryffindor proud and start the season out right!"
Jimmy and Ritchie drummed the walls with their bats in agreement, and everyone else nodded firmly, starting to lock into their match readiness. The first whistle sounded, indicating it was time for warm up laps. Ginny grabbed her broom and glanced back as the team lined up behind her in order of seniority, from Harry down to Zoe. Harry gave her an encouraging smile, and Ginny impulsively kissed him, so quick that it may have not even happened if she hadn't felt the spark on her lips.
"It's our lucky tradition," she explained, seeing his surprised look and winking at him, more confidently than she felt, before kicking off from the ground.
The rest of the team followed her, and they flew around their half of the pitch to raucous cheers from the Gryffindor crowd. Everyone passed by in a blur of red, but Ginny knew her friends were eagerly cheering them on. The nerves she'd been feeling finally vanished, blown away by the wind on her face.
The second whistle summoned all the players back to the ground. Ginny landed and put an arm around Zoe's shoulders, wanting to encourage the young girl before her first ever match.
"You've got this. We're gonna do everything we can to make things easy on you today, and we're gonna be with you, no matter what."
Zoe had a hard look in her eyes as she nodded but didn't reply. Ginny figured that was a good sign that her Keeper was locked in. The team lined up at the centre of the pitch, and Ginny reached into the pocket of her robes to withdraw the gloves Charlie had given her for her birthday. She quickly put them on, noticing Harry doing the same thing with his pair of gloves from Charlie.
At Madam Hooch's signal, Ginny stepped forward and gave a firm handshake to Noah Smith, the Ravenclaw Captain and Seeker. No further pleasantries were exchanged though. Ginny was ready to play.
The moment finally arrived. Madam Hooch released the Snitch and the Bludgers. Next to her, Ginny assumed that Harry was doing his best to track the Snitch, but that thought, and all others, left her mind when the Quaffle came out. She flexed her fingers, regripping her broom as she watched Madam Hooch raise the ball before tossing it in the air.
Time seemed to slow as Ginny watched it ascend. She felt connected to Quidditch and Chasing in a way that she couldn't explain. It was an inextricable part of her. Without knowing how, she could tell when the Quaffle would hit its apex and Madam Hooch would blow the whistle. She didn't even hear the whistle blast because the wind was already in her ears, having left the ground at the exact same time, and the Quaffle was hers.
Ginny accelerated rapidly, weaving around the only Ravenclaw Chaser who had gotten close to as good a jump as she did. Then she was alone with the Keeper, a fifth year boy she beat easily with a head fake, looking at the right goal before putting the Quaffle through the left one. She spun around, pumping her fist at the Gryffindor crowd that was roaring at the exciting start to the match. Demelza and Natalie gave her fist bumps as they returned to their defensive formation.
"And my best friend, Ginny Weasley, scores the first goal for Gryffindor! She's very good at Quidditch."
Ginny grinned at Luna's praise from the commentary box, vaguely wondering if Luna was actually supporting her own house today. That thought was short-lived before Ravenclaw moved forward on the attack. Natalie and Demelza executed their roles to perfection, cutting off passing options for the Chaser carrying the Quaffle, and Ginny was able to easily punch the Quaffle out of the girl's arms. She dove, catching the Quaffle near the ground, and tossed it up to Demelza, who was streaking to the hoops above her. Five seconds later, Gryffindor's lead was twenty.
Ravenclaw, typically the masters of strategy on the pitch, tried a different approach on their next attack, having their Chasers cross over each other in midair, which led to Natalie and Demelza almost colliding before Natalie rolled out of the way. That left Ginny defending against all three Chasers alone, at least until Ritchie rocketed a Bludger at the middle Chaser. Ginny took advantage of the distraction, desperately punching at the Quaffle, which landed in Natalie's hands as she retreated to help on defence. Immediately, they launched a counterattack that ended with Ginny diving under the last Chaser to get a shot away, which she scored into the far hoop.
"It seems that Ravenclaw may have forgotten that they are supposed to be scoring as well. Although, everyone could choose to play on the same team and win together… but I don't think Gryffindor would be interested in that."
The match wasn't close, and Ginny took a lot of pride in that. Her strategies had apparently been effective, as Ravenclaw was stymied again and again. They only managed to get close enough to threaten to score a handful of times, and Zoe easily saved all but three of their shots. It didn't matter though because Gryffindor was scoring at will, and within thirty minutes, they were leading by a hundred and twenty points.
Ginny was just beginning to wonder what was going on with the Seekers when she heard Luna. "Harry's diving like he's seen a Crumple-Horned Snorkack! I hope he catches it!"
