Her parents looked like they might cry, even though Ginny didn't really understand that.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Ginny felt like she was betraying her younger self, being excited to attend a match between the Chudley Cannons and Falmouth Falcons. She'd been a Holyhead Harpies fan for as long as she could remember, but she'd also never been to an actual B.I.Q.L. match before. The only professional match she'd ever attended was the Quidditch World Cup Final four years ago. So even though she wasn't a fan of either team in particular, she was a massive fan of Quidditch, and she couldn't help but be excited.
She also knew that this was the first time that her family would see Ron's team playing, and she was a little thankful that Ron and Hermione had spent the night before away from home. There was no doubt in her mind that Ron was nervous, probably feeling like he was responsible for ensuring a Chudley victory for his family to see. Realistically, based on everything she'd heard from Ron, he was barely an assistant coach, but she knew that wouldn't affect how much pressure he put on himself and the team today.
The excitement she felt was mirrored by the rest of the family, even though Charlie and Bill seemed more than a little affected by their escapades at the new bar in Diagon Alley last night. Fleur had some sort of remedy that she offered to both of them, and it seemed to improve their condition somewhat.
"I told you both zat ze drinking competition was an 'orrible idea," she scolded, and Bill nodded, feeling reproachful for his apparently wild behaviour.
Charlie smirked proudly. "Not my fault your husband is a lightweight, Fleur."
"I'm pretty sure you have more alcohol than blood in your veins," Bill retorted, but Charlie seemed to take that as a compliment.
They both dropped all conversation about the previous night when their mum and dad came downstairs. It didn't seem to help though– her mum took one look at her sons and could immediately tell they were hungover. To Ginny's surprise, she just shook her head and clucked her tongue but didn't say anything. Something told Ginny that her mum would not have had the same reaction if she'd been hungover with her older brothers.
"Is everyone good to apparate there? We were all at the stadium over the summer, so navigation shouldn't be an issue," her dad said.
When nobody expressed any concerns, the family marched out of the house, beyond the wards, and began disapparating away.
Ginny winked at Harry. "See you there," she promised before turning on her heel and landing in Chudley at the designated apparition point. A second later, Harry arrived, grinning when he saw the stadium.
"You know, that still might've been the coolest birthday present ever," he told her.
She shrugged nonchalantly. "That's just the kind of girlfriend I am, Potter. Deal with it."
He laughed and took her hand in his. "Gladly."
They were supposed to meet Chudley's owner, Barnaby Trumble, outside of the main gate. Harry saw him first, pointing out the slightly wizened, short, bearded man, who was watching the crowd of people entering the stadium. It was a little odd to her that nobody seemed to register that the owner of the Cannons was right there, but then again, it did seem like a rather large portion of the people entering through the gate were Falmouth supporters.
Mr. Trumble spotted them quickly, likely because they were a very noticeable large family of redheads. Harry stepped forward and shook his hand first.
"Mister Trumble, it's great to see you again. Thank you for inviting us to watch the match with you today."
Mr. Trumble smiled, and Ginny immediately liked the old man. He spoke in a kind voice, "Believe me, Mister Potter, the pleasure is all mine. Ronald has been a fantastic addition to the club, and I'm very pleased to be able to welcome you all to watch his team in action. Would you mind introducing me to everyone?"
Harry introduced all of them, and remarkably, Trumble remembered all their names. He pointed a finger at Hermione, who'd joined them as they'd approached him, and smiled. "I've heard quite a bit about you from Ronald. I daresay he's quite taken with you, Miss Hermione."
Ginny wasn't sure if she'd ever seen Hermione's face so red, but she had a very pleased smile on her face. Unable to help herself, she bumped Hermione's shoulder and smiled at her. Hermione just blushed even more deeply, but she looked incredibly happy.
"Now, I suppose it's time to take you up to my box. I'm sorry that we don't have a lift, so it's just the long way up."
Ginny fought back a groan as she remembered the seemingly endless flights of stairs that they'd had to climb up to get to Harry's birthday party several months ago. Despite all her training, climbing the stairs of Hogwarts, she was still a little out of breath when they reached the top, and her parents and older siblings looked like they felt similarly. Oddly enough, Mr. Trumble seemed completely unbothered by the climb.
"We don't have much to offer by way of a pre-match meal, but we do have some hand pies that my secretary made for Christmas. You're all welcome to tuck in," he invited as he swung open the door to the owner's lounge.
Somehow, Ginny had remembered it looking bigger when they'd been here over the summer. It was still a nice room, but it was showing signs of poor care, with cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling and a few cracks in the walls. Orange Cannons banners distracted from those though, mostly due to their brightness. A small platter of hand pies was laid out on a table against the far wall. All in all, it wasn't really what Ginny was expecting from the owner's lounge of a professional team.
Despite that, Mr. Trumble's enthusiasm and affection for the club was both obvious and infectious. He spoke fondly of the club as he told them about his humble beginnings as a kit man for the team before he even attended Hogwarts. He never lost his love of Quidditch, even though he wasn't very good at the game himself. Instead, he served for seven years as the Hogwarts Quidditch Commentator while coming up with ideas that could keep him in the industry. He landed on the golden idea when he created the Broomstick Servicing Kit that was still commonly seen as the gold standard for broom maintenance today. He made a fortune, selling it to professionals, amateurs, and every broom enthusiast between, and there was only one thing he was interested in doing with that fortune. He bought his childhood club, and he'd spent the past eighty years trying to bring a league title to Chudley.
"I started working as a kit man the year after Chudley won the title for the last time in eighteen ninety-two. I bought the team in nineteen thirteen, and we've been fighting for that title ever since. There were a couple times I thought we were close, but… alas, the curse of the Cannons is that we are doomed to hope every season. I know I still feel that hope, but at this point, I'm just hoping I get the chance to see the League Cup in our trophy case while I'm still living."
