He immediately remembered the kiss they'd shared in front of everyone on the pitch and wondered how he'd already forgotten about it.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
"Be quiet, I'm listening to the match!" Ginny scolded her older brothers, who were laughing about some prank they'd just pulled on Percy.
They started to tease her, but she shot them down with a withering look, and they decided they were better off obeying orders from their seven year old sister.
The match she was listening to was Holyhead's final match of the season, against the Appleby Arrows. The Harpies were currently in first place, so if they won, they'd win the championship. If they lost though, they'd have to hope that the Wimbourne Wasps lost their match. Otherwise, the Wasps would steal the championship on the last day of the season.
"What a hit by Gwenog Jones, the rookie sensation! She just saved the match for Holyhead, knocking Adams away from the Snitch at the last second!"
Ginny cheered loudly, and Fred, George, and Ron all crowded around the wireless, abandoning all pretence of not caring about the results of the match. None of their teams were in the title race, so they were cheering for her team too.
"Come on, just get the Snitch and end it," Fred muttered.
"What's the score?" Ron asked.
"Harpies down by thirty," Ginny answered grimly. That could all be turned around with one lucky moment though.
"They're gonna get it, Ginny," George assured her, even though he looked pretty nervous.
Ginny was on the edge of her seat, sitting on her hands so she wouldn't bite her fingernails. "Come on," she whispered desperately.
"Look out! Blisterly has seen something!"
All four of them exchanged an excited look as the Holyhead Seeker dove after the Snitch.
"She's reaching out for it, still reaching, and– I don't believe it! She caught the Snitch! The Holyhead Harpies are the League Champions!"
Ginny screamed and jumped up onto the sofa as her brothers laughed and applauded like she'd done something to help the Harpies win.
Still jumping up and down, she shouted, in case anyone didn't know, "We're champions!"
The passionate, all-consuming kiss with Harry almost completely wiped her mind of everything. It wasn't until they finally took a breath, maybe hours after they started kissing, that she remembered, feeling the rain on her face. He seemed to be glowing with elation, and then he kissed her again before setting her down on the ground.
"You were brilliant!" Harry exclaimed, his eyes shining with pride for her.
"So were you!" Ginny immediately answered, feeling just as proud of him for the amazing catch he'd pulled off to win them the Cup.
Harry started to dismiss his own brilliance in favour of praising her, but he was cut off by the rest of their team storming over to them, screaming and shouting about how they'd managed to win the Cup.
They were all in a tight hug, unable to believe that they'd just won after the way the match had gone. That disbelief continued when Ginny noticed more people on the pitch– the fans had stormed the field in spite of the weather.
Mia was sprinting at them, and she tackled an unsuspecting Demelza in a hug, screaming about how amazing she played.
"I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?" Demelza laughed from the ground, not caring at all about the mud.
Ginny nodded. "Incredible! All of you… incredible."
"I couldn't believe it when you kicked that Quaffle away from the goal!" Mia started, more engaged with Quidditch than Ginny had ever seen her. It was pretty adorable, seeing one of her best friends so excited about Quidditch now.
Just as interestingly, Demelza, ever the boastful player, seemed to be blushing, though it was hard to tell in the cold weather. "I didn't even have time to think about it. I just did what was natural."
"You should do that more often," Mia suggested, and Demelza nodded slowly.
"Yeah… you're right." Then, without hesitation, Demelza put her hands on Mia's face and pulled her into a kiss. Mia didn't hold back at all, immediately leaning into the kiss and tangling her hands in Demelza's drenched hair.
Everyone else in the team was stunned, but Ginny smirked proudly. This was far overdue.
She corralled the team away from Demelza and Mia, who were sitting on the muddy pitch and had completely lost all sense of the world around them.
They were suddenly found by the roaring Gryffindor fans, who hoisted them onto their shoulders.
"Gryffindor! Gryffindor! Gryffindor!" was the chant ringing throughout the stadium. Somehow, whoever was carrying them in celebration had kept her and Harry close enough to hold hands. Harry was grinning, delirious with joy, and Ginny felt the same– overwhelmed by how good this felt, even though she'd experienced winning the Cup before. Nothing compared to this feeling right now.
Eventually, the team was hoisted into the stands, where they were met by Natalie, whose shoulder was already mended. "We won!" the team screamed in unison, and Natalie jumped into a hug, whooping and hollering her elation at their victory.
McGonagall was waiting for them, holding the Quidditch Cup, and she was actually beaming with pride. The team gathered around her, staring eagerly at the Cup, and McGonagall magically magnified her voice so it could be heard by the entire celebrating crowd.
"Congratulations to all four houses on a well-fought Inter-House Quidditch Championship. However, there can only be one winner, and to the victor goes the spoils. It is my immense pleasure to present the Quidditch Cup to Captain Ginny Weasley and Gryffindor House!"
The cup was in her hands. She almost raised it, but she knew she couldn't do it alone. She held one handle of the gorgeous silver cup to Harry.
"We did it together," she said.
He grinned and took the handle, so they were each holding half. They crouched down, holding the cup, before springing up and raising it as high as they could– or as high as Ginny could– for everyone to see. And the roar of the crowd was somehow even louder than it had been when Harry caught the Snitch. She knew that, no matter how many Quidditch matches she played in the future, she would never, ever forget this moment of pure joy. They were champions.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
They passed the Cup around for the rest of their team to hold and celebrate with, but somehow, the Cup had ended up back in his and Ginny's hands. And once the raucous celebration on the pitch had wound down, everyone was very quick to return to the castle to continue celebrating in dryer, warmer conditions.
A cheer broke out when the Gryffindor Team entered the Entrance Hall, still soaked to the bone. Harry almost didn't believe his eyes when he saw a group of very familiar redheads running to them, but it was really happening. As they were surrounded by their family, the rest of the team continued on, presumably to continue the party in Gryffindor Tower, followed by an angry Argus Filch, outraged at the mud being tracked into the castle.
"You won!" Ron shouted, almost knocking Harry over with the force of his hug.
"That was incredible," Bill said, shaking his head and grinning.
Hermione got in on the hugging, proudly wrapping an arm around both of them. "It was amazing!"
"Best Seeking performance I've ever seen," Charlie added, pointing at both Harry and Ginny, who had finished the game Seeking together.
"Forget that– that was the best match I've ever seen!" George exclaimed, pushing Hermione aside for his turn hugging Harry and Ginny before trying to grab the Cup. Ginny refused to let it go though.
"Champions only," she scolded George, even though she was smiling from ear to ear.
"How did you all get here?" Harry asked, still shocked.
"You didn't think we were going to miss your last match, did you?" Arthur asked, eyes twinkling as he proudly looked at both of them.
"We've been planning this for weeks," Molly added, looking like she might cry.
"Eet was Percy's idea," Fleur added.
Harry and Ginny were both very surprised, looking at Percy, whose ears were slightly red, with wide eyes. He shrugged though. "You do talk about it a lot. And it's probably the last time any of us will be here for a while."
Ginny hugged her brother and kissed him on the cheek, which made him blush a little more. "Thank you," she said, and he shrugged again, like it was no big deal.