She chanced a look behind the oncoming Ravenclaw Chasers, seeing that Harry was, in fact, diving, twenty feet ahead of Noah Smith. He reached out and suddenly pulled up, and Ginny knew by his reaction that he'd caught the Snitch.
"Oh, he actually just caught the Snitch. That's a shame, it would've been incredibly exciting for him to catch a–" Ginny didn't hear the rest of that, whooping with Natalie and Demelza as they descended to the ground. Once they landed, the three of them exchanged high fives and fist bumps.
Jimmy and Ritchie joined in on the celebration, clapping everyone on the back and chanting about winning the Cup. Zoe was grinning when she landed, and the Beaters hoisted her onto their shoulders, dancing around ridiculously, and Ginny couldn't help but laugh, feeling elated at the victory. They were just missing one member of their team, and Ginny saw that he was descending slowly next to Noah, talking animatedly before giving him a fist bump and diving the rest of the way to the ground.
"Great game!" Harry exclaimed, high fiving Natalie and Demelza before offering Ginny one, which she pushed aside, standing on her toes to plant a kiss on his lips that drew cheers from the team and the remaining Gryffindor crowd.
"Nice catch," she said, putting an arm around Harry's back and guiding him toward the changing room. He was still grinning from their kiss when he nodded.
"You were brilliant."
The celebration in the changing room was maybe a little more enthusiastic than a first win of the season should've been, but Ginny couldn't help but feel elated. They'd thoroughly dismantled Ravenclaw, and it was impossible not to believe they could do the same twice more. By the time they finished celebrating, showered, and changed, the stadium was empty, and they began heading up to the castle, expecting a party to be awaiting them in the common room.
They didn't make it very far when they heard a voice calling them. "Potter! Weasley!"
The entire team turned, and Ginny saw Madam Hooch standing outside her office, apparently waiting for them. "Go ahead. We'll be right behind you," she assured the remaining five members of the team, who looked a little dubious but weren't going to hesitate to get to the party quicker.
Meanwhile, she walked with Harry, who looked as clueless as she felt, over to Madam Hooch, who didn't bother inviting them into her office.
"I always ask all the seventh year players if they'd like me to send their information to the B.I.Q.L."
"The what?" Harry asked.
"British and Irish Quidditch League," Ginny answered instinctively, still looking at Madam Hooch, who nodded.
"I maintain documentation on statistics for every player that I can send to the league, along with the dates of your upcoming matches, and if teams are interested, they may send scouts to watch you play. But if you have no interest in playing professionally, I won't bother sending them."
"Yes!" Ginny immediately exclaimed. "Thank you," she added belatedly before looking over at Harry, who was slightly more reserved in his reaction. He furrowed his brow before nodding.
"Yeah, I don't suppose it would hurt," he said.
"I'll admit that I'm more used to reactions like Weasley's than yours, Potter, but regardless, I'll be sure to send those next week then. That was a fine match, by the way," Hooch told them before returning to her office, ending the conversation abruptly.
They both looked at the closed door for a moment and then at each other. Ginny was grinning and Harry looked surprised more than anything.
"Can you believe it?" Ginny practically squealed.
He shook his head. "Not really. I didn't even realise there was a scouting process. I just sorta thought you went to tryouts after you graduated."
"You can, I suppose. I think most teams have open tryouts, but if we end up getting scouted, that really helps our chances!"
He nodded and took her hand, seemingly a little lost in thought as they began walking to the castle. They made it a little further than they had on their first attempt when Hagrid stopped them, walking over from his house to meet them.
"Tha' was some sorta thumpin' you gave 'em! They looked like they had no idea wha' they were doin' against you all," Hagrid praised, making Ginny smile proudly.
"That was all Ginny. Brilliant strategy, and she played incredibly, too," Harry added, which only made her feel even better about herself than she already did.
"Believe me, I saw it all. Yeh must've had six or seven goals on yer own Ginny."
"Eight," Harry corrected. "Plus another four assists."
Ginny looked over at him, surprised that he knew that immediately. "I thought you were supposed to be looking for the Snitch instead of watching me."
Harry just shrugged with a smug grin. "Apparently I can do both. I did catch it, in case you missed that."
Hagrid laughed. "Yer both somethin' else, I tell yeh. Tha' looked like an easy catch fer yeh, Harry. Didn' seem like the Ravenclaw Seeker was anywhere near the Snitch."