Ginny couldn't help but feel sad for the old man. He'd given his entire life to trying to help the Cannons win, but it didn't seem like anything he'd done had helped. It wasn't for a lack of care for the team though. That much was clear.
She found herself and Harry talking more to Trumble while her older brothers cleared out his hand pies. He really was a sweet man, and he seemed genuinely interested in their lives. Of course, he knew about Harry from the Prophet. The one time they'd met before today was when Mr. Trumble had thanked him for everything he'd done while they were in Diagon Alley. But even though she wasn't famous, he asked her plenty of questions, wanting to learn more about her.
"What's your favourite course at Hogwarts?"
Ginny considered that question, and Harry looked insulted. She giggled and said, "Either Defence Against the Dark Arts or Charms."
He nodded sagely. "That doesn't surprise me. It takes a strong mind to be proficient in those fields, and you strike me as someone with a very strong mind, Miss Weasley."
"That's an understatement," Harry said, with nothing but affection in his voice.
"And you, Mister Potter?"
"Oh, Defence has always been my favourite," Harry answered immediately.
Mr. Trumble chuckled. "I suppose that makes quite a bit of sense. We're all thankful with how good of a job you've done at defending against the Dark Arts. So obviously, Mister Potter is in Gryffindor, and I'd guess you are as well?"
Ginny smiled and nodded. "Yes, my entire family are Gryffindors."
"I was a Hufflepuff myself, but I always admired Gryffindors for their courage. I have found in my time though that the bravest things are often the things nobody sees."
Ginny agreed with that, thinking of all the brave things she'd witnessed or heard of that went unnoticed. Harry was responsible for a lot of those, making sacrifices that only came to light because of hearings, but she also thought of Dumbledore's Army, and all the brave things that had been done when nobody knew. It wasn't even always doing brave things when lives were at stake either. Fred and George had been incredibly brave to leave Hogwarts early to start a joke shop, just like Charlie had been brave to move across the continent before he graduated from Hogwarts.
"Forgive me. I've become increasingly aware that, in my old age, I tend to spout words that I think are wise but may be irksome to you younger folk."
Ginny shook her head. "Not at all. I think you're exactly right about bravery."
Harry nodded his agreement but didn't say anything. He was likely trying to not think about specific examples in his mind.
"That's kind of you to say, Miss Weasley. I'm curious, for someone as strong-minded as you, what are your plans after you graduate?"
Ginny caught Harry's eye, and he raised his eyebrows slightly, as if to say that it wasn't a bad idea to be honest with him, even if the majority of her own family didn't know. She checked to be sure that nobody was close enough to hear, mainly because she just hadn't worked up the courage to tell her mum that she wasn't planning on having a conventional career yet, but everyone else was watching the players warming up over the pitch.
"To tell you the truth, Mister Trumble, I'm planning on playing Quidditch professionally."
The smile the man gave her warmed her heart. He seemed genuinely excited for her. "That's fantastic! I have no doubt that you'll go far, my dear. Has Madam Hooch already sent your information out?"
Ginny nodded. "Yes, sir. She sent our information out about a month ago. I've heard that there may even be scouts at our next two matches."
"Our? Is Mister Potter planning on playing too?" Mr. Trumble asked curiously, turning to Harry, and Ginny inwardly cursed herself, regretting her poor phrasing that had potentially outed Harry when he didn't have his plans firmly in place yet.
Harry didn't seem bothered by it though. "I'm certainly considering it. I've just never given much thought to what I might do after Hogwarts before, so I'm still trying to decide what I want, but I have to admit that the idea is very exciting to imagine."
Mr. Trumble nodded. "I understand. The future is a delicate thing, and I'm sure that you haven't wanted to dwell on it too much considering… everything. I do have every confidence that you will make a well-thought out decision that will bring happiness to your life. If anyone deserves some peace and happiness, it's you, Mister Potter."
Mr. Trumble spoke with such sincerity that Ginny felt herself believing everything he was saying, and judging by Harry's expression, he felt similarly. There was just something so familiar and welcoming about this man, like he was a grandfather she never knew she had.
"Thank you, Mister Trumble. That means a lot," Harry said.
"Of course. And I'll tell you kids what– I'll be sure to speak to Mister Jones about the two of you and see if we can send scouts to your matches. Even if you get recruited by some of the bigger teams with more money to spend, we'd be happy to help you develop a familiarity for handling these professional interviews and trials."
"That's incredibly generous of you. Thank you so much," Ginny replied earnestly. It almost made her sadder, thinking that Trumble knew he would get out-recruited by the bigger clubs, but she also knew that it was a reality he was used to facing, that not many people really wanted to play for Chudley. She certainly didn't, although she'd be happy to play for him if he owned another team that wasn't cursed with misfortune and heartbreak.
"It's no problem at all. Ronald has been an excellent coach, and you two seem like great kids, and I'd be happy to do it for all of you. Speaking of, I believe the match is about to begin."
He pointed past them to the enclosed and soundproof balcony of the owner's lounge, which was already almost filled by their family. They followed Trumble and sat next to him, looking out at the crowd of some Chudley orange and a lot of Falmouth grey. He had been right– the players were gathering at the centre of the pitch for the Quaffle toss to begin the match. Ginny saw Ron in the Chudley technical stand, where the substitutes and Chudley's coaching staff watched the match from. She pointed him out to her family, who applauded even though he clearly couldn't hear them, and then the match began.
Ginny was positive that she'd never been more excited in her entire life. She hadn't believed it was real when her dad had said they had tickets to the Quidditch World Cup, but once he'd shown her, she couldn't contain her elation. Her only real exposure to Quidditch had been through listening to the wireless and watching Hogwarts matches, and she couldn't wait to see how the professional experience measured up.
She was exhausted the day they travelled to the site of the match, but there were so many new and wondrous things to take in that it was impossible to remain bleary-eyed. She'd been raised in a wizarding family, which meant she was much more used to seeing the sorts of things at the campsite than Hermione or Harry were, but even she was shocked and amazed at some of the things they saw.
