Good Bye and Good Luck

A/N – hey, I’m back. I‘m in the middle of writing a chaptered story but this popped into my mind so I thought I’d write it down. This is not canon but I hope you enjoy.

“Good bye and good luck Harry!”

Hermione looked at the large sign and smiled sadly – she really couldn’t believe that Harry was actually leaving. She sat down in her regular chair at her regular table, barely acknowledging those around her saying hello. She wasn’t in the mood for people today and if it hadn’t been Harry’s farewell party, she wouldn’t be here at all.

Looking around the buzzing room, Hermione sighed deeply. It was always the same at these Quidditch after match functions – especially when the team won. She had been watching the game now for over ten years – since school, really – yet she still didn’t quite understand the mentality of sports people, even when they were as close to her as Harry and Ron.

Smiling to herself, her mind went over the events that led to this point and as always, it made her chuckle.

After the war, Harry was at a loose end. He was living at the Burrow and as a bit of release, he, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George and Fred’s girlfriend Angelina played Quidditch. At first they just played each other but soon other ex-classmates joined in and before long they had two or three teams which competed. After a year of just mucking around, Harry paid the English Quidditch League fee, Fred and George sponsored them and the Phoenix Quidditch Team was born.

Ron quit his job at the Ministry, which he hated, Ginny had finished school, the twin’s shops were doing so well they were able to come and go as they pleased while Harry had been doing nothing anyway. The team was a huge hit, their popularity beyond anything the league had dealt with previously. Crowds to their games filled even the biggest of stadiums, even more so when they began to win. Lots. In their first year they were third in the league but in their second they won, defending their title the following year propelling the team into super stardom.

And now Harry was leaving that all behind in the middle of the season and Hermione wasn’t too sure what she felt about it all.

She sighed once more.

As she glanced aimlessly around the room, her eyes fell onto a group of bejewelled, bleach-blond women sipping on their chardonnay’s as they chatted, all the while looking for any male that had anything to do with the team – with Harry being the ultimate prize. Hermione knew these type of women as she had seen many of them over the past three years but today she looked at them with a hint of envy.

They were all so perfectly dressed – not a hair out of place, not an ounce of extra fat amongst them. They sparkled and they knew it. Hermione ran a self-conscious hand over her mass of wayward curls in a futile attempt to tame them and sighed again. There was no point, really. She could never compete with the likes of them.

“Here you go, Hermione.”

Hermione looked up at Luna, who was handing her a glass of tomato juice as she sat down, and thanked her.

“I told everyone that my flatulence is particularly foul today so you shouldn’t be too harassed as long as I’m with you,” the blond said calmly, taking a sip from a drink that had a ridiculously large cocktail umbrella in it.

“You didn’t need to do that, Luna,” Hermione exclaimed, shocked, “honestly, I’m fi…”

“No you’re not,” Luna cut in, “you’re tired and the last thing you need are inconsequential gnats annoying you.”

Hermione looked at her friend for a moment longer and then relaxed in a silent resignation that Luna was right. She didn’t need to be constantly interrupted by people who wanted to talk to someone who was close to both Harry and Ron, she really wasn’t in the mood.

The two chatted about this and that as they waited for the team to emerge from their changing rooms. It always took a while as the players needed to cool down, shower, change and then debrief before joining the hoards. The room was quickly filling with more and more fans and supporters but their table was an oasis of free space amongst a sea of mingling people.

Just over an hour had passed when Angelina, Fred and George entered to the cheers and applause of their fans. Angelina kept a firm grip on her husband’s arm telling any of the groupies that didn’t know the score, this particular twin was off the market. George, however, enjoyed displaying the famous Weasley charm to anyone who was interested.

“Oh, here they come,” Luna said as she craned her head so she could see through the crowd. Hermione did the same and quickly saw the red head of Ron and, as the excited fans moved to allow their heroes a respectful amount of space, the black hair of Harry.

What she saw next made her heart skip a beat. Hanging onto Harry’s arm was Ginny. Laughing, smiling, perfect Ginny. Harry didn’t seem to notice the way that Ginny was staking her claim on him as he was too busy waving to his supporters, his eyes searching the room.

Ron, being the taller of the three, spotted Hermione and Luna first, quickly nudging Harry and telling him. Hermione smiled as Harry removed Ginny from his arm without a second thought and made his way to their table, Ron at his side.

“Why are you two sitting here by yourself?” Ron asked as he sat next to Luna and gave his fiancé a huge kiss.

“Hermione’s not feeling well so I told everyone I had terrible gas,” Luna explained, to the amusement of Ron, “but I feel better now.”

“You’re not well?” Harry repeated, his concern immediate as he sat next to Hermione, taking her hand in his, “what is it? What’s wrong? Do you need a Healer?”

“I’m just tired,” Hermione soothed quickly, aware how quickly her husband’s concern could get out of control, “the little one is just a bit active today, that’s all.”

Harry physically relaxed as he gently kissed his wife and lay a protective hand over her vastly extended belly, grinning when he felt the movement of the baby inside.

“Well, you know us Potters,” he quipped, “always on the go.”

“Don’t I know it!” Hermione laughed with him, her previous discontent melting away.

“Look, we’ll just do this speech and say goodbye to everyone, then we’ll go, alright?” he continued, gently running a hand down the side of her face in a familiar caress.

“Honestly, I’m fine,” she assured, taking his loving hand in hers and giving it a comforting squeeze, “this is your last night at a club you helped create. You’re not leaving early.”

“True right, mate,” Ron put in, grinning, “you may be a family man now, but that doesn’t mean you get out of getting sloshed along with your team mates…”

“Ex-team mates,” Harry quickly corrected, “and I’m not getting drunk.”