"I just wanna know how you came up with that strategy. I never would've come up with something like that, and it's my job!" Ron exclaimed, shocked at the insanity of it as much as the fact that it had actually worked.
Ginny laughed. "It was something I'd read in an old Quidditch book a while ago. I thought it was mental too, but we didn't have any other choice. If we didn't find the Snitch, we would've been overrun eventually anyways. It made more sense to go for broke and try to find the Snitch than wait for them to slowly beat us."
"It was genius," Charlie praised. "Absolutely genius."
"Wouldn't have been genius if it hadn't worked," Ginny replied with a smile.
Charlie shrugged. "Probably not. But that's the line between genius and madness."
"It was an incredibly brave strategy. That took some impressive logical thinking to decide that was the best course of action," Hermione said, looking rather impressed, herself.
"I dunno about that. It was sort of a gut thing."
"Well, however it happened, it was brilliant," Bill enthused, tousling her hair like he must've when she was much younger.
"Are you all sticking around?" Harry asked hopefully, but they all shook their heads.
"No, the village is fairly full, and, to be honest, we weren't expecting the match to last that long," Arthur answered. "But we'll celebrate properly when the two of you return home again."
He nodded. "Deal."
They took their time hugging and saying goodbye to everyone in their family before they all exited the castle again, braving the storm to exit the grounds and apparate home. Harry let Ginny hold onto the Cup with one hand while he took her other hand in his, pulling her close and kissing her again.
"We won," she whispered.
He laughed. "We did. All because of you."
"Not all because of me," she corrected. "You still had to make a brilliant catch. And the rest of the team had to keep us in the game for that long."
He kissed her again. "Fine. But it was mostly because of you."
Ginny giggled. "Yeah, pretty much."
They were so wrapped up in their joy and elation and love for each other that they didn't notice Professor McGonagall standing in the next corridor until they had almost passed her. She got their attention by clearing her throat.
"That was quite the match," she said.
"Craziest match I've ever played," Harry replied, still in disbelief.
Ginny nodded. "Same."
"I don't believe I've ever seen anything quite like it, in all my years teaching here. And, off the record, I am very pleased that the Cup is remaining with Gryffindor for another year."
"So are we, Professor," Ginny replied with a wide smile.
McGonagall cleared her throat and held out envelopes to both of them. "Now that the season is officially over, you are permitted to speak to professional teams officially. There were a number of scouts and team representatives at the match today who are staying in Hogsmeade. They've asked permission to meet with you tomorrow. The parchments in those envelopes contain a schedule of which teams want to meet with you and when. Come to my office if you have any questions. Otherwise, I believe you have a celebration to attend to."
She left unceremoniously, even though she still had a trace of a proud smile on her face. Harry looked nervously at Ginny. "Should we wait?"
She nodded. "I think so. Let's celebrate first, and then we'll look at them tonight."
"Sounds like a plan," Harry agreed, putting his arm around her as they continued walking back to Gryffindor Tower. "You're gonna have every team in the league wanting you though."
"That makes two of us then."
Harry thought he'd be pretty satisfied with just receiving a single offer, and he knew Ginny would be as well if that offer came from Holyhead. He was almost certain they'd meet with her, but, now that they'd won the Cup, he was just a little anxious, hoping they saw just how special a player she was.
The Fat Lady was completely drunk when they reached her, and it took three tries before she finally accepted the password: carpe diem. The roar that met them when they entered the common room, carrying the Cup, was as deafening as the one in the stadium had been after they'd won. They were forced to relinquish their grip on the Cup since everyone wanted a turn to celebrate with it, and they were immediately surrounded by excited younger students.
Emily was giddy with excitement, still drenched from head to toe. "You did it!" Emily practically squealed.
Harry laughed and gave her their secret handshake. "We did! Why aren't you dry?"
Emily looked surprised, like she hadn't even noticed. "Oh. I guess I'm not."
He pointed his wand at her. "Deunda," he cast, and she was instantly dried.
"Thanks!" Emily exclaimed before hugging Ginny. "That was such an awesome game!"
"Yeah, it really was," Harry agreed. "Don't think I've ever been a part of something like that before."
"I'm just so glad you guys won it! You so deserve it!"
Ginny smiled and hugged Emily again. "It's your Cup too. Let me go get it for you."
Emily's eyes went wide as she goggled at the Cup once Ginny brought it over to her. It was incredible to watch how excited it made her, like she couldn't believe she was actually holding the Quidditch Cup.
"This is the best day ever!"
Ginny grinned and locked eyes with him. "I think it really might be," she said, making Harry feel even warmer than the warming charms did.
They were still surrounded by excited younger students for a while, all wanting a chance to see the Cup with him and Ginny. Thankfully, Dennis passed them both a bottle of butterbeer over the heads of the crowd, winking as he did, and they were able to quench their thirst and begin their celebration.
That celebration continued in earnest when they finally made their way to the older students and the rest of their team. The first thing Harry noticed was Mia and Demelza practically sitting on top of each other and holding hands. He immediately remembered the kiss they'd shared in front of everyone on the pitch and wondered how he'd already forgotten about it.
Demelza noticed him staring. "Got a problem with it?" she asked, but not very threateningly.
He shook his head. "No, I– it's great. It actually makes a lot of things make sense."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He couldn't really think of specific examples, but now, knowing how they felt about each other, it felt pretty obvious.
Ginny answered where he was unsure. "Oh, come on! You two have clearly fancied each other for a while now; honestly, I'm just surprised it took this long. I always thought you might kiss and make up after one of your fights."
Demelza and Mia looked at each other with identical expressions of disbelief before blushing at the thought that neither had been as secretive with their feelings as they'd thought.
"At least that option's on the table for future fights," Mia offered.
Demelza grinned. "I do like the sound of that."
Suddenly, they were kissing again, drawn in by the excitable magnetism of new romance, completely oblivious to the world around them. Harry grinned and glanced away, very happy for his new friends, even though he would've preferred them not try eating each other's faces in front of him.
"How's the shoulder?" Harry asked Natalie.
"Fine," she answered dismissively. "It didn't take her too long to fix it. I just had to wait for her to get distracted so I could sneak out. By the time I got down there, the match was already over."
"At least you were there when we got the Cup," Ginny offered, even though they all knew that wasn't the same.
Natalie nodded, looking slightly disappointed. "That's true. It's alright, you know? I'll be on the pitch next season when we win."
Demelza pulled away from Mia long enough to say, "Damn right."
Harry was positive they'd win again. Even without him and Ginny, the team was still incredibly talented.
Zoe walked over to them from where she'd been with her friends, holding the Cup like she still couldn't believe it was in her hands.
"You did great," Ginny told her. "We would've lost if anyone else was our Keeper."
Zoe beamed before glancing back down at the Cup. "We really won," she whispered.
Jimmy laughed and handed her a butterbeer. "Feels just as good every time."