While she wandered around with her older siblings and dad, looking for wood for their fire, she marvelled at the displays from supporters of both the Irish and Bulgarian teams. Both sets of supporters were very obviously passionate about their side, It wasn't just the Quidditch support that shocked her though. She couldn't believe how much magic was being performed this close to Muggles, and it was slightly appalling, even to her, that Ludo Bagman was so relaxed about keeping their activities secretive.
Thankfully, that wasn't really her problem, and she could focus more on the best part of the day– the match itself. She'd decided several days earlier, after the semifinals, that she'd be supporting Ireland, mainly because she had several friends who were Irish. She also loved the shamrocks and leprechauns that were associated with the Irish National Team.
Bill had been nice enough to buy her a green shamrock rosette so that she didn't have to spend the small amount of change that she had. He assured her it was just a late birthday present since he'd arrived from Egypt after her birthday. She wasn't about to question that and accepted the gift gratefully.
She could feel the excitement building as they drew closer to the stadium, which was absolutely massive. It almost felt like everything in her life had been building to this moment, when she'd get to see the greatest Quidditch that the world had to offer. When they reached the entrance, Ginny could scarcely believe her ears as the witch told them they were in the Top Box. Of course, her dad had told her this, but it had been hard enough to believe they were actually going to the final without also believing they'd have the best seats in the stadium. But somehow, it was actually happening.
The Top Box was breathtaking until Ginny saw the pitch and rest of the stadium and promptly forgot where she was. Not even the Malfoys showing up could distract her from taking in everything, from the advertisements in the stadium to the raucous fans and enthusiastic mascots. Although she could've done without the presentation of the veela.
All of her brothers and Harry, she noted disappointedly, had begun acting like absolute fools when the veela performed their dance. Harry may have been the most obvious about it, standing up and almost falling out of the box, and Bill was probably the most composed, but it was still very funny to see all of them slack jawed, looking stunned and determined to impress the women below, even if she didn't love seeing Harry so enamoured with the beautiful veela.
The leprechauns were incredible too, although Ginny was surprised that everyone around her seemed to act like the gold they dropped was real. She'd been reading her new Care of Magical Creatures textbook just last week, which was very adorable once she got past the snapping fangs, and had seen a small section referring to leprechaun gold. It wasn't real, and all the gold that everyone was pocketing eagerly would disappear very soon. She tried explaining this to Charlie, but he dismissed her as he shoved more gold into his pockets, so she shrugged to herself. They'd find out soon enough.
Finally, it was time for the players to take the pitch and the match to begin. It would've been an understatement to say that Ginny was impressed. She was awestruck by the speed and skill that everyone on the pitch was playing with. She paid more attention to the Chasers than anyone else, and Ireland's team was something to behold. They worked with a fluidity and intuitiveness that was a joy to watch.
She was distracted from the Chasers briefly when Viktor Krum performed a brilliant Wronski Feint. It was so perfect that it brutally injured the Ireland Seeker, and she couldn't help but lean over the edge of the box, shocked at how bad the collision had looked. That was the beauty and danger of Quidditch played at its highest level.
Once the match resumed, Ireland's Chasers absolutely rolled over Bulgaria's. It took fifteen minutes for them to stretch the lead to 120 points, and it wasn't getting any better for Bulgaria when they conceded two penalties to Ireland, which were both scored easily.
The match became less elegant and beautiful and more dirty and brutal now, as Bulgaria was forced to resort to much more violent measures in an attempt to neutralise the threat of the Irish Chasers. It didn't seem to matter though. Ireland was still superior, and they had pulled out of the range of the Seeker when Viktor Krum was hit in the face with a Bludger. Somehow though, he managed to beat Aidan Lynch to the Snitch, reminding Ginny of when Harry caught the Snitch with a broken arm in the very first match she saw at Hogwarts.
It was shocking, once Ginny realised what had happened. She didn't have much time to process it before Bulgaria's team was in the Top Box with them, shaking hands with the Bulgarian Minister and Minister Fudge. Krum looked a horrible sight, and it was almost impossible to imagine that this man was the best Seeker in the world when he seemed to struggle with walking normally, although she supposed that might've been partially influenced by the Bludger he took to the face.
Then the Irish team was there, and Ginny whooped and hollered with a large portion of the stadium as they were presented with the Quidditch World Cup. She couldn't help but eye it hungrily, imagining that it was her hoisting it instead of Troy. There was no way there would ever be a better feeling, and she decided then that she was done putting off trying out for the Gryffindor team. She had to be ready, and she'd make the team this year.
Once they left the stadium and began walking back to their campsite, Ginny heard Harry prattling on about Krum ending the game on his own terms, and she couldn't help but voice her disagreement, almost entirely forgetting who it was that she was disagreeing with.
"Can you imagine being on Bulgaria after that though? Krum basically told the world that they weren't good enough to score one more goal, so he just decided to give up," she pointed out. "I'd be furious if I was on Bulgaria and he did that."
"Be honest, Ginny. They weren't gonna score that goal. Better for Krum to end it on his terms rather than let the match get more embarrassing," Harry responded.
She shook her head firmly as they sat down at the table in their tent and accepted a mug of hot chocolate from her dad. "I don't care. It's not right for the Seeker to play like he's not a part of the rest of the team. He gave up on behalf of his teammates. It wasn't him ending the match on his own terms. It was him showing a lack of faith in his team, and that's really unfair considering they were still good enough to make it to the final."
Ron must've told Harry more about the matches leading up to the final because Harry immediately replied, "Bulgaria as a team wasn't good enough to make it to the finals. They weren't better than Japan in the quarterfinals, and they definitely weren't better than Brazil in the semifinals. They made it to the final because of Krum, so it makes sense that he got to decide to end the match early."
