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Ginny’s teammates ran amuck in the lockers.
Vaishnavi looked to be performing some sort of chant. Simone was drawing a pentagram on the floor, and Laura was. . . . fiddling with a radio?
“What’s going on?” The redhead asked Valerie, her closest friend on the team.
Ginny was the newly minted chaser of the Holyhead Harpies. Seeing as it had been her favourite team since childhood, her entire family had been ecstatic for her – except Mum and Ron. Mum fretted, like she did over all her children with dangerous careers: which was pretty much all of them, with the exception of Percy and maybe George. Ron, on the other hand, sulked about her not joining the Cannons. Ginny had pointed out that as a newbie, to be taken seriously, she needed to build a winning streak, not a losing one.
Ron had lost it. The ensuing events had not been pretty.
Honestly, Ginny was pretty relieved they could fight about petty meaningless stuff like that. It was better than the days of We-Should-Be-Allowed-In-The-Order-Too and We’re-All-Suffering-From-Spell Shock-Grief-and-PTSD-and-Taking-It-Out-On-One-Another.
Ginny got along well with all of her teammates, but none more than Valerie – born Valentine – Rutland, pureblood-by-definition witch (having one muggle grandparent), on the reserve team for less than two years and nearly as new to the main team as Ginny, who’d rebelled against Voldemort and his Death Eaters by using her family’s trunk business to give unlimitedly extended trunks to muggle-borns for them to hide in, and had lost an uncle during the Battle of Hogwarts.
The two women had bonded over loving quidditch and butterbeer, a lot of trauma and annoying brothers. Also amazing boyfriends.
“It’s the pre-game panic,” Val said, looking amused. Ginny had once asked her if the nickname reminded her of when her body hadn’t reflected her gender and her birth name, and her friend had denied it, saying that she had been lucky enough to have gotten a supportive family and an early Sex-Change potion. “Everyone has their own weird thing they just really have to do right before the game. Wait till Rhiannon gets here, nothing gets more ridiculous than hers.”
“What’s yours?” Ginny asked, interested. Hogwarts had nothing like this. The House League was pretty small time compared to something like this, she supposed.
Val hesitated before confessing in a small tone – “I like to look at my merchandise.”
“Val,” Ginny said in a mock horrified tone. “How arrogant. Merlin, fame really does get to one’s head.”
“Shut uuup,” Her friend whined. “Besides, says the girlfriend of The Man Who Conquered. You hypocrite.”
Ginny stuck her tongue out, even as she internally pulled a face. She loved being Harry’s girlfriend, being the Boy-Who-Lived turned The-Man-Who-Conquered turned Star Auror’s, though? More of a chore than anything.
Still. Harry was worth all the hassle, and much more. Harry was worth everything.
If she went back in time and told her ten-year-old self she’d grow to date the cute green-eyed boy on the platform, who just so happened to be Harry Potter, she’d probably explode. Ginny could only feel amused at the delusions of that naïve kid.
Harry wasn’t perfect. Ginny wasn’t either, for that matter. They fought over who took the last Cauldron Cake, over who had to do the dishes, over who had to tell Mum they wouldn’t make it to dinner; and much more serious matters – Harry hiding injuries, Ginny hiding nightmares, Ginny being left behind, Harry’s secrets, their careers.
But they also loved each other. Harry woke a complaining Ginny up to see a beautiful sunrise together, Ginny learned how to make her mum’s treacle tart for Harry, they fell asleep in one another’s arms even without sex, she held his hand when he landed in the hospital after one of his missions and Ron and Hermione held vigil beside the bed, Harry teased her about her childhood ambition to be a niffler and hippogriff hybrid, Ginny held Harry as he confessed that she had been the first one to properly tell him she loved him – Sirius had told him he and Harry’s parents loved Harry in passing during a long rant --, Harry screamed himself hoarse cheering for the Harpies, Harry helped Ginny document what she had been doing at which time in an effort to convince herself she wasn’t being possessed, and they played with Teddy and hosted his birthday parties.
And the sex was amazing. George often teased Harry and Ron for ‘settling early’ but she was pretty certain that he hadn’t shagged someone on a broomstick in the moonlight, while whispering his love. Not that she would know. She preferred staying out of her brothers’ sex lives.
Her relationship would be both less and much more than she had ever dreamed of during her childhood.
“What would yours be, then?” Val asked, breaking Ginny out of her reverie.
“My pre-game ritual? Better than yours, I’d reckon,” She smirked, and her friend rolled her eyes. Ginny considered the question. She didn’t feel the particular urge to do something new or neurotic. She felt nervous of course, but she also felt ready to go out there and prove herself.
Ginny loved being Harry’s girlfriend, but she wanted to be more than that. She wanted to be more than the girl who thought pouring her heart out to a diary that talked back and turned out to be the Dark Lord was a good idea. She wanted to do something she loved. She wanted her heart to pound, to be exhausted everyday but still get up and do it again, to be cheered on. She wanted a partner who could help her with her trauma, but still love her and respect her as a strong woman and her own person.
Harry was all that, and so much more. It was also good that he’d been family for a while, and so none of her brothers dared to disapprove.
“I don’t know,” She said finally. “Can’t really think of anything.” Val looked disappointed, and opened her mouth.
“WEASLEY!” Gwenog Jones yelled. “People for you. Get rid of them quickly!”
“As you command, Coach,” Ginny said, bowing dramatically and rushing out before Gwenog could react.
She wondered who it was as she hurried through the rooms – Gwenog would throw a fit if she was too late. A green blur suddenly threw itself at her, resolving all doubts.
“Ginny! Ginny!” The child shrieked.