"I don't know… I don't think I've ever felt better than this one," Ginny said, smiling at Harry, who understood exactly what she meant. As great as winning his first Cup had felt, it couldn't possibly match the joy he'd felt winning this one with her, after all the adversity they'd battled through. There was no feeling like it.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
The celebration had lasted very late into the night before Ginny and Harry finally left the common room and returned to their bedroom. Although the envelopes were still weighing rather heavily in the pockets of their robes, they both agreed that a celebratory shower was well deserved.
After a very long shower that involved a lot more celebrating than bathing, they finally sat on their bed together, each holding an envelope in their hands.
"You ready?" Ginny asked Harry, who nodded, looking down at his envelope nervously.
"On three," he responded. "One, two, three."
They simultaneously ripped open the envelopes holding their potential futures. Ginny pulled the parchment out of the envelope so fast that it almost ripped. As quickly as possible she read:
Ginny Weasley:
Ballycastle Bats
Caerphilly Catapults
Chudley Cannons
Holyhead Harpies
Kenmare Kestrels
Tutshill Tornados
Ginny let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding in. Teams wanted her. The Harpies wanted her. It seemed to amazing to be true.
Harry was watching her with sparkling eyes. "What?" Ginny asked, smiling at him, but he just shook his head.
"The Harpies are on there, aren't they?"
She grinned and nodded. "Yes! I got Ballycastle, Caerphilly, Chudley, Kenmare, Tutshill, and… the Harpies!" Ginny was practically squealing, but she didn't care.
He wrapped her in a tight hug. "I knew it! I'm so proud of you, Gin! Your dream's really gonna come true."
She hugged him even tighter. "Well, I still have to meet with them–"
"Stop it," Harry laughed. "They're all gonna love you and you'll have your pick."
Ginny was suddenly very curious. "Who'd you get?"
"Ah–" Harry said, pulling back and looking down at his own parchment. "Appleby, Chudley– obviously, Falmouth, Montrose, Pride of Portree, Puddlemere, Tutshill, Wigtown, and Wimbourne."
Now it was Ginny's turn to be the proud girlfriend. She immediately hugged him back, climbing onto his lap to hug him even better. "That's so many teams!"
"Yeah, I– I know. It's a lot. It's… kinda crazy that Chudley and Tutshill are the only ones that we both have though."
Ginny hadn't noticed that until he mentioned it. It wasn't completely outlandish. Most teams had a need at one position more than any other. And besides, Harry wouldn't have been offered an interview with Holyhead even if they'd wanted to give him one.
"Are you leaning towards any team right now?" Ginny asked.
Harry shook his head. "Not really. I guess I'll have a better idea after I talk with them tomorrow. But there's other things I'm more worried about right now."
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And what might that be?"
He grinned. "I'm worried that I've gone far too long without kissing a champion Quidditch Captain. Think you can help with that?"
She snorted. "You're so stupid. And I love you so much."
They finally did fall asleep at some point that night, and they were still up in time for their meetings the next day. Their first meetings were to be held shortly after breakfast, so they had some time to relax beforehand. It didn't take long for that time to pass, and then their futures were staring them in the face.
"This is gonna be great," Harry promised her.
She smiled and nodded, trying to swallow her nerves. "I know. I'm excited."
"Promise you'll tell me everything about your meetings?"
"As long as you tell me about yours."
Harry stuck his hand out to shake hers. She giggled and took his hand, but she was grateful when he dropped a kiss to her lips. "Deal. Good luck. I love you."
"I love you too," she replied, squeezing his hand before they separated, going into classrooms right next to each other. McGonagall had scheduled the teams to come to the rooms they were already in, so she just had to wait.
A few minutes later, there was a knock and the door opened. The man who entered seemed to be in his thirties, with brown hair so long that Bill would've been jealous. "Miss Weasley, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Brandon Holding, with the Ballycastle Bats."
Ginny shook his outstretched hand. "You're the youngest manager in league history," she said, ever so slightly starstruck, even though it was nothing like when she'd met Gwenog Jones for the first time.
Mr. Holding smiled and nodded. "I see you know Quidditch off the pitch as well as on."
"I used to read every issue of Quidditch Times," she explained. "Can't get enough of Quidditch, honestly."
"So I've heard. Usually, there's a standard procedure we have for interviewing potential signees, but I'm gonna throw that out the window because I have to ask– how on earth did you pull out that win yesterday? I don't think any of the scouts and managers watching the match yesterday thought you had a chance when you lost a Chaser."
Ginny was honestly glad that she hadn't been able to see the stands yesterday. It probably would've been a little harder to focus, knowing just how many people from the B.I.Q.L. had been at their match. But at least they put on a good show.
"I had a brilliant team," she answered. "When Natalie got injured, we knew we weren't gonna be able to keep up with them forever, so we settled for giving Harry, our Seeker, as much time as possible."
"But you changed the entire gameplan when it didn't work."
She nodded. "Slytherin was pulling ahead slowly. Catching the Snitch was the only chance we had, so I decided to go for broke and help him out. The Beaters had been protecting him, so he didn't need to worry about looking for Bludgers in the rain, but I had them switch to help Demelza, our other Chaser, and Zoe, our Keeper. And they kept the score as close as possible."
Mr. Holding was grinning like he'd been witness to something extraordinary. "You were the one who saw the Snitch, right?"
"Yes. It was really lucky, honestly, since none of us could really see anything. But I saw it and called for Harry, and he managed to beat the Slytherin Seeker to it."
"I thought so. Honestly, Ginny, that was one of the best matches I've ever seen. And you were exceptional, to be able to strategise so quickly and play two positions that well. Your Chasing talent was evident immediately, but your leadership and intelligence aren't shown on the stat sheet. You're going to be a brilliant player, and I want you to reach that brilliance with the Bats."
Ginny liked Brandon, as he insisted she call him, a lot. He was very impressive with his innovative ideas and strategies that he discussed with her, which explained his fascination with the strategy that had won the match yesterday. He also promised her a starting role next season, saying that the only reason they'd finished in third in the league this season was because they were missing a star Chaser. She had to admit that it was an attractive offer.
Kenmare and Caerphilly didn't really appeal to her too much, even though they both promised her a starting job as well. Kenmare had some promise with one of the best Keepers in the league, Sabine Cadieux, on the team, but they, like Ballycastle, were in Ireland, which would complicate things significantly. The main reason Caerphilly wasn't a very attractive offer was that, despite her lifelong love of Quidditch, she still routinely forgot they were even in the league, and the last thing she wanted was to play for a team that was forgettable.
Tutshill, the team that had won five of the last seven championships, would've been interesting, except that their manager, Duane Declan, was incredibly full of himself, barely letting her talk at all. He also said that she'd have to start out on their reserve team because he had a policy against letting rookies start for him. She wasn't very impressed by that, and she felt bad, knowing that Harry would have to endure a similar treatment when he met with Declan. Hopefully he was having better luck with his other meetings.
The next knock on the door brought the team she'd been waiting for. The manager of the Holyhead Harpies, Isla Flynn, walked in. Ginny stood up to shake her hand, and she was incredibly surprised when Gwenog Jones walked in behind her. Instead of shaking her hand, Gwenog clapped Ginny on the back a couple times.