"He wasn't. We were talking after the match about how he got confused because I randomly start acting like I've seen the Snitch every couple minutes to throw the other Seeker off. Either they'll overcommit and I'll get some extra time to look without them on my tail, or they'll be hesitant to chase after me when I really see the Snitch."
Hagrid shook his head. "An' here I always thought it was jus' seein' it firs' and catchin' it."
"I mean, that's still the point of it. But it makes things easier if I can do what I did to Noah and make him think twice before following me when I did see the Snitch. Although I probably would've beaten him even if we'd seen it at the same time," Harry admitted.
"Yeah, I think so. It is good to know that you're thinking throughout the match instead of just watching me, though," Ginny teased.
"I did miss your fifth goal because of one of my feints, so I hope you're happy," Harry responded disappointedly, and Hagrid was laughing once again.
"Like two bowtruckles on a branch. Yeh both played great, an' Gryffindor's the team ter beat this season. Anyways, we can talk more later, but you should both get back up ter the castle. I'd wager there's a party waitin' fer yeh."
Hagrid pulled them both into a warm hug before letting them go and returning to his house while they began attempting to walk back to the castle for a third time. Fortunately, they weren't stopped again and Ginny was able to prattle on about the recruitment process for the B.I.Q.L. for several minutes before stopping.
"I'm stupid," Ginny suddenly said, and Harry looked at her curiously. "You never said you wanted to play Quidditch after Hogwarts. I just assumed that you'd want to if you had the chance, but them scouting you or us doesn't mean you have to do it if you don't want to. If they even do scout us. Madam Hooch is just sending them statistics for now, and then who knows, but if–"
Harry squeezed her hand, and she stopped talking once again. "I don't know, to be honest. I didn't say no because I want to think about it more. I just– I never gave much thought to what my future might hold after Hogwarts for… obvious reasons. And I haven't really considered it since everything ended back in May. I think it sounds like a lot of fun, and if there are any teams that want to scout us, I'd be interested in talking to them. I just don't know what I want to do yet."
Ginny nodded, thinking that was perfectly reasonable. It was easy for her to forget that not everyone had dreamed of being a professional Quidditch player for years like she had. For her, this was the first sign that there was a chance that this dream could come true, and she was even more ecstatic about the possibility than she'd been about Gryffindor's victory.
Harry definitely deserved to take his time in thinking it over. It was a big decision. Selfishly, she hoped that he'd be attracted to the idea of continuing to play with her, even though they likely wouldn't end up on the same team. But really, she just wanted Harry to make the choice that would make him happy. That was all she ever wanted for him.
"I get that. Take all the time you need, and you know I'll support you no matter what you decide."
Harry smiled at her as they walked up the Grand Staircase. "Well I'll be talking to you about it quite a bit."
"You will?" Ginny asked, slightly surprised, thinking this a rather personal and pivotal decision that he'd likely want to consider in private.
"Yeah… of course I will. Whatever I do after Hogwarts will be a big decision, just like whatever you do. Any big decision like that is going to affect our life together, so I want to talk everything out to make the best decision for us."
He never ceased to amaze her. "I like that. A lot," she emphasised, squeezing his hand.
"So do I. But we'll have to talk later because I'm pretty sure we're about to be really busy. Grapeshot," he told the Fat Lady, who giggled drunkenly as her portrait swung open.
They walked through the portrait hole together and were met with wild cheering. The party was evidently in full swing, and everyone seemed thrilled to see two more members of the team. Harry had been right in his assumption that they'd be busy– they were soon separated by the crowd of people, eager to celebrate with them.
Ginny found herself talking to what felt like the majority of the house. Several younger girls were very excited to talk to her, and she was happy to carry on an extended conversation with some potential future Gryffindor Quidditch players. Emily and Zoe quickly joined their friends around her, although they were much calmer about talking to Gryffindor's Captain.
"You were both awesome!" Emily told them.
"Thanks, Emily. I should've saved that second goal though," Zoe responded, shaking her head disappointedly.
Ginny was determined to prevent her Keeper from feeling anything other than pride at her performance. "You were fantastic today, Zoe. You saved way more shots than you let in, and all three of their goals were really good shots. There's always room for improvement, but don't get down about any of it. You were a massive part of the reason we had such a big win."
Zoe seemed in much higher spirits after that, and Ginny soon continued moving through the crowd, speaking briefly to most of the fourth and fifth years while glancing around from time to time, looking for Harry. She didn't see Harry anywhere, but she did notice Romilda Vane watching her closely, which surprisingly didn't affect her jubilant mood.