"Krum's a brilliant Seeker, but even if he's the reason they made it there, he still has teammates. At the very least, he should've waited until they were losing by more because it looks even worse for them to only lose by ten."
She knew that she'd gotten a little heated in the argument, and when Harry mumbled something about Krum's terms, she snapped, "What?"
He looked up at her with slightly wide eyes before grinning impishly, and she felt her heart stop for a moment. Harry never looked at her like that. "Nothing," he replied.
"That's what I thought," she responded with confidence she found from somewhere, and Harry's grin grew even wider.
They didn't talk much the rest of the night, drawn into various other arguments and conversations with the rest of her family about the match. But Ginny kept imagining him smiling at her like she was genuinely funny or she made him happy. It felt really good. So good, in fact, that the mental image of him grinning at her was the last thing she saw before her eyes closed and she dozed off, but for some strange reason, she thought that smile might've been real.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Harry felt really bad for both Ron and Mr. Trumble when Chudley lost by three hundred points. The match hadn't ever been close at all, and Mr. Trumble's expression after was incredibly sad for someone who'd been seeing his team lose for over a century. Harry wished there was something that he could do to make the old man's suffering less painful, but it seemed to him like this was the life he'd chosen. Somehow, the pain of defeat was worth it for the hope of victory. Mr. Trumble reminded him a lot of Ron, and he expected that this was very common among the small, hardcore community of Chudley supporters.
Mr. Trumble was less talkative after the match, but he did confirm that he'd speak to the manager about scouting Harry and Ginny, which was really cool to think about. Even though Harry thought he'd had too much experience with bad luck to consider playing for Chudley, it was undeniable that any professional team scouting them was a huge deal, and he thought that Ginny felt the same way.
Ron had told them all that he'd meet them back at home, so they all thanked Mr. Trumble once again for his kind hospitality before disapparating at the top of the stairs, unwilling to step onto the endless staircases again.
"It's a shame Chudley's cursed," Charlie said while they were waiting for Ron at the Burrow. "Ron's got a real mind for Quidditch, but I don't think he's gonna realise his full potential with the Cannons."
"They're his team though. Do you ever think he'd actually leave?" Bill asked.
"He wouldn't ever go to another team," Ginny said confidently. "He wouldn't put up with all the pain of being a Cannons supporter to up and leave for a better team."
"He is happy. I know they're not very good, and chances are they won't ever be any good, but he's happier than I've ever seen," Hermione chimed in.
"Oui, but that eez as much because of you as Quidditch," Fleur replied, making Hermione look rather pleased.
"I feel bad for Mister Trumble, honestly. He's spent his whole life trying to win the league, but it doesn't seem to matter what he does, Chudley keeps losing," Harry said.
"He was such a sweet man. I'd honestly start supporting the Cannons as my second team for him," Ginny added.
"Don't tell Ron that. He'll have you decked out in Cannons gear in no time," George joked.
Ron arrived a few minutes later, looking a little better than Harry would've expected. Molly met him at the door with a hug.
"I'm sorry about the match, dear," she said.
Ron shrugged. "Thanks. It wasn't a great game, but there were some positives to take away. Did you see that attacking formation on our second goal? That was my play," he proudly informed all of them, and they acted like that was as exciting as winning the match because, for Chudley, it basically was.
The family slowly trickled out of the house over the next few hours as everyone returned to their normal lives. Bill and Fleur were going back to Shell Cottage, Charlie was returning to his dragon reserve in Wrexham, and Percy and George were returning to their flat above the shop. Only Ron and Hermione were staying at the Burrow, even though they'd both have to return to work in the next couple days.
Late in the evening, after Arthur and Molly had gone to bed, the four of them were staying up late in the living room, drinking hot chocolate and enjoying a conversation by the fire.
"Mister Trumble was really nice," Ginny told Ron. "I mean, I knew he was after meeting him this summer, but still."
Ron nodded eagerly. "Oh, I know. Mister Trumble is great. I dunno what he saw in me, but I owe him everything for getting me this job. I just wish we could win for him."
"He saw that you're a brilliant strategist, mate. There's nobody who can read moves before they happen like you, whether it's in chess or Quidditch," Harry replied.
Ron smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Harry. I just– sometimes I feel like Mister Jones isn't really listening to me. I think I get through better with the players, but I'm not really supposed to talk to them much. I guess they remembered my play for that goal because it wasn't anything that we called or signalled to them."
"Have you spoken to Mister Trumble about feeling that way?" Hermione asked, and Ron immediately shook his head.
"Hell no. I don't wanna come across as ungrateful or anything. I'm in this job because of him, but the last thing I want is for him to think that I'm not happy just being on the coaching staff. Besides, I'm still hoping that I'll grow on Mister Jones more and then he'll be more willing to incorporate my ideas into the gameplan."
Harry thought Hermione seemed a little dissatisfied with Ron's answer, but it made enough sense to Harry. It'd almost be like if he'd demanded to be captain after he'd made the Gryffindor team as a first year. Once Ron put more time in, he'd likely start having more of an influence on the team as a whole.
"You know, all this talk of Quidditch reminds me that I never told you that we met Gwenog Jones a few weeks ago!" Ginny almost exclaimed giddily, and Harry glanced at the stairs as if Molly or Arthur would come back down and tell them to go to sleep.
"No way!" Ron responded with equal enthusiasm. Apparently he was an equal opportunist when it came to his sister interacting with professional teams. "How'd you pull that off?"
"Who's Gwenog Jones?" Hermione asked, and Harry sighed with Ginny.
"Only the best player in the league! She's a Beater for Holyhead and for England, she's a six-time member of the B.I.Q.L. Best Seven, she's–"
"Oh, is she the one that's on your bedroom wall?"
Ginny laughed. "Yeah, that's probably the only place you'd know her from. Wait… you met her at a Slug Club meeting a couple years ago, right?"
Hermione thought for a moment before shrugging. Apparently Hermione wasn't nearly as impressed or awed by famous Quidditch players as everyone else in the living room.
