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Summary: There was a reason why Harry Potter was such a big Holyhead Harpies fan… and a big part of it had nothing to do with Quidditch.
*AU* *Harry never went to Hogwarts* *Harry was raised by Sirius*
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Chapter One
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Harry Potter was nervous.
He never liked to admit it when he was nervous, but he would be lying if he said that he wasn't.
So, when Harry Potter opened the door to 'The Department of Magical Law Enforcement', Harry could only think, with the utmost certainty, that he was - indeed - nervous.
Harry held the door open to the department for a moment, lingering in that doorway with a box of his things tucked securely under his other arm.
Today was the day.
He had just finished a year's worth of his basic Auror training in Ireland - a feat that had been rather easy considering all of the courses and trials they had trained his class on were things Harry had already learned by the age of ten.
Regardless, he had tried his damn hardest to not let anyone else in his class catch onto that fact. He had pretended that he was learning everything that they were right along with them. He had pretended that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin hadn't trained him since the age of one to defeat Voldemort - the darkest wizard of the age.
And by his pretending, Harry had hoped that his classmates wouldn't treat him as though he were Harry Potter - The Chosen One who had defeated Voldemort. But instead, treat him as Harry - just another bloke.
It hadn't worked.
His first day there, they had all been gawking at him. Staring at his scar. Harry had even tried to strike up a conversation with some of the other boys, hoping to finally meet some friends his own age, but all that they did was stare at him with wide eyes.
Harry hated being gawked at.
The entire year they had treated him as though he were some untouchable being. Someone who was above all of them… When all that Harry wanted was to be among them. To feel included...
To have friends.
Harry sighed as he pushed the thought out of his mind. Perhaps he would have better luck finding some friends here. Seasoned Aurors were bound to care less about his fame than trainees were, right?
With that thought, Harry hiked up the box more securely under his arm and took a determined step forward.
He could do this.
Harry took the five steps forward into the department to the front desk. There, a young receptionist that sat there with long, dark hair and olive coloured skin. She didn't even bother to look up as he approached.
Harry waited at the desk as she wrote furiously in a catalogue book with a quill and ink, wondering if she was going to look up and address him at all… She made no such look in his direction or any indication that she knew that he was even there.
Harry shuffled his feet awkwardly before he politely cleared his throat. "Um, excuse me, but - eh - I need to be shown to the Head Auror's office…?"
The witch still didn't bother to look up at him, but her blank face took on a twinge of annoyance. "You have an appointment?"
"Eh…" Harry swallowed nervously.
The witch sighed in annoyance. "Look, you can't meet with the Head Auror unless you have an appointment."
"Oh, but you see, today is actually my first day here - I'm a new Auror - and I was supposed to meet with him to learn the department."
The receptionist rolled her eyes and huffed, throwing down her quill harshly before grabbing a rolled up piece of parchment paper that had a list of writing on it.
"Name?" She inquired, rudely.
"Harry Potter."
The parchment paper fell from her hands as her head snapped up. Her wide eyes finally met his as she gaped at him.
A twinge of annoyance welled up in him as she gawked unattractively at him, her eyes flitting upwards for a moment to look at his scar.
"P-Potter?!" She managed to finally get out.
"Potter's here?" A gruff voice sounded out from around the corner. The sound of a hobbling, wooden stump against the floor resounded as Mad-Eye Moody rounded the corner.
Harry slumped in relief at seeing him, glad that he wouldn't have to deal with the receptionist any longer before he sent a grin to one of his old mentors. After the war ended, Alastor Moody had announced that he had enough of retirement and took the empty position of Head Auror - replacing the previous Head Auror who had been killed during the ministry take-over by the Death Eaters. To say that Moody was perfect for the role, especially when the Ministry was trying to repair itself after the war, would be a vast understatement. "Moody, it's good to see you! How have you been?"
Moody harrumphed in his normal manner as he hobbled closer to Harry. "Been alright, Potter, but it's been too quiet on the enemy's front. Right suspicious, that is…"
Harry rolled his eyes good-naturedly as Moody finally came upon him and they grasped hands in a good, hearty handshake. "You are always suspicious…"
A small corner of Moody's lips quirked up at that. "How many times do I have to tell you, Potter? Constant vigilance!"
Harry laughed. As if he could ever forget! He has heard the catchphrase consistently throughout his entire childhood.
