A Cannon's Harpy

III

Ginny arrived early the next morning ready for another good walloping from Harry. Being early, however, meant standing around waiting; something Ginny decided she was not very good at. She could have gone to get dressed, but not knowing what Harry had planned, if anything at all, she remained on the pitch.

The blue sky contained a few scattered clouds and the lack of wind made it ideal for flying. Anxiously, Ginny stood with nothing to do. She wished Harry would arrive so she could fly away her frustrations and show him that there was more to her flying. Her gaze went skywards; up there was where she truly felt free, especially when the breeze blew through her hair and caressed her face.

When he did arrive, he left her speechless.

The soft pop from behind indicated an arrival. Ginny turned slowly, not wanting to make it seem as if too eager. She expected him to be in his kit, like the day before. Instead, he wore khaki shorts and a light green Harpies t-shirt, the same one available at the stadium shop. It emphasized firm, but not bulky, muscles.

"Nice shirt," she blurted out. "Suits you better than Chudley orange." Her heartbeat quickened.

And there it was, a full smile reaching all the way up to his eyes. She'd been looking for it the entire day yesterday and never saw it. Sadly, it was gone before he even blinked. But in that brief moment it warmed a piece of her. "Doesn't take much to make a person look better. Believe me."

She laughed and the reward came with another faint smile. "Aren't we flying today?" she asked hesitantly when it didn't look like he was going to say anything.

His head snapped up as if he forgot that he was supposed to be the coach. "You'll be doing the work today, Ginny." The words came quickly as his coach demeanour returned slowly. "I watched you fly yesterday." She wondered where he'd found the time to study her. He lifted a hand absently and a broom came flying towards them. "Sorry, forgot it by the stands last night," he muttered looking slightly guilty.

Ginny's jaw dropped open slightly. "That was a wandless summoning charm," she half shrieked in disbelief. It was not unheard of, but only people like Dumbledore, top Aurors and a few Unspeakables did things like that.

"Oh, right," he muttered while running his hands through his messy black hair. "Where was I... Yes... I watched you yesterday, but never gave it my full attention. Today I want to watch you a bit more closely while working on a few things."

Like the day before, he dug his hand into his pocket and removed the Snitch. He did not let it go. "Go get your broom. No need for padding and stuff today. You're not going to chase the thing around in anger too much. Instead you'll be doing what you're supposed to be doing up there." He turned the Golden Snitch about with his fingers as he spoke.

"And what's that?" Ginny barely managed to say without snapping in anger before turning to leave for the changing room where her broom stood waiting.

His voice came from behind. "You are going to seek. You are going to learn to see without seeing." And just like that her anger faded and his words captivated her. She turned only to see him watching the small Snitch floating before him. Then his fingers closed around it absently. The long walk to get her broom didn't seem so bad as the eagerness within her began to grow.

When they were hovering well above the pitch, Harry let go of the Golden Snitch. It fluttered between them for a few seconds. Instead of looking at the wings she stared passed the floating ball and into the green, slightly haunted eyes of Harry. He was watching her as well. The Snitch darted towards the stands and Ginny turned away, grateful to have somewhere else to be looking. His gaze lingered on her a moment longer, the weight of it could be felt. She waited while trying to find the ball again.