"Anyways, she's my all time favourite player, and she was at Professor Slughorn's holiday party this year," Ginny finished when Hermione didn't answer.
Ron didn't hide his look of disgust. "You two went back to that thing again? You're not sucking up to him for memories about Horcruxes anymore, Harry. You don't have to go to those now."
Harry shrugged. "D'you think I had any chance of convincing Ginny to not go to that when she knew Gwenog was gonna be there?"
Ron considered that for a moment before conceding the point. "Yeah, that's fair. So what was she like?"
"Amazing. Like I couldn't believe how great she was. You never really know how celebrities will be when you meet them in person, I mean look at Lockhart, but she was just incredible. She–"
"I'm starting to get a little jealous, hearing my girlfriend talking about someone else like this," Harry joked.
"You should be. I would leave you for her in a heartbeat," Ginny informed him very seriously, and Ron and Hermione howled with laughter. Harry's laughter came a second or two late, after he decided that Ginny was most likely kidding.
"Anyways, she seemed really interested in watching me play after she met me and heard about my stats from Harry. So she said Holyhead will be scouting our next match at the end of February."
"And Trumble told us that Chudley would send a scout to our match too," Harry recalled.
"Blimey, Ginny. You're gonna have the whole league turning out to watch your matches. And Harry, if they're gonna be there watching Ginny, they'd see you too. I'm just saying, Chudley could use a Seeker…"
Harry chuckled. "I'm just gonna let everything keep playing out and see what happens. I still don't know what I'm gonna be doing, but Quidditch is a possibility."
"That's smart of you, Harry. You should take as much time as you need to make a decision without worrying about your friends pressuring you into one," Hermione replied, shooting a look at Ron, who shrugged innocently.
"Hey, I'm not pressuring him into anything. I'm just pointing out that we could have a lot of fun at Chudley together," Ron said, but he stopped pointing that out after Hermione stared him down for a moment.
"You're good mate. I think it would be a lot of fun too," Harry responded honestly.
"It sounds like the two of you had a much better time at the party than the last Slug Club Christmas Party," Hermione said, taking the subject off Quidditch entirely.
"Yeah, it was great. I mean the build up to it was horrible, but the party was fun at least," Ginny replied.
Hermione frowned. "What do you mean the build up was horrible?"
Harry came to the same realisation at the same time as Ginny. "Oh. I guess we never told you about it," he said.
"Told us about what?" Ron asked very curiously.
Ginny sighed. "The afternoon before the party, I was leaving Arithmancy when Demelza ran up to me and dragged me to the common room. When I got there, I saw Harry… kissing Romilda Vane."
Both Ron and Hermione looked at him in shock, and he threw his hands up. "Don't look at me like that. Do you really think I'd be sitting here if I was actually kissing anyone other than Ginny?"
"It wasn't really him," Ginny quickly amended. "This Slytherin kid named Jasper had taken Polyjuice Potion to look like Harry."
"But did you think it was Harry?" Hermione asked, sounding heartbroken as she did.
Harry looked over at Ginny, interested in her answer. "For a couple seconds, I thought so. But then I thought there was a chance that he'd been given a love potion or something, so I pulled him away from her and saw how he was looking at me, and I knew it couldn't really be him. So I asked him what he got me for my birthday, and when he didn't know, I bound him."
"And what'd you do to that bitch?" Ron asked, and Harry noticed that Hermione didn't seem bothered by Ron's swearing in this instance at all.
Ginny smirked. "Bat-Bogey, of course. It didn't matter that it wasn't really Harry because she definitely thought it was."
"I walked into the common room right after all that happened, and she asked me the same question. And she was really happy when I knew the answer," Harry added with a smile. Ginny reached over and squeezed his hand.
"You two just can't catch a break. First it was Grimhall, and then it was the Veritaserum, and now this. I know you're enjoying being at Hogwarts, but it seems like being there has put a target on your back," Hermione said.
"The weirdest part about it all was that Jasper told us that someone offered him five Galleons to transform into me and kiss Romilda," Harry said, shaking his head, still perplexed by the mystery.
"But he didn't tell you who it was?" Ron asked.
Ginny chimed in. "If he was telling the truth, which isn't even a guarantee, he didn't know who it was. There was a note on his bed, and the Polyjuice was hidden by some statue."
"Was he one of the Slytherin kids that attacked Emily?" Hermione asked. Harry was a little surprised that she knew about that until she clarified, "I read about it in the Prophet, and I assumed it was Slytherins who were responsible and thought you'd know something about it."
"Yeah, we know something about it," Ginny replied tiredly. "Astoria and I were the ones who stopped them from really hurting her. But no, he wasn't one of those boys. Although, Anton Shafiq was, and he's the one we thought might've done the Veritaserum spiking."
"I told you he was bad news," Ron said, apparently deciding that was enough to be sure that Anton was responsible for more. Not that Harry could fully disagree.
"But would he have been behind the Polyjuice too?" Hermione asked. "I suppose he may not have wanted to risk it getting back to him if he was caught doing it himself, but still… using a roommate seems a little dangerous."
"Nobody ever accused him of being smart," Ginny pointed out.
"I just don't get what the goal is behind everything. Like with the Veritaserum and Polyjuice… I don't know. We don't even know if it's the same person. But… Jasper said that Ginny was supposed to see him kissing Romilda when he looked like me, so it seems like the point of that was to try and break us up," Harry said. "So like… why would some random Slytherin I've never even met care about that?"
"Maybe Romilda's behind it all then," Ron suggested.
"We talked about that with Astoria and Owen. I just don't think she's smart enough to do all of this. Putting love potions into chocolate is one thing, but brewing complex potions and then somehow covertly using them is way more complicated," Harry responded.
"I still think Grimhall could be trying to cause you problems," Ron said, bringing up another alternative. "Although… I have no idea what he'd have to gain by you two breaking up either, other than causing you both pain because of it."