"Best damn game I've ever seen!"
Ginny tried her best not to blush too deeply. "It was the craziest one I've ever played in."
Coach Flynn had a reputation for being tough, and she showed it right away. "How would you have defended your strategy, had it failed?"
Ginny sat down, a little surprised at the question. She knew what the answer was. "We would've lost anyways. The change in strategy was a risk, but it was calculated. We couldn't hold off Slytherin forever. The best chance of winning was for us to catch the Snitch as quickly as we could."
"It was genius," Gwenog enthused.
Coach Flynnn shot a glowering look at her player. "Jones, this is still my interview. I agreed to let you come because of your fondness for Weasley, but we discussed you not interfering."
Gwenog nodded, resuming the typically stony facade that she wore when playing Quidditch. When Coach Flynn looked away though, she winked at Ginny.
"How long have you been playing?"
"I started training about twelve years ago. I didn't start playing at Hogwarts until three years ago."
"What is your greatest strength on the pitch?"
She'd never thought about it before. "My refusal to give up," she finally answered, thinking that applied pretty well to her life outside Quidditch too.
"Stubbornness," Coach Flynn corrected.
"If you like," Ginny answered with an inadvertent hint of cheek.
For the first time, Coach Flynn showed a glimpse of a smile. "Not bad. And your greatest weakness?"
If Ginny hadn't thought about her greatest strength, she'd really never thought about her greatest weakness. There was really only one thing she could think of, and she wasn't even sure if it was a good answer. "I try to do too much sometimes. I didn't have a choice yesterday, but there are times when I do more than I should or need to on the pitch."
"So you don't trust your teammates?"
She shook her head emphatically. "Not at all. I'd literally trust my teammates with my life. I just– I've always felt like I needed to prove myself on a broom. My older brothers wouldn't let me play with them because they didn't think I was good enough because I was a girl. When I first started playing here, people didn't take me seriously. So I do more than I have to so that I get taken seriously."
Coach Flynn nodded several times. "I think you'd find some kindred spirits on the Harpies. Jones, for one." Gwenog nodded. "As the only woman manager in the league, I also feel similarly," Coach Flynn added.
"It's not easy," Ginny replied.
"No, it is not. But you've clearly proven that you belong. Truthfully, I didn't believe Jones when she told me how good you were, but… I was impressed yesterday, and I'm not easy to impress. We'll have to formalise everything, but we're going to offer you a contract."
"Seriously?" Ginny asked before she could think better of it, almost more amazed at how short the interview had been than at the actual mention of an offer.
"Very serious. I knew you had the talent after watching you yesterday, but I wanted to know you'd be a fit for our team in your personality and character. I'm already convinced. I will say that I refuse to promise anyone a starting position until after training camp, but, with Edwards retiring, I think a bright, young Chaser would be a very welcome addition to our starting lineup."
She was so stunned that she could hardly speak.
"I think she's excited," Gwenog quipped, grinning widely.
"Yeah, just a bit," Ginny managed, laughing awkwardly before composing herself. I– I still have to wait until all the offers are in, but– but yeah. The Harpies have been my dream forever."
Coach Flynn nodded and stood up without any more kind words. "We look forward to hearing from you."
Ginny shook both her hand and Gwenog's. Gwenog winked at Ginny once again as they left, leaving Ginny's head spinning as she tried to process that she'd just been officially offered a spot on the Harpies.
She was so excited that she almost didn't notice a knock on the door until it was being opened. She came back to earth, but she was still very excited to see Barnaby Trumble, the elderly owner of the Chudley Cannons, slowly walking in with a smile on his face.
"Miss Weasley, it is fantastic to see you again," he said, shaking her hand before taking a seat across from her.
"You too, Mister Trumble."
"Tell me, how did the interview with Holyhead go?" Mr. Trumble asked, surprising her greatly. None of the other teams had mentioned anyone outside of their own team.
She felt herself smiling though. "It went great! Coach Flynn told me that she couldn't guarantee me a starting role, but she thought I had a good shot, and they're offering me a contract."
"That's wonderful news! Congratulations!"
"Thank you!" Ginny replied, amazed that the man seemed to care more about her than the team he was supposed to be recruiting her to.
"Of course. I was just telling Mister Potter that I truly believe the two of you are going to be legends in Quidditch. I've been around for a long time, and I know Mister Potter is already a legend off the pitch, but it's rare for me to see something I've never seen before. And I was very impressed with your entire team's performance yesterday."
"The team played brilliantly," Ginny agreed. "And Harry's catch to win it was incredible."
"It most definitely was. But it wouldn't have happened without your change of strategy that led to finding the Snitch. It's remarkable, the way you remind me of your brother, Ronald."
"I do?" Ginny asked, unsure if that was a good thing or not.
Mr. Trumble chuckled, a sound Ginny found oddly comforting, and nodded. "Forgive me. I'm aware that siblings often do not like being compared to each other. I was the same way with my brother for the longest time, but I only mean it in a positive way. You both share an exceptional mind for Quidditch that cannot be taught. When I was watching you change your team's strategy to account for the missing Chaser and the weather, I found myself thinking that it seemed like the sort of thing Ronald would've suggested if we'd ever been in a similar position."
Ginny still wasn't sure how much she liked being compared to Ron, but at least Mr. Trumble meant for it to be a compliment. "Yeah, Ron is really smart with Quidditch strategy. How's he been doing?"
Mr. Trumble brightened even more. "He's been such a great addition to our coaching staff. Truly, I'm so grateful we have him. He's going to be a manager some day. He may even beat Mister Holding's record for the youngest manager ever. It's only a matter of time, and I'm so pleased that he's learning more about professional Quidditch with us."
"I know it's been his dream for a long time," Ginny said. "He loves Chudley more than pretty much anything."
"I believe that is why we get along so well. I told you and Mister Potter about my life and my passion for the Cannons when you visited us on Boxing Day. It's been my home for so long that I can hardly remember a time when it wasn't."
"That's how I feel about Quidditch. It was always a safe place for me. Even before I was actually playing on the team, flying was my escape from everything else. I just– I wouldn't be me without it."
"I am so glad that you found your passion at such a young age and that it has helped you so much in your life. Have you always dreamed of playing Quidditch?"
Ginny nodded. "Since I was about six or seven years old."
Mr. Trumble smiled. "And here you are, making your dream a reality. That's beautiful, Miss Weasley. You should be proud of yourself. I know how much work it must have taken to reach this point. It isn't very often that a Hogwarts student receives this much attention from professional teams, but you deserve it completely. The way you played yesterday and the high praise I've heard from your brother make it clear that this is no accident."
Ginny was surprised that Ron had been speaking positively about her to Trumble, but it meant a lot to know that he was proud of her too. "Thank you, sir. I really appreciate it. And I appreciate you being so supportive and willing to help Harry and I throughout this process."