“Teddy! Teddy!” Ginny imitated.
“We’re gonna see your game!” Teddy smiled his toothy grin while speaking in his childish voice, missing several letters. “Nana says to make sure ‘Ginny doesn’t break her head’.” His large green eyes, twinning with both Harry’s and the Holyhead Harpies merchandise he was covered in, blinked up at her. Every Weasley was a sucker for his eyes like that. “Whassa mean, Ginny?”
“Don’t listen to mum, Teddy Bear,” Ginny said seriously, kneeling in front of her boyfriend’s godson. “You know how adults say, like, super boring things?”
Teddy’s green hair melted into black – indicating sullenness – for a second, before rippling back. “Like grandmum’s bedtime?”
“Exactly,” Ginny said solemnly. “So we should just listen without thinking about it, or we’ll be punished.”
Teddy nodded just as solemnly, obviously forgetting his original question in commiserating with her.
“You’re a boring adult too now, Ginny,” Andromeda said dryly. “Come on Teddy, let’s go.”
“Never,” Ginny said, affecting a great deal of vehemence. Teddy hugged her, whispering good luck. She kissed him on his head.
As they left, both Harry and Ginny waved back at Teddy. Ginny turned to her boyfriend and gasped falsely. “My, my. The Harry Potter? Whatever did I do to deserve this?”
“I was looking for my girlfriend,” Harry said, grinning. “Have you seen her?”
“No,” Ginny murmured, sidling up to him. “Maybe I can be a … stand-in?” She batted her eyelashes at him.
“I don’t know,” Harry said seriously. “She’s pretty irreplaceable.”
Ginny’s heart fluttered.
“Going to give the girlfriend a kiss for good luck?” She asked, dropping the pretense, and wrapping her arms around Harry’s neck. Harry’s hands came up to support her waist.
“Doubt she needs it,” Harry said. “She’s an extreme badass. I need one from her to make sure I don’t fall over the stands.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Don’t jinx it, Potter.” She paused. “And if it does happen, make sure you’re nowhere near Teddy. He’d take a dive after you.”
“How is it my fault that he decided a Gringotts cart was a good place to practice Muggle Superheroes?” Harry complained.
“We all know you telling him the story of your oh-so-wonderful heist was what inspired him, Harry,” Ginny scoffed. “You’d better not lose access to him.” She teased. Everyone knew there was nothing Harry could do that would make Andromeda cut him off. Teddy worshipped the ground he walked on.
“My access to Teddy what you’re dating me for, Weasley?” Harry asked in mock offense.
“What else is even there?” Ginny sighed.
“Well, I am the Chosen One.” Harry smirked.
“Oh, I’m swooning. Catch me, oh great Potter!”
“That’s Captain to you, Weasley.” He paused. “Maybe you do need that good luck kiss. From the youngest Seeker in centuries.”
“Former Captain, thank you very much. Who was it that captained Gryffindor to its win in their last year? And, oh yeah, who won the Cup the year you were Captain?”
Harry pouted. Ginny hated how much that made her want to kiss him. “No kiss then?”
“I’m afraid I can’t resist the famous Harry Potter charm.” Ginny got onto her toes and kissed him. He tasted of treacle tart – of course he did – and Ginny got the feeling she always did when they kissed. Harry nearly lifted her off her feet as they kissed fiercely.
“It’s patented,” Harry gasped for breath, and pressed kisses to her cheeks and jaw.
Ginny laughed at that. “I love you,” She said tenderly. She hated being emotional – came from all the masculine toxicity growing up, she supposed – but Harry changed that.
“I love you too,” Harry whispered. His tone was intimate, his voice was low and husky. Ginny could listen to it forever. She could hear the emotional vulnerability, the ‘my heart’s been broken enough, please don’t leave me too’ ringing through his words. Ginny kissed him again, one hand cupping his cheek, ‘I’m not. To the best of my ability. Not by my will. I promise.’
They parted, foreheads resting against one another. “You’re going to kick ass,” Harry promised. “You always do.”
Ginny hardly lacked in confidence. But when Harry told her that, it increased exponentially. “’Course I am,” She said. “You’ll be there? After the match?” She didn’t let the emotion through this time, but she knew Harry understood.
“Wild hippogriffs couldn’t stop me,” He said seriously. Ginny kissed him on the cheek, reluctant to leave him. But she was cutting it close. Their fingers were interlocked.
Harry slowly let her hand go, gaze never leaving hers. Ginny smiled at him. His lips quirked in response. She turned and went back to the locker room.
“So?” Val asked.
“So what?” Ginny shot back, grabbing her broom and keeping a ear out to the commentators’ talk.
“You look like you had an excellent pre-game panic,” Her friend noted.
“I didn’t do anything special,” Ginny protested, genuinely surprised.
“Well, your expression is the same as that,” Val said, jabbing her thumb at Vaishnavi, who now that she was done with her chants, was practically glowing and seemed determined to get out there.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Who was it for you?” Val asked, in investigator mode, apparently.
“Andromeda and Teddy. And Harry.” She felt her voice soften at his name.
“So that’s it,” Val smirked. “Pretty disappointing, Weasley.”
Ginny’s eyes furrowed. “What?”
“Harry. He’s clearly your pre-game nerves thing. Look at your face,” Val laughed. “The boyfriend, Ginny, really? How cliché.”
Ginny had to smile as she thought of Harry being her pre-game ritual. She wanted him to be there before every game. She wanted him for the rest of her life. “Personally? I think it’s pretty lucky.”
And lucky it was. They won the game.
And Harry was always there, for the rest of both of their lives.