"That would probably be good enough reason for him," Ginny muttered, shaking her head at the reminder of the former Defence professor.
"Does Professor McGonagall know?" Hermione asked.
"She knows about the Polyjuice. I doubt anyone told her about the Veritaserum, but what's she gonna do anyways? Get a taste tester for me to try everything out before I eat or drink it? Besides, that wouldn't have changed anything with the Polyjuice."
"Maybe not, but it wouldn't hurt to make her aware of it. I hate to tell you this though, but the best thing for both of you to do is just keep being careful and stay alert. Constant vigilance and all that. I don't know how someone trying to break the two of you up could escalate things or if it's related to the Veritaserum, but, whatever's going on, the person or people responsible have already shown that they're committed to what they're trying to do, so please just be smart about everything," Hermione said, sounding very worried for both of them.
Ginny squeezed Harry's hand again. "Don't worry. We're not gonna let anything break us up. And we'll be extra careful when we go back to Hogwarts, just for you," she assured Hermione, who rolled her eyes like she didn't believe that for a second.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
The week between Christmas and the end of the year was exactly what Ginny and Harry needed. They were able to completely relax, free from worries about potions and school and everything else. They spent a lot of time with Teddy, who was very happy to be entertained by his godparents, and they spent even more time with Ron and Hermione, who had decided to stay at the Burrow until after Harry and Ginny returned to Hogwarts.
Ron had been told the day after the Boxing Day match that Mr. Trumble was providing him with a flat in Chudley as his end of year bonus. The entire family was surprised, none more so than Ron, but he seemed really excited to be starting an adult life with his own place.
Similarly, Hermione had decided that she couldn't continue staying with her parents in an attempt to make them suddenly forgive her and forget about everything that had happened. She had told Ginny that she was planning on staying at the Burrow until Ron had been given the flat in Chudley, which changed all her plans. The four of them spent two days searching various flats around London before finding one within walking distance to the Ministry and not much further to Diagon Alley. She didn't seem very pleased with the rent, but based on everything they saw, she wasn't going to find anything less expensive.
Even seeing Amelia a few days after Christmas had been uplifting– a reminder that Harry hadn't had any panic attacks since his terrible one at the start of the term. Ginny had decided to continue keeping the matter of her own panic attack between her and Harry. It hadn't happened again since everything with Emily, and there was no point in worrying anyone else about it, especially when they were supposed to be enjoying their holiday.
And they did enjoy it immensely. Between searching for flats, spending time with Teddy and the rest of the family, and relaxing, the end of the year crept up on them very quickly. Ginny had completely forgotten that they had plans for New Year's Eve until Bill asked if they were coming to the bar that he and Charlie had visited on Christmas. Ginny had been about to agree until Harry interjected.
"I wish we could, but we're supposed to go to some New Year's thing with Kingsley for the Muggle Prime Minister."
Bill raised his eyebrows. "Seriously? That's a really big deal."
Harry shrugged. "Kingsley acted like he didn't want to go, but he said that he thought I should be there. Not really sure why though."
"Probably because the Muggle Prime Minister wants to meet you. Kingsley used to be a liaison to that office, so I'm sure he's told him about you."
"Yeah, I guess so," Harry agreed, not sounding too thrilled about that idea.
Bill chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. "You'll have a good time. Just take care of my sister."
"She doesn't need me to take care of her," Harry responded, earning a kiss on the cheek from Ginny, who loved it when he said stuff like that.
"You can be my backup," she assured him, and both he and Bill laughed at that.
She told him when they went upstairs to get ready. "I completely forgot about the party."
"I know," Harry laughed. "I could tell when I mentioned it to Bill. You're still wanting to go though, right? Because we don't have to go."
She shook her head but smiled at his attempt to get out of it. "No, I'm looking forward to it. We'll have fun, and it's probably not a great idea to turn down invitations from people like the Prime Minister. If it gets too bad though, we can always sneak out for our own New Year's celebration," she offered suggestively.
"Y– yeah, that sounds good to me," Harry agreed, and Ginny fully expected that he'd be trying to get them to leave early now.
Out of convenience, they dressed in the same outfits they wore to the Yule Ball. The only difference was that Harry had gotten Hermione to help him transfigure his dress robes into a Muggle suit, which only made him look more dashing in her opinion. She definitely preferred Muggle suits to dress robes.
Once Ginny had her hair done and dress on, she put her Snitch earrings from Harry on. Then she asked Harry, who'd been staring kind of dumbly at her for several minutes, to help with her locket. She definitely could've done it for herself, but she really wanted to feel him doing it.
It didn't disappoint. She pulled her hair over her shoulder to give him easy access to attach the clasp, which he did quickly. But then she felt her skin tingling as he pressed several kisses to her exposed upper back before trailing kisses up to her shoulder and neck. She let out a small breath as he kissed her ear before turning around and pulling him into a deep kiss that probably slightly ruined her makeup.
"You're so sexy," Harry moaned against her lips, running a hand into the slit of her dress and up her thigh.
"I love you," she responded, nipping at his bottom lip, which made him smile.
"I love you too." He must've caught a glimpse of his watch because he suddenly stood straight up. "Damn, we're gonna be late."
"Damn it, I was hoping we had more time. You'd better still be in a mood like this after the party," she warned him.
He laughed. "I promise, I'm always feeling like this when I'm around you. I'm just usually able to control myself. I won't worry about that tonight though," he assured her, making her skin tingle again before she snapped herself out of it. There'd be time for that later.
Her parents looked like they might cry, even though Ginny didn't really understand that. They were just going to a party together. She was thankful that Hermione took a photo of them though. There hadn't been photographers at the Yule Ball, and she was glad that there'd be a photo of them in these outfits in their album. They left the Burrow as quickly as they could after that though, apparating to London.
