Quidditch Rings
Title: Quidditch Rings
Author: semma4eva
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairings/Characters: Harry/Ginny (references to Ron/Hermione, Bill/Fleur and implication on George/Angelina)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Ginny's trying out for the Holyhead Harpies and wants Harry to help her practice.
Disclaimer: JK Rowling is a goddess. I am a nobody. I own nothing.
They apparate to the top step, as they do every afternoon. “And then I stupefied him!” The redhead beams, living in a time that had passed moments before. “And he was blasted back and fell right over!”
“I know, Ron. I was there.” Harry states, tiredly. It’s been a long day of Auror training and the test is only days away.
“It was Kingsley! Nobody ever wins a duel with Kingsley!” He is shining with excitement.
“Congratulations,” Harry nods, “you knocked the Minister of Magic out.” He opens the door and steps inside, Ron following closely behind.
The redhead’s face is suddenly full of fear. “You don’t think I’ll be-“
“Relax, Ron. That was the point of the exercise.” He laughs and strolls into the long hallway of number twelve Grimmauld Place. “Besides, it was a pretty nice-“ He notices the second redhead sitting at the base of the steps directly in front of him. She’s looking eagerly in their direction, her beautiful hair falling lightly around her face. “Ginny?” She rises to her feet as he races forward to wrap her in a hug. “I thought Ron and I were coming to the Burrow tonight to celebrate your graduation.”
“I couldn’t wait until tonight.” She pulls out of the embrace and takes his hands into hers. Her bright brown eyes are filled with excitement. She can’t contain her smile as she explains, “I’m trying out for the Holyhead Harpies.”
There is a moment of strained silence before Ron exclaims, “Wicked!” from behind Harry, who is just taken aback.
Harry stares into Ginny’s eyes, which have turned into slight nervousness. “Wow,” he stutters, “that’s great, Gin.” She stares up at him doubtfully, so he shakes the confusion from his face and lets out a few spouts of laughter. “The Harpies!” He pulls her into another tight squeeze. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Hey,” she pleads, pulling out of the hug, “I’m not on the team yet.” She glances toward her brother, who is beaming at her, then back to Harry. “You have to help me practice.”
Harry steps back two steps. “I haven’t played in two years, Ginny.”
“That’s bullshit!” Ginny’s brown eyes narrow. “You played all last summer to distract yourself from everything. And don’t even try to claim that you and Ron don’t fly around on weekends.”
Harry looks to his best friend for support, but the look he receives he can only take to mean, “she’s got you.” Ginny must notice this, too, and she now looks back at Harry with victory in her eyes.
“I don’t know what good that would do,” Harry refuses to give in that easily. “There’s a reason I was never asked to a tryout.”
“Yeah,” Ginny retorts sourly, “because you refused to speak with anyone that wasn’t from the Auror Department.” Then she pushes her lip out and widens her eyes-her best puppy dog look. “Please, Harry?”
“Come on, Mate,” Ron urges him. “No harm in helping her practice.”
Harry sighs with defeat, “Fine, but can we start tomorrow? I’m a bit worn out from-“
But her face turns bright red. “Err,” she obviously doesn’t know how to say it, “the tryouts start tomorrow.”
“All right,” Harry takes a deep breath. “Go get your broom, and I’ll just-“
Ginny walks back to the stairs and picks a long handle up off the bottom-most step. “I-err-already have it.” She holds the Nimbus 3000 that Harry bought her for her birthday up to show him. She picks a second off the stairs. “I already grabbed yours, too.”
“All right,” Harry sighs again, removing his top cloak and taking his Firebolt from her. “Let’s go.” He heads straight to the back of the house, Ginny at his ankles and Ron following a few steps behind.
* * * * *
After two hours and seventeen minutes, Harry glances toward the house and realizes that Ron has finally gotten tired of just watching and gone inside. He feels bad that Ron couldn’t play, but since Ginny’s trying for Seeker, they don’t really need a Keeper, and he has no experience with the position of Seeker.