“…ex-team mates,” Ron acknowledge with a roll of his eyes, “bloody hell Harry, you haven’t even left yet! And the boys and girls will be terribly disappointed if you don’t join us for a bevy or two!”

“They’ll cope,” Harry shrugged to the disgruntlement of his friend, “Hermione can’t drink so neither will I…”

“Oh, come on Harry,” Ginny joined in, appearing unnoticed at Harry’s side and immediately Hermione’s smiled faltered. The youngest Weasley looked amazing, her slim figure griped tightly in a little black dress, accentuating her straight, beautiful auburn hair which was casually draped over one shoulder. She beamed at Harry, a perfectly manicured hand resting on his shoulder, “Hermione won’t mind you having a drink with us! You are deserting us for her, after all.”

Hermione recoiled slightly as Ginny’s words stung.

She hadn’t asked Harry to quit, he had made that decision without any prompting from her, but she knew that many thought it was her that made him walk away from a possible third title.

Ginny knew it had been Harry’s choice as it had been discussed in full during the many Weasley dinners. But Ginny has never quite forgiven Hermione from stealing Harry from her and she made her displeasure known whenever she could.

Like she did tonight.

Hermione felt her tears begin to form even though she tried hard to stop them. She knew she was being stupid, that it was probably her hormones causing the feeling of total inadequacy that was now over whelming her but she had no control over her need to cry, no control at all.

She bowed her head down and tried to hide her tears away from everyone, but was unsuccessful at that as well.

“That was bang out of order, Gin,” Ron stated as Harry quickly tried to comfort his wife, who was trying to reassure him that she was fine with an embarrassed wave of her hand.

“What?” Ginny asked, innocently, “it’s the truth, isn’t it? Blimey, it’s only because she’s pregnant…”

“I think you should leave,” Harry growled, glaring at the youngest Weasley while both Ron and Luna stood.

“You are really being quite mean,” Luna told Ginny as she started to lead the redhead away.

“We’ll give you two a moment,” Ron added to Harry and Hermione, going to his sister’s other side and making sure she left without saying anything more.

Hermione kept her eyes downcast as she sniffed away her tears. She had produced a hanky which she kept playing with in embarrassed intensity, knowing that Harry was watching her with concern.

“Hermione, what’s wrong?” he asked after a bit.

“Nothing really,” she replied with a sniff, “I’m just being silly…”

“It’s not like you to let Ginny get to you,” he carried on, “are you sure everything’s okay? Come on, sweetie – look at me.”

Hermione took a deep breath, gathering her courage to look into the eyes she loved so much. Just seeing him watching her with such worry made her cry harder as her emotions overflowed.

“It’s just that,” she started, “she’s right, you’re leaving something that you love to do, something that makes you really happy! And all the people here that love you! And everyone hates me because they think I made you…”

“Hermione…”

“But I didn’t!”

“I know…”

“…and look at her, she’s so beautiful…”

“Who?”

“Ginny! Yet I’m the size of a small building! My ankles have swollen up to the size of…I don’t know, two balloons or something and there is no way I could ever look like her! But you two look so fantastic together and you deserve to have someone like her not someone like me! I mean, look at me! Look at my hair! It just won’t do what it’s supposed to do, it’s absolutely ghastly …are…are you laughing at me?”

“No!”

“Yes you are!”

“Er…” Harry stammered, his grin twitching the edges of his mouth, “okay, yes, I’m laughing at you…”

“Harry!”

“But, well – how could you think your hair is ghastly?” he began with a smile, using the pad of his thumb to wipe away some of her wayward tears, “I love your hair, it’s so…you.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Oh, definitely a good thing,” he assured her, “unique and stubborn, not willing to stand down to anyone but still beautiful and, I don’t know, girly…”

“Girly?” Hermione repeated, a smile now playing on her face, “me? I don’t think I’ve ever been called girly before.”

“Well, sometimes you are,” Harry stated matter of factly, “and I don’t care that you’re the size of a small building…”

“What!”

“…because the bigger you get, it means the closer it is to our family coming together,” he continued, intertwining his hands with hers, “Hermione, no woman in this room is as beautiful to me as you are. You’re carrying my child, you’re my wife – you’re everything to me.”

She didn’t know what to say – Harry was not one for showing his emotions, too many years with the Dursley’s saw to that, so having him tell her she was beautiful took her breath away.

“Thank you,” she finally whispered, her voice soft with emotion. Harry just smiled as he drew her into an awkward hug.

“Don’t you ever, ever think you’re not good enough for me,” he breathed into her ear, “that you’re not as beautiful as Ginny,” pausing as he pulled out of the hug but still holding her face gently in his hands, his eyes boring into hers, “and I’m leaving the Phoenix because all I’ve ever wanted is a family of my own and you’re giving that to me. I don’t need to work and I don’t need to play Quidditch. I’m lucky enough to be able to live out my dreams which is to be with you and our baby. Nothing will make me happier – not even flying.”

“But that will change,” Hermione protested, “you’ll get bored…”

“No, I won’t.”

She searched his eyes for any sign of hesitation and saw none – he meant every word he was saying. Once more a surge of emotion ran through her but this time it was one of happiness and peace.

“I love you, Harry,” she told him, kissing him softly on the lips.

“I love you too,” he smiled then braced himself as he helped her out of her chair, grunting slightly, “blimey, this is a real mission!”

“Oh shut up,” Hermione laughed back, “this is all your fault, you know.”

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he chuckled, holding her hand as they made their way to the others all patiently waiting for their hero.