They landed in a small alley near the Thames. Ginny wasn't sure how Harry knew the directions to wherever they were going, but she followed him as they crossed a street and turned right before turning left onto a street Harry said was called The Strand. She wasn't sure what that meant, but it sounded important. A moment later, they turned left again, into a small entry plaza for a hotel called The Savoy.
She couldn't help but wonder how they'd get through the security that was restricting access into the hotel, but when Harry gave their names, they were escorted in like honoured guests. They were led through a short series of hallways before reaching a magnificent room that took her breath away.
They were told that this was the Lancaster Ballroom. It was filled with hundreds of people, many of whom were dancing in the centre of the room. But she was much more interested in the gorgeous decor, which made it look like they were somehow in an enchanted wood. She knew magical forests very well from experience, and this was nothing like anything she'd seen before. Light seemed to radiate out of trees along the walls, and the ceiling seemed to be magical, a canopy revealing glimpses of the starry night sky.
Ginny was so taken with the room that she didn't hear Harry the first time he said her name. When he did get her attention, he pointed to Kingsley, who was also dressed in a Muggle suit. Ginny found herself wondering once again why people in their world insisted on wearing dress robes as they approached Kingsley, who was the only person they knew in the entire ballroom.
Kingsley was talking to a middle-aged man with brown hair, who was about Harry's height, several inches shorter than Kingsley. He smiled when he saw them drawing near though.
"Well, this is quite the coincidence," Kingsley said, gesturing to the two of them so the man he was speaking with would turn to look at them. "These are the two I was just talking about, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. Harry, Ginny, this is Mister Blair, the Prime Minister."
Ginny had little to no understanding of Muggle politics. She knew that Muggles had a Queen, but apparently this Minister was the one who was really in charge, just like in their world. So she was a little surprised to be introduced so casually from one Minister to another, but Mr. Blair kindly shook both of their hands and put them at ease.
"It's a pleasure to meet both of you. Mister Shacklebolt has told me quite a bit about both of you. Mister Potter, I've wanted to meet with you for months. I don't mean to be insensitive, but I do read… your paper, particularly when there are notable stories. I've read many things about you that I almost cannot believe, yet Mister Shacklebolt has told me that they are all completely true. He kept me updated on things going on in the last couple years, and over the summer, he briefed me on… how it all ended. Obviously, there's nothing I can do publicly to reward you, but I want you to know that you have the gratitude of myself and all the people of the United Kingdom, and if there's ever anything I can do for you, your Minister knows how to reach me."
Ginny's eyes had widened, impressed with the man's earnest expression of gratitude to Harry. Harry seemed similarly fazed, and Ginny wondered how much Kingsley really had told this Mr. Blair about the war.
"I– I appreciate that, Mister Blair. And thank you for inviting us tonight," Harry added, not knowing what else to say to that.
"Of course. This is the least I could do. Please, enjoy yourself tonight, and don't forget my offer. I'd be happy to help with anything. Minister Shacklebolt, it's been a pleasure as always," Mr. Blair said, shaking all of their hands once again before moving on, likely having several other dignitaries and important people to speak to.
"That was cool," Ginny said simply. Harry nodded, and Kingsley chuckled.
"It certainly was. Typically, nobody other than the Minister for Magic gets to meet the Muggle Prime Minister, but he'd been insisting for months. I imagine he'd like to speak with you further, but this is a very busy night for him, hosting so many important figures of his political system."
"So the two of you know each other pretty well then?" Harry asked.
"I wouldn't say that… exactly. For a time, I was stationed at the Prime Minister's office as an Auror, which is where I met him for the first time. I saw him twice last year to keep him informed of new developments, and then I saw him after the battle. My predecessors made it a point to stay as out of touch with the Prime Minister as possible, but I've tried taking a different approach, and it seems to have worked well so far."
"I'd say so. We are at his New Year's Eve party, after all," Ginny said.
Kingsley chuckled once again. "I appreciate you two coming here for this. He's been mailing me frequently, trying to set up a meeting with you, Harry, but I assumed you had too many other things occupying your time to worry about this. But now he's met you and has offered you any favour you want, which isn't something to be taken lightly."
"Yeah, I can tell. I doubt he does that often," Harry replied, sounding slightly amazed.
"Definitely not. But you deserve it. Anyways, I'll be staying a little longer in case he wants to speak to me again, but I'll probably be leaving early. Feel free to stay as long as you want and try to enjoy yourselves. It is New Year's Eve, after all," Kingsley suggested with a warm smile before walking away from them to see about getting a drink.
"Huh. That was easy," Ginny commented, and Harry nodded.
"No kidding. So… d'you wanna stick around and dance?" Harry asked.
"Definitely," Ginny replied with a grin, and Harry led her onto the dance floor.
Just like at the Yule Ball, they fell into step easily and had a great time waltzing around. However, the atmosphere at this party was much more stiff and formal than the one at the Yule Ball. It was very fun with Harry, but everyone else seemed to be doing it more out of obligation and less out of a desire to enjoy the party. When Ginny realised that Kingsley had left, she posed the question to Harry.
"Wanna get out of here and do something by ourselves for New Year's?" she asked.
"Yes," Harry replied instantly, and, without releasing each other's hands, they walked out the door of the Lancaster Ballroom and exited The Savoy a moment later.
"That looks like fun," Ginny said, pointing at a small park that they'd passed when they had been walking to the party a couple hours earlier. The park had a small crowd in it and was lit with torches. There was music playing somewhere, and people were dancing in a much more relaxed way than they had been at the party.
"Let's go over there," Harry suggested, so they walked together to a somewhat secluded corner of the park. The music was faint here, but they didn't really need music for the kind of dancing they were doing, holding each other close and slightly swaying from side to side.
"Can you believe the year's over?" Ginny asked him, finding it hard to believe herself.
He shook his head. "Not at all. It's– this has been the hardest, worst, and best year of my life all in one. But everything's gone by so fast since the battle."