"The thanks isn't necessary at all, my dear. " He chuckled to himself. "After all, there is something slightly selfish I have to speak to you about. Like every other team that has spoken to you today, I would be overjoyed if you chose to begin your professional career with us, at Chudley. I cannot pretend that we can rival our competition in most areas. We play in a stadium I like to refer to as classic, but it is simply old. We do not make much money, so I cannot guarantee a large salary after the expiration of your rookie contract. And we haven't won in a very, very long time."
Chudley was already a tough sell, and Ginny felt bad that Mr. Trumble wasn't making it sound any more attractive.
"However, I do pride myself on filling the organisation with great people. The reason it feels like home is because our people make it so. Our supporters are the most loyal in the league. I don't know how much of a selling point it is, but your brother is going to be highly influential in the future of the Cannons. And even though we haven't won in a long time, I truly believe that the best young Chaser and best young Seeker in the league could change that."
That had redeemed the pitch marginally. It was still difficult to take it seriously, considering it was Chudley, but Ginny liked the old man too much to let that show at all. "Chudley certainly does have things that nobody else can offer. It might be interesting to work with Ron. And you're the only team speaking to both Harry and I… well, other than Tutshill, but after my meeting with them, I'm guessing that's off the table for both of us."
Mr. Trumble smiled kindly. "Ah, yes. Tutshill can have that effect… particularly on good people like you and Mister Potter who aren't so easily impressed by the flashiness of money and recent success. However, I do sense that you aren't totally swayed by the unique things Chudley can offer either."
She sighed, a little apologetically. "It's just… I've always dreamed of playing for the Harpies."
For some reason, his smile grew wider. "That is fantastic, then! With how well you said your interview went, you're almost guaranteed to make that dream come true! You must be so excited!"
Ginny was a little confused, but she nodded. "I– I am. I mean, nothing's official yet, but… I'm sorry, but shouldn't you be disappointed that I grew up dreaming of playing for a different team?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "Not at all, Miss Weasley. If I've learned one thing in my life, it's that people deserve to live their dreams. I have. If your dream is to play Quidditch for Holyhead, and only Holyhead, then I am very happy that you are going to have that opportunity. You and Mister Potter both deserve, more than most, to live your dreams."
She really hadn't expected to hear something like that today. "Um… thank you, Mister Trumble. That– that means a lot."
He was still smiling. "Of course. If it doesn't offend you, Chudley will still be making you a contract offer, but I will not take it personally at all when you sign with Holyhead."
She nodded. "I– I'd like that. Thank you."
He stood up. "Absolutely. It has been an absolute pleasure speaking with you, and I wish both you and Mister Potter luck in your decision and future careers."
Ginny smiled and shook his outstretched hand before he walked out the door, leaving her alone with her thoughts. That was her last meeting. She'd be talking to Harry tonight about everything. And there was, a little surprisingly, a lot to talk about.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
The first person to come through the door to the classroom Harry was waiting in was Mr. Trumble. Harry was surprised and rather delighted to greet the older man, who looked almost like a proud grandfather, shaking his hand and sitting across from him.
"Forgive my intrusion, Mister Potter, but I wanted to ask how you were feeling. I'm not meaning to pry, but I was very disturbed and worried about the reports in the papers."
Harry was very used to questions like this by now. And maybe more importantly, he wasn't bothered by Mr. Trumble asking it. He seemed to genuinely care. "I'm feeling much better than I was a couple weeks ago. It was… touch and go for a bit, but I'm completely healed other than a bit of a limp."
"I wish I could tell you I have the secret to overcoming a limp, but I believe you seeing me walking would invalidate that claim rather quickly," Mr. Trumble joked, making Harry crack a smile. "I am very happy to hear that you are feeling well. I must say, you didn't look uncomfortable at all in the match yesterday, other than due to the conditions."
"Yeah, I don't think I could've stayed on my broom if I wasn't feeling alright. I don't think I've ever played in worse weather."
"I've rarely seen weather that poor for a Quidditch match myself. Although, it did make for one of the greatest matches I've ever been fortunate enough to witness."
"I'm glad you were able to be there, then. It definitely felt special for us after it was over. To be honest though, none of us were thinking about it in the moment."
Mr. Trumble laughed. "I would expect not. You all more than had your hands full, especially after one of your Chasers was injured."
"I didn't see much of it, but I couldn't believe that the rest of the team held Slytherin to so few points. We should've been out of it way before I caught the Snitch."
"It had quite a bit to do with the leadership of Miss Weasley. She made a number of key plays, along with your other Chaser and Keeper, to slow Slytherin down. And of course, her courageous strategic decision made all the difference."
Harry nodded, feeling exceptionally proud of his girlfriend. "I told her she was mental for it." Mr. Trumble laughed. "But she was right. It gave us the best chance to win, and she was the one who saw the Snitch in the end."
"You did still have to catch it though. And it truly was a spectacular catch. Nobody can fault you for not seeing the Snitch earlier. We could only see you because of these magic curtains that hung down from the canopies and removed the rain from our view. Without that at your disposal, I can only imagine how difficult it was to see anything."
"I guessed that we had maybe fifty feet of visibility. That doesn't seem too bad until you're actually up there. Then it feels like nowhere near enough."
"Like I said, it was remarkable to watch. Your entire team demonstrated incredible skill, unity, and determination. Particularly you and Miss Weasley."
Harry wasn't sure that he deserved the same credit that Trumble was giving Ginny, but he still appreciated it. "Thank you, Mister Trumble."
"Of course. Now, I do want to make it official, even though I'm sure you've already guessed, that Chudley will be offering you a contract. I know that you're going to be in incredibly high demand, and I completely understand if you decide that there is a better place for you. Chudley can guarantee you a starting position, and the chance to be coached by your friend, Ronald. We can also guarantee an environment that is always going to be behind you. We don't have the largest fanbase, but we do have the most loyal. If the fans weren't as great as they are, I don't know that I'd still be around the Cannons. Like I said though, it is completely up to you, and I truly hope that wherever you play next season, you are happy."
This didn't feel at all like the pitches Harry had been mentally preparing for. It was straight and to the point. Mr. Trumble wasn't trying to trick him or act like Chudley had more than they did. He was just honest, and that went a long way with Harry.
"I appreciate that, Mister Trumble. I do still have a lot of teams to speak to, but I promise I'm going to give careful consideration to the Cannons."
Trumble smiled and nodded like he'd heard that before and knew how it always ended. "Absolutely. This is a big decision, and it deserves proper thought. That is all I had for you though. I did want to ask if you had any questions for me though, either about the Cannons or about this process as a whole."
Now that he mentioned it, Harry did have several questions. "The rookie contract– it's three seasons, right?"
Mr. Trumble nodded again. "Yes, it's three seasons, with a fixed salary. Every rookie makes the same amount of money."
"But then after that…"
"After that, teams are free to offer as much as they want, essentially. I've been pushing for some method to restrict team spending for decades, but everyone assumes I'm doing it out of my own self-interest and ignores it. I will admit that it would help Chudley, but it also isn't healthy for the league to be so driven by money that the rich teams are the only ones that are competitive. And I'll be honest with you. If either you or Miss Weasley choose Chudley, we will not be able to match other offers after the expiration of your rookie contract. That would be several years from now, but it wouldn't be fair for you to consider our offer without that knowledge."
