round of sixteen
"England's national team mount their brooms. After an injury in training, Smith had to make place and will be replaced by Durham for today's match." The commentator's voice rang through the stadium. "And here they are, England's keeper Westfield, beaters Bates and Durham, chasers Henderson, Lane, Potter and England's seeker Chambers."
Thunderous applause rang out and numerous shouts of joy from the fans. The seven players flew in formation around the stadium and then remained suspended in the air on their brooms, side by side.
"As you can easily see, despite her pregnancy, Potter is still part of the team here in the round of sixteen, much to the delight of England fans as she seems to be getting better by the day, since the start of her career."
In the private lounge at the stadium in Glasgow, the Weasleys were also watching the round of sixteen match between England and Argentina. Every single one of them was present, including the children who, because of the volume, had a certain spell put on them.
James Sirius Potter was one of those children, sitting on his dad's lap and excitedly watching his mum play. Every time her name was mentioned during games or she threw a goal, his little eyes would light up and he would start to grin. Harry always said that James had taken over his position as Ginny's biggest fan and he himself was only allowed to be the second biggest.
"Mummy!" the two-year-old exclaimed delightedly, pointing his finger at the only woman playing in today's game. Ginny was particularly recognisable by her red hair, which she had braided into two boxer-braids. But she was also easily recognisable by another thing; her still relatively small but not overlooked baby bump.
The fans' reactions were divided at the time. Some were overjoyed to finally see the Holyhead Harpies' top player playing for England. Others were sceptical that she was physically impaired due to her pregnancy and could not deliver top performances. However, after her first game against Serbia, it was clear that there were no concerns about that. Ginny was in top form and stood out for her outstanding performances on the broom.
She was the first woman to play a Quidditch World Cup while pregnant and also the only woman on England's team to have played every game so far. This resulted in her coming home incredibly exhausted but overjoyed. Harry and her family supported her in all things and never missed a single one of her games. Once she was home, Harry would wait with a hot meal, run her a warm bath and massage all the places that hurt - which were quite a few.
At least once a week, she had a check-up appointment with her healer to make sure the baby was doing well and that she could still continue playing. She loved to play, but she was willing to stop if necessary. These frequent appointments were unusual for her at first, as she had only had an appointment with Healer Wilson every four weeks during James' pregnancy. But she was more than grateful to have the opportunity to keep playing, knowing that it was not a given. To be on the safe side, Healer Wilson was always on hand at the games too, in case - Merlin forbid - there were any complications.
"Yes, there's your mummy," Ron replied, sitting next to his godson and Harry, dressed entirely in the colours of England. He then turned to his best friend, who was also wearing a jersey with Ginny's number and her (or rather his) name. "It's still kind of unusual to see her in England colours and not the Harpies' green."
Harry shrugged. "After all, she's been playing for the Harpies for nearly seven years so far and only a couple of games for England. I enjoy every moment of seeing her like this because it could be over after every game."
"Do you think she'd still have a chance of playing in the next World Cup?", Hermione, sitting next to Ron, asked him.
"The next one is in three years' time, so it's hard to say what it will look like then. But I do think she will play for England at least a few more times in friendlies."
The game started and England took an early lead with two goals from Ginny and one from Lane. After an hour and a half the game was over after William Chambers caught the snitch to give England a clear 360-30 win, with Ginny responsible for 170 of the 360 points.
~
"Well played, Potter," Winston Bates said as Ginny sat in the locker room, just pulling her team hoodie on over her T-shirt.
She grinned. "You too."
"I have to say, I was sceptical at first too, but you really impress me," Christian Lane, who had just come out of the shower, countered.
"Because of this thing here?" she asked with a laugh, stroking her belly. "I'll be rid of it in a few months anyway."
"I can hardly stand on my broom after just one good meal. I really wonder how you do it," Bates replied admiringly.
Again she laughed. "With the right training. Besides, this isn't the first time I've been pregnant, so that means I'm used to it."
She stood up and walked with them towards the exit of the locker room.
"Are you coming to celebrate today?" asked Lane then, holding the door open for her.
"No, not today. My parents are having James over today and Harry and I are going out for dinner," she replied. "That's really a disadvantage of being pregnant and playing Quidditch; if there's partying afterwards, I won't be able to drink."
Lane and Bates laughed. They were about to retort something when a person came running up to them and threw herself into Ginny's arms.
"You. Were. Absolutely. Brilliant!" exclaimed Lizzie excitedly, hugging Ginny tightly.
"Don't squeeze her, Lizzie, we still need Ginny," Bates retorted, amused.
Lizzie broke away from Ginny and glared at him. "I wasn't going to smother her, brother dear. I really feel sorry for you, Ginny, having to play with him. I could never have played for England on my own because then I wouldn't have been able to play against my brother."
The four of them continued walking down the corridor until Ginny recognised her husband, who was standing against the wall with James in his arms, waiting for her. He had also replaced his shirt with a hoodie and James was also wearing a jumper, given the low temperatures in the evening.
"Hey," Harry greeted her with a smile and gave her a kiss on the lips. "James wanted to see his mummy before heading to Grandma and Grandpa's."
Ginny smiled and took James in her arms. "Hi, sweetie. Did you like the game?"
"Yes!" her son replied with a grin.
"Wow, seeing him so close, he really does look more like you, Ginny," remarked Lane, who, unlike Bates, had never met Ginny and Harry's son in person.
"That's why he looks so cute," Harry replied with a grin and greeted first Bates, then Lane. The former he knew himself through Lizzie and the latter he had met through Ginny's plays and her trainings with England.
Lane smiled. "I think I should start convincing my girlfriend to have a little baby too."
Ginny returned his smile as James reached over to Lizzie and she took him in her arms. She stroked her baby bump. "I highly recommend it."