Ginny Weasley had definitely moved beyond her childhood crush of Harry Potter. The irrational thoughts of that innocent schoolgirl had been replaced with the reasoned intellect of the young woman she was becoming. Harry was one of her best friends now after all. The staring at the floor and stuttering speeches were a thing of the past and she felt completely comfortable in his presence. Yes, she definitely did not think about Harry in that way anymore.
But then he would do something. Something that would remind her of how special he truly was. He would volunteer to help her out on a particularly difficult Potions assignment, knowing she would have to face Snape's wrath if it was done incorrectly. He would stick up for her against Malfoy's insults about her poor upbringing and Mudblood loving parents. He would treat her with more kindness and respect than she ever thought she deserved. It was at those times that the butterflies would return and her mind would wander briefly to the thoughts she held constantly when she was younger. The thoughts of him.
This particular night she had been particularly proud of herself. She, along with everyone else could tell that Harry and Hermione had become a "couple" in their time upstairs. The kiss they shared after the joke played on Seamus had confirmed it. They were definitely together and to Ginny's relief she was happy for them. Two of her best friends had found each other and she could feel that it was…right. As she saw Hermione gently kiss Harry's cheek and make her way back to the party she anxiously awaited the details of what had happened upstairs.
As Hermione approached her Ginny grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side so they could talk. "Hermione, what did you do to that boy?"
Hermione laughed and bowed her head as she spoke. "It's more like what he did to me Ginny. That was the most incredible thirty minutes of my life."
Ginny giggled at Hermione's description and a look of surprise grew on her face as a truly shocking thought entered her mind. "You didn't do…it… when you were up there did you?"
Hermione's surprised expression matched Ginny's until she started to laugh. "Oh no, nothing like that happened, although if we'd stayed up there much longer I'm not sure I could have kept my hands to myself. He just does something to me Ginny. I can't explain it."
"Tell me about it," flashed through Ginny's mind until she quickly dismissed it and spoke. "I'm so happy for you two Hermione." She paused and then asked the question with an answer she already knew. "You love him don't you?"
Hermione hesitated before she answered, remembering the strong feelings Ginny had harbored for Harry when she was younger. "With all my heart." Tears formed in her eyes as she smiled and continued speaking. "He told me he loved me Ginny…he told me he loved me."
Their conversation was interrupted as Ron and Harry walked over to join in on the conversation.
"And what are you two lovely ladies talking about?" Harry said with a smirk as he grabbed Hermione's hand.
Ginny smiled and answered back. "What else could we be talking about Harry? We were talking about you of course."
"All good things I hope?"
Harry's self-deprecating question earned a chuckle from Ron. "Geez Harry don't you ever get tired of hearing about yourself? You're becoming a regular Gilderoy Lockhart ever since you defeated You-Kn…Voldemort."
"Very funny Ron." Harry then gently shook the bottle in his hand as if gauging the amount remaining. "Ron could you get another bottle for me? Don't forget to check the label."
Ron laughed remembering how fabulously his brothers' prank had worked. "Don't worry. If there's one thing I've learned growing up with Fred and George is that you check everything."
As Ron walked away Harry leaned over and whispered something in Hermione's ear. Hermione nodded and turned towards Ginny with a knowing smile. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere you two."
As Hermione walked toward Ron, Harry's focus turned back to Ginny.
"Ginny I wanted to talk to you about something before Ron came back."
Ginny was at a loss wondering what Harry would need to speak with her about that night. It was clear he had sent Hermione on a mission to keep Ron from returning for a few minutes so she and Harry could be alone.
"It's about my leg Ginny. I should be as good as new eventually but the doctors have told me that Quidditch is out for the rest of the year."
Harry's words had done nothing to erase Ginny's confusion. For the life of her she could not understand why he was talking to her about this. Harry filled in the blanks.
"Gryffindor is going to need another Seeker for the two remaining games of the year Ginny. I think it should be you."
Confusion turned to shock as Ginny couldn't quite digest what Harry had said. The greatest flyer she had ever seen was suggesting that she take over his position.
Sensing her doubts, Harry continued. "I've flown against you enough at the Burrow to know how good you are Ginny. I wouldn't be suggesting this if I didn't think you could do it."
Fear and insecurity enveloped Ginny as she imagined every possible excuse she could think of to change Harry's mind.
"I've never been on a real team before Harry…I wouldn't know what to do."
"Rubbish. If someone as thick as me can be the Seeker you certainly can. Look for the little gold ball and try to catch it…seems pretty simple to me. Besides we have plenty of time before our next match to practice. I can teach you everything I know…which shouldn't take long."
Ginny smiled at Harry's retort. But she wasn't done with her arguments.
"The rest of the team would never agree …they would want someone more experienced."
"More rubbish. They trust my opinion Ginny. Who else do you think should decide who the Seeker should be besides me? If they aren't convinced than I'll just have to convince them. And you'll convince them when they see you in action."
This was not going as she had hoped. Harry seemed to have a response for every argument Ginny threw at him. She decided to hit him with the clincher…the argument he wouldn't have an answer for.
"Harry I can't play Seeker with my old broom. You have to be fast and my broom just isn't good enough."
Harry smiled and eliminated her final excuse. "I've already thought about that Ginny. Just because I won't be flying that doesn't mean my broom won't. You can use my Firebolt."
"Oh no" was all she could think of as she ran out of arguments against Harry's suggestion. The truth was her heart soared at the thought of taking over for Harry, even if it was only for two matches. But her insecurities refused to let her embrace the opportunity…until Harry made his final comment.
"You can do this Ginny…there is no other option as far as I'm concerned. Believe in yourself and know that you can do this. I believe in you."
Those words erased the insecurities and Harry's confidence enveloped her. She began to laugh as her excitement grew and she nodded her head in agreement. "If you think I can do it than I'll try."
"I know you can do it Ginny…there isn't a doubt in my mind. I can't wait to see the look on Malfoy's face when you beat him to the Snitch."
Ginny couldn't help but smile at the picture Harry had placed in her mind. "That would be delicious," she thought as Malfoy's shocked expression danced in her head.
Harry became more excited at Ginny's acceptance of his proposition. "We'll start practicing tomorrow night after class all right? I'm sure given the circumstances we'll be allowed extra time on the pitch. I can't wait to see you up there Ginny."
Ginny laughed at Harry's enthusiasm. "Umm…Harry… tomorrow's Saturday. We don't have classes."
Harry's smile grew larger. "Even better…we'll get started right after lunch okay? You won't regret this. I've got to tell Hermione. She always said that we needed more females on the Quidditch team. I guess she's going to get her wish."
As Harry began to walk away Ginny's fears began to creep back. "What was I thinking? We haven't lost a match in ages. I can't do this." The words he had spoken earlier halted her growing hesitation.
"Believe in yourself and know that you can do this. I believe in you."
She lifted her eyes to see Harry holding Hermione's hand once again, obviously telling her the news. Her eyes then closed as those butterflies returned to her stomach. "I can't believe I'm so nervous about being the Seeker," she told herself, attempting to explain the butterflies away.
As she opened her eyes and looked at Harry again, the butterflies increased and she stopped denying the real reason that they had returned. "You're an awful liar Ginny," she thought to herself as a sad smile crept onto her face.
A/N: Ginny as a Seeker. What a great idea!