That was definitely something worth considering, but Harry knew that neither of them were concerned in the slightest about how much money they were making. They just cared about winning.
"Mister Trumble… I hope this isn't rude, but I do want to ask… do you think it's possible for Chudley to win?"
The man leaned back in his chair, looking contemplative but not insulted. "I don't think we're cursed, like a lot of people say. I think we've unfortunately never been able to afford elite players, so the players we do get simply cannot keep up with the rest of the league. I also think losing begets further losing. We've been losing for a long time. However, I do know that if we had a Seeker, and possibly a Chaser, with the potential to be legendary, we could win. It wouldn't be easy, and it likely wouldn't be right away. But it would be an incredible testament to your ability, to bring wins to Chudley."
The challenge was there, really. There'd be no doubting anyone's ability if they helped turn the Chudley Cannons around. The question was if it was actually possible. The proposition had some appeal to it, which surprised Harry, but he also hadn't grown up with Quidditch and seen firsthand just how much the Cannons lost. He wasn't going to dismiss the idea completely yet, in part because of the challenge Mr. Trumble had just presented, but mostly because he liked Mr. Trumble, and Ron, a lot.
"Thank you for your time, Mister Trumble. You've honestly given me a lot to think about," Harry said.
The Chudley owner smiled. "Absolutely, Mister Potter. And good luck with the rest of your interviews. I'm sure you'll be receiving plenty of offers today."
With a handshake and a final nod, Mr. Trumble exited the room. Almost immediately, the door swung open again, without any knock, and a tall, thin man with greying hair entered, followed by a shorter, rounder white-haired man with a large moustache.
The tall one stuck his hand out. "Greetings, Mister Potter. I am Graham Walroth, manager of the Falmouth Falcons."
The shorter one followed suit. "Sullivan Norton, owner of the Falcons."
"Pleasure," Harry replied, smiling at them both as they sat opposite him.
Walroth jumped right in. "We'll get straight to the point. You're a talented Seeker, and we believe that we would win the league with you on our team."
"Don't you already have a good Seeker?" Harry asked, remembering the match he watched at Chudley against the Falcons at Christmas. Their Seeker had made a pretty good catch, and Ron had told him that he was one of the best in the league.
"Shawn is… decent, but we can't settle for anything less than greatness if we want to win the league. We envision signing you as the start of a sort of dynasty for Falmouth. We'll be able to attract better players, renovate the stadium, and collect several League Cups."
Harry frowned, not following that logic. "Sorry… how would I help with renovating the stadium? Or bringing better players in? I don't really know many people in the league."
The owner, Mr. Norton, laughed like Harry had just told a joke. "Do you have any idea how much money people will pay to see you play? We'll pack the stadium every match, charge more for tickets, and use that money to attract the players we need to make an elite team. It's simple, really."
In the past, Harry might not have said anything. But he'd grown up, and he wasn't intimidated by someone just because they were older than him. "So… you intend to use me like a zoo animal? 'Pay up to see the flying Chosen One' or something?"
Mr. Norton paled slightly. "Not– not exactly. We still care about winning, but the financial opportunities are far too lucrative to ignore!"
Walroth interrupted. "Our top priority is always going to be winning matches. You give us the best chance of doing that, which is why we're interested in signing you. Our contract is already drawn up, and it includes a clause guaranteeing that your salary will triple, at least, if you sign another contract with us at the conclusion of your rookie deal."
Harry didn't bother hiding his cool feelings about their offer. "Thanks. I'll be sure to consider your offer, and you'll hear from me if I accept."
When he didn't say anything further, the men slowly stood. Mr. Norton was now red in the face, probably angry at Harry's response, but he kept silent, shaking Harry's hand before leaving with his manager slinking close behind.
Truthfully, that was more what he was expecting from these meetings than what the meeting with Trumble had been. Hopefully he'd get a few more good ones. He still had eight left. The day was going to be really long if they were all like Falmouth.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
"How was it?" Ginny and Harry asked each other at the same time, which made them both laugh.
"How about we go somewhere other than the corridor to talk?" Ginny suggested.
"We could go outside– actually, it's gonna be muddy from yesterday still."
"Room of Requirement?"
Harry grinned. "Deal."
Hand in hand, they hurried up the flights of stairs to the seventh floor, where they reached one of their familiar hiding spots in the castle. Within minutes of leaving their interviews, they were sitting in the living room of the house in Weymouth. Since their visit back to the beach a week ago, Ginny had been finding herself fantasising more about returning there. She couldn't wait for the opportunity this summer.
"So how did it go?" Harry asked as soon as they were seated on the couch, spread out but still touching.
She couldn't keep herself from grinning. "It went so great, Harry! I mean, I didn't really care much about Caerphilly or Kenmare, and the Tutshill bloke was a total prick. But the others went good!"
"So you had Holyhead, Chudley, and…"
"Ballycastle," Ginny finished. "I was surprised by how much I liked their manager. He was cool."
"I wonder which of those you're leaning towards," Harry teased.
She laughed. "I mean, obviously I'm thinking Holyhead, but I am actually wanting to be serious with considering all the options."
He nodded like he was impressed. "Okay then… that's smart. So what was so great about Ballycastle?"
"The main thing is their manager. I felt like he really got me. We clicked talking about strategies, and he promised me a starting position next year. I feel like I could be really good on Ballycastle. Plus, they have one of the best Chasers in the league on their team now."
"So what's the downside?" Harry asked.
"I guess… there's two downsides. It's not the Harpies, for one. And… probably more importantly, I wouldn't be able to apparate from there to anywhere over here. We'd have to use international Floo. So I'd have to live over there, and I'm not–"
"Hey," Harry interrupted, looking very serious all of a sudden. "If you did decide that Ballycastle was where you wanted to go, we'd figure it out. I'm not gonna stand in the way–"
It was Ginny's turn to interrupt. "You're not standing in the way of anything. You never could. I keep telling you, and it's never gonna stop being true, that you matter more to me than anything, even Quidditch. You asked me to move in with you after we graduate, and that's what I want too. So don't even think that I'd be giving anything up to pick you over a Quidditch team."
He smiled and reached out to brush some hair behind her ear. "I love you. I'm putting that on the list."
Ginny's heart fluttered, even though he mentioned new things to put on this list of his all the time. He was just so sweet. "I love you too, babe."
"Just– just promise you won't write Ballycastle off yet. If you're actually interested in it, think about it more."
Ginny nodded, even though she knew she wouldn't ever play for them if it meant she couldn't live with Harry.
"So how did Holyhead go?"
She was grinning widely again. "It was awesome. Gwenog was there, and I met Coach Flynn too. She's a bit of– well, she's strict. And tough. But all the players seem to love her. They're offering me a contract, and she said that she thought there was a good chance I'd be starting for the team, but she wouldn't promise it or put it into the contract because she wants everyone to earn it every year."
"That makes sense. You'd definitely still be starting next season though," Harry said confidently.
"I'd hope so. I did feel great after meeting with them though."