Ginny takes Harry’s momentary distraction as an opportunity to dive toward the Snitch. Harry quickly realizes what has happened and dives straight down, scooping the snitch into his hand, less than an inch from Ginny’s.
Ginny hops off her broom still three feet off the ground, bringing it to her side. “No fair!” she whines. “You’re supposed to be helping me, not beating me.”
“Fine,” he lands beside her with a laugh, “I’ll let you get it next time.”
“Harry!”
“Okay, okay,” he laughs. “Go ahead up. I’ll let a bludger go.” He grabs a bat as Ginny takes off into the air again. Once she’s reached a decent height, he releases one of the bludgers and sends it straight in Ginny’s direction. As she dodges easily, he releases the snitch into the air once again. She spins around and spots the snitch immediately. Harry mounts his broom, bat in hand, but the blugder has already positioned itself heading right back at Ginny. It hits the back of her broom, twisting her out of the air and landing her right on Harry, who falls to the ground with a surprise, Ginny falling with him.
He opens his eyes to find a disheveled Ginny on top of him, laughing uncontrollably. “Sorry, Harry.” She lifts her weight up a little. “I guess I lost track of the bludger.”
“I guess so,” he states, pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Want to give it another go?”
The laughter in her eyes suddenly turns intense as she stares at him. “I think I need a break.” And without hesitation, Harry pulls his head up and kisses her so hard that he feels a pain in his back where he just landed on it, but he doesn’t care.
After probably an hour, or close to it, Harry finally pulls himself off the ground. “You should probably get back to it.”
Ginny rises, as well, and touches her lips to his one last time before agreeing, “you’re right,” and hopping back on her broom.
Just as Harry’s about to let the snitch fly loose again, Ron steps outside. “We’re going to be late for dinner at the Burrow,” he states. “You might want to head back now and change, Ginny,” he adds to his sister, now landing back on the ground that she just left.
“You’re right.” And just to annoy Ron, she brushes her hand along Harry’s chest as she passes him. “Thanks, Harry,” she stands on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, “for everything.”
Harry feels a blush cross over his cheeks, but Ron doesn’t notice. He’s just watching his sister stroll arrogantly into the house. “She does whatever she can to annoy me, doesn’t she?”
“Pretty much,” Harry agrees, seeing no point in trying to deny it.
They step inside just in time to see Ginny rush off from Hermione’s side, both girls laughing about something. “Oh, I didn’t know you were here already, Hermione.”
She smiles up at him, all-knowing. “You wouldn’t have, would you?” And suddenly, Harry does not think it is a coincidence that Ron had not walked outside until he and Ginny had already separated themselves.
* * * * *
The whole family waits patiently at the Burrow like they always do during Ginny’s tryouts. They have lasted four months but she’s convinced that today’s finally the last day. They have spent the past two weeks trying to decide between two final seekers. Ginny’s leaves every day more confident that it would be the last, but always comes back talking about her next day of tryouts. So the family sits around, hoping for good news but not expecting any good or bad.
“Would you like anything to drink, honey?” Bill asks Fleur, who he has not let leave the couch all day. Nobody can blame him-she’s looking pretty sick.
She sits up slightly in her spot but shakes her head. “Actually, I was ‘oping I could talk to ‘Ermione. eef zat was okay?” She looks in Hermione’s direction as she speaks. Hermione nods, confused, but rushes forward, nonetheless, to help Bill pull his wife from the couch cushions. Fleur looks upset by the effort they are putting in, obviously believing she is perfectly capable of handling herself. “I’m just a leettle nauseous, Bill. Eets not zat big of-“ But she stops talking, suddenly holding her hand over her mouth. She runs out of the room. Hermione glances around and takes off after the blonde.
Molly turns to Bill. “How long has she been like this?”
Bill turns the famous Weasley red at this question. “Just the past couple days. I want to take her to a healer, but she won’t have it.”