Eventually, she found Mia and Demelza, who were relaxing on a sofa with butterbeers someone had smuggled in from Hogsmeade. Ginny sat next to them, appreciating time with her friends as much as entertaining the entire house as a focal point of the party.
"What a match," Demelza said proudly.
"You were great," Ginny told her fellow Chaser.
"You were both great," Mia corrected, leaning back and throwing an arm around both of their shoulders. "I don't know how you do it, but you make it look easy."
"When you're as good as us–" Demelza began before laughing at her own joke.
Mia snorted and rolled her eyes. "That's certainly one explanation."
"Everything seems slower up there than it does on the ground," Ginny offered a real answer even though she was chuckling at her friends.
"That too," Demelza agreed, still smirking from her joke.
"If you say so," Mia said. "Looks like Harry's having a good time," she added, nodding towards a crowd of younger students.
Ginny saw what she was talking about. Harry seemed to be getting interviewed by most of the first and second years, who were hanging on his every word. Remarkably, he didn't even look uncomfortable, even though she imagined there were other places he'd rather be if he was given the option.
"He'll be fine. He's good with kids," she assured them.
"I don't get how he can be that patient," Mia replied.
"Honestly he's way more impatient with adults than kids," Ginny answered.
The topic of conversation bounced around for a while, between classes, Quidditch, the D.A., and, briefly, Demelza's lack of a love life, although that didn't last for long before Demelza called Harry over, desperate for a distraction. Harry did seem grateful for the summons, likely tiring of being the centre of attention.
"What's up?" Harry asked as he sat down, easily placing a hand on Ginny's thigh like he didn't care who saw. She felt her chest warming even though he was just touching her jeans.
"Have you ever thought about playing Quidditch professionally? You could probably start for a couple teams in the league right now."
Harry chuckled, briefly glancing at Ginny before answering. "You know, it's come up before. I don't know what I'm doing after we graduate, but Quidditch does sound like a pretty great option."
"It's the best option, if you ask me," Demelza responded.
"Just because it's the only thing you're good at doesn't mean Harry doesn't have other options," Mia said, drawing laughs from everyone on the sofa.
Demelza shrugged, unfazed by the joke. "Hey, what I'm good at could pay me a lot of money one day. Then you'll feel bad that you made fun of me for it."
Mia grinned and shook her head. "I doubt I'll ever feel bad about it."
Ginny laughed again before leaning against Harry and resting her head on his shoulder. While Mia and Demelza bickered teasingly, he whispered in her ear. "You did it."
She lifted her head and looked at him, wondering what he meant. "You won your first match as captain," he explained.
Ginny smiled a little. The worries about being captain seemed so far behind her now. "Oh, yeah… I guess I did."
"Told you you'd be brilliant," Harry bragged.
She smiled wider now. "That was a pretty safe bet considering how great I am at Quidditch–" Harry chuckled "– But still… thanks for believing in me."
"I always will," he promised earnestly, and Ginny responded by kissing his cheek and leaning against him once more.
His belief in her had meant a lot, and ultimately, it reminded her how critical it was to believe in herself, as obvious and cliche as that sounded in her head. He'd been right. Once she began flying, it became just another Quidditch match, her confidence came rushing back, and she played possibly her best ever match at Hogwarts. More importantly, the team had performed well under her leadership. Maybe she was cut out to be the captain after all.
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A/N: And Quidditch is officially back! After how heavy a lot of the last chapter was, it was definitely the right time to have a bit of a break with this fun chapter, between the Defence lesson, Harry and Ginny's date, and the match.
All the way back when I came up with Harry and Ginny repairing the Room of Requirement as a big plotline in SoR, I knew that there needed to be justification for it in ToG, to really make it feel like their efforts were worth it. Really, the biggest use of it is that they were able to use it as a shared bedroom before McGonagall gave them access to the Head Boy dormitory, but I also wanted them to be able to go on dates in the RoR because that felt like a ton of fun and a good use of the space. There's going to continue being more dates there, but I really loved how romantic this first one was.
I've got several small things to point out in this chapter, and the first is just that I absolutely headcanon that Ginny made an alteration to her dress at Fleur's wedding to make it more revealing for Harry. Actually, it's canon to me now because I've written a memory for that around Chapter 10ish of Book 3, and I think it's a pretty good fit. The wink at Harry is just too telling to me!