"I told you you would. And how was it to see Trumble again?"
She smiled fondly, very much enjoying her time with the old man. "I like him a lot. He feels like a kind old grandfather. You know, he was more interested in me doing what was best for me than choosing to play for Chudley. It was honestly weird compared to the other teams."
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
"He told me you two had a good conversation," Ginny recalled.
"Yeah, it was… surprisingly good, actually. Better than pretty much any of the other meetings I had."
That was a shock. "Seriously? There's no way Chudley was the only one that offered you a starting job!"
Harry shook his head. "No, they all offered me the starting job. But they all seemed much more interested in me as a way to sell tickets than as a player on the team."
"We've got to quit going. They're a disaster every time!" Ginny bemoaned to Hermione as they hurried away from Slughorn's office.
"I know they're dreadful, but they could lead to good opportunities for us in our careers!"
"Believe me, I would've stopped coming to these things a long time ago if it wasn't for that. I still can't believe the one meeting I skipped was the one Gwenog Jones was at!"
"You would've liked meeting her," Hermione replied like Ginny wasn't completely aware of that. "But it was interesting to meet the former Assistant Secretary of the International Magical Trading Standards Body today."
Ginny glared at Hermione, stunned that even someone as academically inclined as Hermione could've found anything interesting in the woman talking about cauldron and telescope regulations. "I hope you're joking," Ginny replied in a low voice. "Flamingo," she added in a slightly louder voice to the Fat Lady, who wore an annoyed look on her face as she yawned and swung her portrait open.
"Slightly joking," Hermione said. "It was only interesting for the first half hour."
"Bloody hell," Ginny muttered, shaking her head as her eyes scanned the mostly empty common room. She wasn't surprised to not see Dean. He'd only ever brought it up once, but he was annoyed that he hadn't ever been invited to the exclusive club. Or at least, he was annoyed that Ginny had been invited and attended the meetings when he couldn't.
She was a little surprised to see Harry sitting in front of the fireplace, alone. Especially considering he'd skived off the Slug Club meeting.
Hermione glanced at her, then over at Harry, then back at her. With a smug smirk, Hermione walked away from both of them, up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Ginny rolled her eyes, annoyed that she was giving Hermione exactly what she wanted, but she wasn't tired. That was the only reason she was walking over to Harry. Well, that and the fact that she rather enjoyed being around him. But those were definitely the only two reasons.
"So your excuse tonight was staring at the fire?" Ginny asked, making Harry flinch before looking up at her. She tried not to feel too warm and fuzzy when he flashed a smile at her. "Got any room on that seat?"
The seat in question was really just an oversized, plush chair. Harry glanced down at the small gap between his hip and the arm of the chair, then back up at her. She blinked innocently, and he chuckled nervously as he slid further over, making enough room for her to barely squeeze in, even though it wasn't comfortable at all. Harry was red immediately.
"So, how'd you get out of the meeting tonight anyways? I'm guessing you didn't actually tell Slughorn you were planning on staring at the fire all night."
He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. "No, I told him Hagrid really needed my help with the cabbages."
"That was your excuse?" Ginny asked incredulously.
He shrugged. "Sure. As long as I'm committed enough, he's not gonna question it too much. Besides, I did go down and see Hagrid."
"Unbelievable. You know, they'd probably be more tolerable if you were there," Ginny said, a little shamelessly.
Harry might've reddened slightly more. "Doubt it. Well, maybe for everyone else. He'd just talk to me the whole time. Or maybe not anymore, I dunno."
"So that's why you don't go to the meetings, then? Not concerned enough about possible career prospects to power through it?"
"Is that really why you go to the meetings?"
Now she blushed slightly. "I– Gwenog Jones was at a meeting I skipped. Don't wanna risk it happening again."
Harry nodded. "That makes sense. I hope you get to meet her."
And just like that, he was sweeter and more supportive about the whole thing than her boyfriend had been. Granted, Harry had received an invite to the Slug Club, but Ginny was fairly certain he wouldn't have held a grudge against anyone if he hadn't been.
"Thanks. So do I."
It was quiet for a minute as they stared into the dying embers of the fire. Then Harry said, "I don't like feeling used."
"What?"
"Slughorn. It feels like he uses people to make himself feel more important. I dunno if he means to do that, but… I mean, I get annoyed when my picture's in the Prophet because it feels like they're using me. It'd be worse if I was volunteering for it."
Harry had a dark expression on his face. He'd clearly given this a lot of thought.
"I don't like being used either," Ginny responded quietly. "It's awful."
He looked like he'd suddenly come to a realisation. "I didn't mean–"
"I know. Don't get all sensitive, I wasn't trying to make it about that. I was just saying… I like my freedom, you know? I was meant to fly, not walk behind someone else."
Harry smiled a little. "You've got that right."
Ginny didn't want to ask which part she got right. All of it, maybe. "I guess I can't blame you for skiving off the meetings. But it really would be more fun if you were there."
Harry nodded, staring back into the fire and shifting uncomfortably rather than meeting Ginny's gaze. She'd probably pushed things further than she should've already, and she was thrilled that he'd actually opened up to her about something personal and important to him. Not wanting anything to ruin the night, she stood up and yawned, stretching a little exaggeratedly because she just couldn't help herself. Harry was properly flushed and staring at the fire like it had just insulted him.
"Goodnight, Harry," Ginny said before being briefly seized by a ridiculous compulsion to kiss his cheek that she thankfully resisted.
His eyes nervously flicked back up to hers, and he gave her a small smile. "Yeah. Goodnight, Ginny."
"You don't like feeling used," Ginny said quietly.
Harry looked up at her. "You remember," he replied, smiling a bit more than he had been at the mention of his interviews.
"Duh. And I know you. You'd never go for something like that."
"Exactly! I was so pissed off when literally every meeting after Trumble was the same. 'Oh yeah, you can come play with us and we'll win, but think of all the money we'll make!' Like I literally couldn't care less about my salary. We've already got more money than we'll ever need. Who cares if we get more?"
Ginny absolutely adored his disinterest in money because she could think of several people– mostly bad people– who would've cared quite a bit about making more money if they'd been in Harry's shoes.
"So Chudley was really the only one that wasn't like that?"
Harry frowned. "I mean, Montrose and Puddlemere weren't that bad, but I think they were just better about hiding it. And you were right about that Tutshill guy… he was a real piece of work."
"So McGonagall and Oliver's teams are the only ones you didn't mind out of all those? That's convenient at least," Ginny commented.
"Yeah, I guess so. I dunno. I wish Chudley wasn't so bad, you know? Like… it's crazy, but I think they would make the most sense for me if I thought they could actually win."
If she'd been told that would be Harry's sentiment after all his meetings earlier in the day, she would've been stunned. But she could sense him feeling something like that after hearing him talking about all his interviews.
"Mister Trumble told me that he believed a star Seeker and a star Chaser could lead them to winning."
"He said something like that to me too. That the reason Chudley's been so bad for so long is that they haven't been able to afford good players, and the more they lose, the more unlucky they get."
"I mean… if anyone could change something as cursed as Chudley's luck–"
"It'd be us," Harry finished.