“Girls,” Ron says, rolling his eyes. He quickly glances around the room, thankful that Hermione is not nearby.
“I say we’re better off without them,” Charlie adds, avoiding the scolding look his mother is sending him.
“Don’t you start,” she scolds. “We all know you don’t want to get married, but I won’t have you corrupting by other boys.” Everyone laughs, except Molly. She has been pushing marriage on Percy and George for a few months now. She’s even made some references to future plans for Ron and Hermione. Ginny, however, is far too young to be thinking of such things. Molly tends to back away from the topic whenever Harry or Ginny is mentioned.
“I had lunch with Angelina today,” George states in an attempt to change the subject. “First time I’ve seen her since…” he trails off without mentioning the burial ceremony.
“Oh, what a lovely girl,” Molly smiles. “I always thought she’d end up with Fred.” Like her son, she trails off, as well, only to straighten herself out, determined to keep the day lighthearted. “How’s she doing?”
“Quite good, actually.” He blushes slightly. “I’m actually meeting her for lunch again tomorrow.”
“George,” Percy questions, seriously, “you’re not-“
The door swings open before Percy can finish and Ginny runs in. Her hair is ruffled, her face red with the heat outside and she’s smiling uncontrollably. “I made it!” When nobody reacts right away, she repeats, “I made the team!”
A roar of congratulations immediately overcrowds the room. Ron grabs his sister before she can reach Harry and pulls her into a tight hug. Molly’s next to practically squeeze the girl to death, “I knew you’d do it.” Bill grabbed her next, followed by George, Charlie, Percy, and Arthur.
When she finally reaches Harry, he is looking calmly at her, pride filling his features. “Congratulations,” he says plainly.
She pauses a few steps in front of him. “Thanks to you, Captain.”
He pulls his hand up and brushes her cheek slowly. “I was only captain for one year, and I was pretty rotten. Couldn’t even play in the game for the cup.” He smiles, despite himself. “Don’t call me captain.”
“Fine.” She smiles back up at him. “Coach, then?” He lets out a chuckle, shaking his head and kisses her lightly and affectionately.
“Did I hear Ginny come--?” Hermione appears in the doorway into the kitchen, Fleur at her side, still pale and weak, but seeming much more cheery. “Congratulations!” She squeals as the redhead detaches from Harry and rushes to hug her. “I told you not to worry.”
“Zis ees wonderful!” Fleur adds, cheerily. “You are sure to be ze fun aunt, Ginny!”
“Thanks!” Ginny smiles at her sister-in-law and reaches over to hug her, too. “You’re too-“ she stops inches from the blonde. “What?”
Everyone is watching silently as Fleur takes a breath and looks in Bill’s direction, locking eyes intently with her husband. “I am ‘aving a baby.”
Silence again before the roar begins. Molly is the first to rush forward, shoving Ginny out of the way as she stretches her arms around her daughter-in-law’s small shoulders. One by one, the Weasleys run up and congratulate the couple, Bill now holding Fleur around the waist.
In the commotion, Ginny makes her way back to Harry and pulls him outside while everyone’s distracted. In the yard, she looks up at him, nervously. “I should tell you,” she avoids his eyes, staring at their interlocking hands, instead, “when they asked how I wanted my name, I said to write me in as Ginny Potter.” She looks up into his eyes now, nerves even more obvious. “Is that all right?”
The curiousness in his eyes changes soft immediately as he smiles and lays a kiss on her forehead. “I think that’s brilliant.” Without another thought, he starts walking away from the house, pulling her after him. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?” she questions, but follows quickly behind him.
He glances back and sends her a reassuring smile. “You’ll see.” Turning back, they begin to spin and apparate away.
* * * * *
As Harry and Ginny enter the room once more to a house full of now smiling faces, only a shocked but excited Hermione seems to notice the small golden gleam and a sparkle around Ginny’s ring finger.