She knew the feeling. "I agree. This has easily been the best year of my life, thanks mostly to you," she said, kissing him quickly. "But this year has been so damn hard and so damn sad. I'm glad it's over, you know? Now we can start a new year and make nothing but good memories."
He smiled at her, and she was suddenly less cold in the wintry air. "I like that idea. I don't think we'll have a problem making more happy memories. That's pretty much all we've been doing for the past six months."
"That was just practice though. This is the real deal."
He laughed. "I think I'm ready for the real deal then."
"You'd better be because I'm not settling for anything less than amazing memories. You've done a good job so far, but you've gotta keep it up."
He kissed her again, making one more amazing memory for her. "I'll do my best. I promise."
She hugged him tightly. "Me too. This is gonna be a great year. I can feel it."
"Can you even imagine where we'll be a year from now?" Harry asked.
Visions of a house, an engagement ring, kisses, brooms, and Quaffles shot through her mind like a cannonball. "Maybe. I don't think we really have any idea, but I think we'll be even happier a year from now than we are now."
"I don't know how that's possible."
"Neither do I. But I thought the same thing when we left Weymouth this summer. I thought I'd never be happier, but I'm positive that I'm even happier right now."
He bent low to kiss her again, but they jerked apart at the sound of a loud bang. That bang was followed by another one and then two more after that. Flashes of colour drew her eyes away from Harry and into the sky. She laughed out loud when she saw fireworks exploding over the Thames.
"I guess that means it's midnight," Harry said. "Welcome to nineteen ninety-nine. Happy New Year, Gin. I love you."
She felt her heart warming at his simple words that expressed everything she wanted. It was officially a new year with Harry. The year of pain was in the past. Now there was only a bright future ahead of them. There really was only one thing to say to that.
"I love you, Harry."
They met in another kiss as the fireworks continued exploding, casting blasts of colour and sound over London. The magnificence of those fireworks dulled in comparison to the magnificence of everything she had before her. It was a new year, and it was going to be the best year ever because they were together.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
A/N: Now that it's 1999, all of Harry and Ginny's problems are over forever! Yay!
I mean, it doesn't hurt for them to have some optimism for now, but it really wouldn't be Harry Potter if things were perfectly smooth sailing all the time. There is still a mystery lurking back at Hogwarts, and it'll definitely be at the front of their mind when they return next chapter. So the whole recap scene with Ron and Hermione about what happened with the Polyjuice Potion was as much about reminding all of you that things are far from resolved as it was about allowing them time to talk about possible suspects and motives, even if they don't really have any more clarity now than they did before. That also comes into play with the double entendre of the chapter title. The Cannons are cursed to hope, of course, but it's possible that Harry and Ginny are as well, if trouble continues rearing its head. Of course, I could just be hyping all this up to scare you all for my own amusement. The beauty of this is I'm the only one who knows haha!
With Ron working for the Cannons, fleshing out the backstory of Mr. Trumble and his ownership of the Cannons felt really important to do. Him being responsible for the Broomstick Servicing Kit that Harry got from Hermione for his thirteenth birthday was a fun idea to explain how he has the money to own and operate a professional Quidditch team while also establishing him in much earlier established lore within the universe.
I've mentioned before that I'm a massive sports fan, and the years Mr. Trumble mentions for when Chudley last won a title and when he bought the team are intentional. Since it's now 1999, and Chudley last won the title in 1892, Chudley's championship drought is as long as the infamous Chicago Cubs World Series drought that lasted 107 years, and it doesn't look to be ending any time soon. Similarly, Mr. Trumble bought the club in 1913 (the thirteen is very intentional too), so he's owned Chudley for 86 years without winning, which is one year longer already than the arguably equally famous Boston Red Sox World Series drought that ended in 2004. All very nerdy stuff, but this is the kind of stuff I spend way too much time on in writing!
I say this a lot about Ginny's memories, but I view the one in this chapter as very important because I feel like the PoA to GoF time frame is such an unexplored part of her life in the context of the books, yet we know there were changes happening off page for her to become the vibrant, popular girl who wasn't afraid to talk to Harry. Since Quidditch is such a core piece of their relationship now, it made a lot of sense to me that the Quidditch World Cup would be one of the first places Ginny really comes out of her shell and talks to Harry without fear, showing him flashes of that personality that he eventually falls for. I really love all of Ginny's memories, but there is something cool about really shaping her character in a way that connects the Ginny we know from CoS to the one we know in OotP and beyond.
I've been kind of dreading making this part of the note for months now, just because I have to say that my use of the Savoy has absolutely nothing to do with the Dramione fic Manacled. I've never read it (or any Dramione for that matter), but I saw a random Instagram reel back in like March or April that was about the Savoy and it apparently being an important setting in that story, and by that point, I'd already written this chapter and was happy with it. I actually found out about the hotel and ballroom by basically researching where British governmental officials might have celebrations that aren't in government buildings, and I latched onto the first one I found because it made sense and that research wasn't very interesting to me. But anyways, just to be clear, it's not a reference or a nod or anything like that, and I figured I should mention it because there's a very decent chance that a lot of people reading this are much more well-versed in HP fanfiction than I am.
On a related note, I had absolutely no idea who Tony Blair was until I had to find out for this chapter as well as to make sure he wasn't some ridiculously controversial PM whose presence would be distracting to those who are much more politically knowledgeable than I am. From what I understand, he was well-liked enough and known for being a personable man, so that plus his physical characteristics are about all that influenced how he is written in his few paragraphs of this chapter, which honestly might be the last time he ever shows up. But we'll see!
So that brings us to the end of Chapter 16 and the Christmas holiday! I hope you've all enjoyed this break from Hogwarts, but the next time we see Harry and Ginny will be on the Hogwarts Express, so buckle up because we are in for a wild ride the rest of the way!
Coming Friday: Laughing at Fear- "That is definitely the best film I've ever seen."