Ginny smiled. "I was gonna say it'd be you. You're not wrong though."
He shrugged. "Yeah, I dunno. I mean, you're gonna play for Holyhead anyways. And I can't play for them, which sucks because it'd be a ton of fun to keep playing together, you know? Like I can't believe we just had this one season together, and now we're gonna be on different teams. How weird is it gonna be to play against each other?"
Ginny nodded, staring down at the fluffy red carpet. "Yeah… that'd be really weird." Like so weird that she couldn't imagine standing on the pitch before the match and seeing Harry standing opposite her, on the other team. That was always how it was going to be though. He couldn't be on the Harpies.
"I guess we don't have to decide anything today," Harry said after several moments of silence as they both reflected on the possibility of playing against one another.
"True. We've got a few weeks. They just need to know before we graduate."
"Plenty of time. We'll figure it out," Harry said. "Or I'll figure it out, since you know where you're going."
Ginny hesitated for a fraction of a second before agreeing. "Right." Still though, it was worth thinking through all the options.
"And there's other things we can do instead of just weighing pros and cons," Harry continued, making Ginny grin.
"I like where your head's at," she replied appreciatively as she leaped off the loveseat and started pulling him towards the bedroom.
He laughed. "I was actually gonna say we could go flying and throw the Quaffle around."
Ginny blinked. "Oh."
He hastily added, "No, we can do your thing first. Mine was a stupid idea. You're brilliant."
She had to laugh as he quickly pulled her into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind them, as all thoughts about Quidditch, both for today and their future, were very much paused for far more important matters.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
A/N: Talk about a big chapter! Right off the bat, I'm going to address the first hippogriff in the room and say that I'm way more like Harry than Ginny when it comes to detecting people's emotions (ironic, considering how emotional my writing is), and I did not begin this book with the intention of pairing Mia and Demelza. I'm a big fan of the idea of character agency, which I kind of use as a term to explain the fact that my characters do feel real and the decisions they make are ones I almost feel like they've made themselves. I've said before that I often feel like I'm just unearthing the actual story of what happened after DH rather than inventing it myself. Obviously, I've spent countless hours crafting every plot point in great detail, but I'm so familiar with these characters that the result of that crafting is a logical progression of events based on what I believe the characters would do if they had total agency over their decisions. It's why Harry chose to go back to Hogwarts in the first place, why he hasn't proposed yet, why Ginny hasn't already signed for Holyhead. It all comes down to character agency.
Often when writing, I do this thing where I just put characters in a room and see what happens. Any time there's a conversation that happens, I know what the result of that conversation should be, whether it's a decision being made or information being conveyed or whatever, but the way the characters get there is usually up to them, and that freedom lets their personalities build and shine through because I'm willing to write more in order to make the characters more full and real. And what ended up happening with Mia and Demelza is the more they were in scenes together, the more I felt the connection between them. The original plan was that they were best friends, mostly so that they both felt like they'd existed in the universe before ToG, and if you read the first 10-12 chapters, that's pretty much how they're written. It wasn't until I was writing the Yule Ball and trying to come up with what all the girls would be wearing that things finally clicked for me. Neither of them had dates, and I was like 'they're best friends, so they can wear something kinda matchy' and they ended up wearing complementary black and white dresses that very much fit their personalities. After I finished that chapter and then reread it, I had this moment where I literally went: "Oh crap, they have feelings for each other!" It sounds ridiculous, but I swear that's exactly how it happened, and after that point, you can see their feelings becoming more prominent because the Yule Ball marked a very big inflection point in their relationship. So yeah, props to those of you who guessed it before I figured it out haha! I hope their first kiss felt very appropriate for them and their journey through ToG!
The second hippogriff in the room is just all the Quidditch stuff, I think. We will learn a lot more about the BIQL in the future, but I tried my best to make things feel accessible to all of you, since you're not in my brain with full knowledge of league logistics, while also being authentic to how the characters would interact, knowing about the BIQL. The league is largely based on European football/soccer leagues, where money pretty much flows in ridiculous amounts without much regulation, making the rich richer most of the time. The big difference is the idea of the rookie contract to balance the scales a little bit. I felt like without the existence of the rookie contract, a team like Chudley would've probably just folded at this point with significantly less money than everyone else. I also felt like the money disparity was a good starting point for explaining why Chudley has been so bad for so long, even if there still has to be a crazy amount of bad luck involved.
I do want to note something simple in this chapter, which is the reason Ballycastle was highlighted as a really good team that has a tiny chance at signing Ginny. It's entirely a very, very small tribute to my own personal favourite fanfic, The Armistice Series by Annerb. In it, Ginny plays Quidditch for Ballycastle, and I thought this was a nice touch in honour of one of the first fics I ever read. It was the first one I read that was AU in any way, and it really shaped my view of fanfiction as something that is just as artistically valuable as professional writing and deeply inspired me to eventually write this series. It's possibly the most popular Hinny fic out there, but if you've somehow found my fic and not read Annerb's, drop this and go read it right now… then come back and thank me for the recommendation!
So now we're back into the swing of things, and the term is rapidly drawing to a close! Decisions have to be made, and there's still a few more adventures in store for Harry and Ginny before they graduate!
Coming Friday: Back to Almost Normal- "Let me do something brave for us this time."
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Etschi89: Thank you so much for the kind words as always, my friend! Last chapter was absolutely one of my favourites too, for all of those reasons! Of course, Harry is still working through some things emotionally as well as possibly magically, if your theory is correct, but we both know Ginny will either wait for him to figure it out or help figure it out for him if he needs it! Like you said, they're already practically married at this point and everything else is a formality (even if it's a very important formality!), so everything will happen when it's supposed to without needing to worry too much!
I love the idea of McGonagall freaking out when she finds out that they named their first child James Sirius... I'm already thinking that'll be so fun to write haha! And of course, I'm very glad that you felt like I found the right balance between Harry being willing to not play and still having the ability to play. Hopefully he takes inspiration from the win and all the events of this chapter and the proposal will be coming soon!
TheBizard: Wow, thank you so much! I am absolutely honoured by that high praise, but I have to say that every time someone tells me just how quickly they binged my story, it blows my mind, considering how long it took to get the story to this point haha! I started writing all of this over a year and a half ago, and it took you two weeks to blow through it all! I'm incredibly proud of the work I've done in this story, but comments like yours do a lot more for my appreciation of the work than I do myself. It's easy for me to get caught up in the details of writing and forget to step back and realise just how cool and fun this journey has been, and the best part is that it's nowhere near finished! I'm terribly sorry that you'll have to wait like a bloody Muggle for the new releases haha, but I promise that I do my absolute best to ensure that they're worth the wait! (And I'm biased, but I'm over 30 chapters ahead and I think the wait will definitely be worth it, and that's not even considering all the plans I have and haven't fully written yet!)
Finnspa23: Haha I totally understand- it wouldn't have been the most out of character thing for me to throw a wrench in and keep them from winning, but they've been through enough for now at least! They can enjoy a few wins before life gets a little bit harder again!