Hermione says in OotP that Ginny's been breaking into the broom shed since she was 6 to learn how to fly. First, and totally unrelated to this chapter, I feel like it speaks volumes about Hermione and Ginny's friendship, which isn't emphasised enough, in my opinion, in the books, that Hermione would know about that. But it's also just very cool to me to see how tenacious and driven Ginny was from that young age. So in her memory, we sort of get two memories in one, even though the technical 'present time' for the memory is when Ginny is 9. The thing is, I really couldn't figure out how Ginny would be able to break into the shed, if it was locked, since she didn't know magic. So instead, the door is just unlocked, and the breaking in is really just her using a broom she's not really supposed to. It also made for a very sweet moment for her and Arthur, who just have such an awesome relationship.
Also in the memory, I have a lot of reasons behind things that aren't ever fully articulated in my writing because there isn't a need to, and one of those things is how Charlie's time at Hogwarts played out. What it boils down to is that Charlie became Quidditch Captain in his fifth year, but he left Hogwarts partway through his sixth year (I have reasons that are too long to explain here, ask in the comments if you're curious lol). So Oliver would've been a second year when Charlie left. He becomes Captain in probably his fourth year, when Fred and George were second years. They all had to be on the team then because, in PS, when the twins are third years, they already know Oliver's Captain speech by heart. Don't know if I actually needed to explain that, but there it is anyway!
I want to clarify that Ginny is a remarkably strong, confident, and capable woman. That doesn't mean that she can't still be nervous at her first match as Captain. It's a role that she takes incredibly seriously. I'd argue that she takes it more seriously than Harry did in HBP. Quidditch has been her dream for almost her entire life, so even though it's still the same old game as always, it's huge for her in continuing to realise her dream. And, like Harry predicted, as soon as she started playing, the nerves went away and it just became another regular match. And, for what it's worth, I know the actual action of the match was kind of limited here, but we've still got a lot of Quidditch left to be played, including, in my opinion, (spoilers) the most exciting match that Ginny and Harry have ever played in.
The last real note I have is just on Madam Hooch telling them about the recruitment process. A lot of that is based on my knowledge of American universities and professional teams recruiting and scouting high school students, because that's essentially what this is. Schools with good athletic programs will actively promote their athletes to these teams and universities, which is exactly what Hooch is doing with the two star seventh year players this season.
So that brings us to the end of the first Quidditch chapter of the year! It was a very fun chapter for me, and I hope you all enjoyed it. Because it's fun to me, I'll do another one of these, just because… something tiny happens in this chapter with big plot ramifications in the future! *Gasp*! That's basically true of every chapter at this point, but I only point out the ones that I'm fairly confident aren't guessable yet because it's far more fun to me if everything is a secret until it's supposed to be revealed haha. Anyways, thank you as always for reading, and we'll be getting back to our regularly scheduled Hogwarts craziness very soon!
Coming Friday: Transfiguring Trauma- Their conversation was interrupted by a scream.
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Thank you for all the comments! Knowing that the last chapter made such an emotional impact means a ton to me, and I'm very excited to have a new mystery introduced in the form of the Veritaserum! All I can say right now is that won't be the last of the mystery, so make sure to pay attention... every single word and detail was written for a reason!
Nightwing2013: I think, with or without a potential relationship with Draco, Astoria is a really interesting character for me to write. Since I remember publicly responding to another comment about Astoria and Draco, I'll say that, if they ever do get together, it won't be because of some sort of arranged marriage because I'm really just not interested in writing something like that. I do agree with you though- if they ever do get together, it would require a *ton* of character change from Draco. And there is always the possibility that they just don't get together, despite the Pottermore version of the story. I mean, Astoria isn't even a character in the books, so she can do pretty much anything. And you're right, seeing more Teddy as a Snitch definitely would've been fun haha!
Finnspa23: I agree with you completely, and we'll have to see if Ginny is dead set on the Harpies or not. If not, it could definitely open the door to Harry playing Quidditch though. And I agree, I definitely like the idea of Aurors being like detectives. I think that fits Harry's character well too, and it could also be really fun to both write and read, so he definitely has some fun possibilities ahead!
qUg060: I really appreciate the high praise! That's another interesting theory on who was behind the Veritaserum. And, for all we know, a fangirl could be related to a larger plot to cause Harry problems... I'm sure Romilda would love to be involved with that haha! I'm also very glad that you don't mind the retellings because of how much you love HP. I'll admit, when I was writing a lot of 'recap' stuff, I was getting tired of it, just because I love writing my own story, but it's an important and realistic part of life. And, when I do have to retell portions of the story, I try to change the perspective or reframe it in ways that bring new light or details to the forefront, like seeing Ginny's perspective when Harry was talking about his time on the run or her memories about things we've all read countless times in the book.