"Now, enough chit-chat!" Moody stated in his usual abrasive manner, "We've got to get you settled in, don't we?"
Moody put his hand on Harry's upper back, about to guide him to the back, when…
"WAIT!" The receptionist yelled, causing everyone in the waiting room to jump at her sheer volume. It caused Harry and Moody's heads to snap to her, that's for sure.
She had a desperate gleam to her eye as she stared Harry down and she licked her lips in what Harry surmised was supposed to be a seductive manner. "My name is Romilda Vane, Mr Potter, and I-"
"No time, Miss. Vane," Moody interrupted, as he continued to lead Harry to the offices in the back. "I've got a meeting with Minister Shacklebolt in half an hour and Potter needs to be settled in before then."
Harry gladly let himself be led away by Moody, seeming to feel as though he had dodged a bullet of some kind.
Moody showed him around the department. Where he will submit his reports, where he will pick up new assignments, where the magical filing cabinet of 'Criminal History' was located, and so much more. Moody was going through everything so fast that by the end of it, Harry's head had been spinning.
Until, finally, Harry was lead to a small room with an empty desk.
"This here is your office, Potter. Take the time to get settled and I will find you after my meeting with the Minister," Moody said before he started to hobble away.
"Good to have you, Potter," Moody called as he walked away, not looking back at Harry as he said it. A few heads looked up as they heard the name, however, and Harry had to fight back a groan.
He ignored the stares and instead walked into his office before he set his box of things on the desk.
It was best that he just go about his business and do what Moody told him to do, unpack his things and get settled. It would get his mind off of all of the staring he had to endure for the day, so far.
Reaching into the box, he first unpacked a few picture frames. The first picture was of his parents and him when he was a baby. It was his favourite picture of his parents. His mum cooed at him while his dad beamed proudly down at both of them.
They all looked so happy…
Harry sighed in regret before he placed the picture frame on the desk.
The next picture was of him with Sirius and Remus. Harry had been seven and he had just cast his first ever Corporal Patronus. They were all beaming in excitement as they posed for the picture with Harry's stag Patronus prancing around in the background.
Harry's happy memory had been of them, thinking about how lucky he was to be raised by them.
The third picture was of Harry with his Godson, Teddy. It was Teddy's second birthday party in the picture and Harry had gotten him a Child's Broom for his birthday. Teddy was sitting on the broom next to Harry, hovering only a foot in the air as he was grinning from ear to ear.
Harry smiled as he thought of his Godson. Teddy was honestly the brightest part of Harry's life and Harry spent as much time with the turquoise-haired boy as he could. Because when Harry spent time with the two-year-old, it was easy to forget that his own life wasn't exactly normal.
When he was with Teddy, he wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived or the Chosen One.
He was just Uncle Harry.
Uncle Harry, who was the undefeated champion at sticking as many Bertie Bot's Every Flavour Beans in his mouth as he could.
He had beat both Sirius by twenty whole beans!
Sirius had been sour about losing and had called Harry a 'big mouth' for a solid week. But Harry hadn't minded, as it made Teddy giggle outrageously every time he was called it.
Harry grinned widely in memory as he situated the other two picture frames on his desk.
After that, he took out a few harmless magical instruments that helped aid in concentration, his favourite coffee mug for what would bound to be used for some inescapable late nights, a few quills and some never-drying ink, as well as a jar full of owl treats whenever he got any mail deliveries.
When he finally reached the poster he had folded at the bottom of the box, Harry couldn't help but flush, slightly.
He had honestly debated on whether or not he should bring it, and yet… it was the first item he had put in the box.
Well, since it was already here…
Harry took out the poster and unfolded it before he used wandless magic to get rid of the fold creases.
When his eyes connected with the poster his gaze immediately zeroed in on one particular spot…
His heart started to thud in his chest…
The poster was of the Holyhead Harpies, a professional Quidditch team that Harry happened to be a rather big fan of.
They were an all-women's team - the only female team in the league, to be exact. In the picture, the entire team was there, waving at him with large smiles on their faces. Some of the girls were blowing kisses and winks, but Harry wasn't fazed by them.
The team's captain, Gwenog Jones, stood in the middle of the gathered team. She was an extremely talented Quidditch player and practically built the Holyhead Harpies up from scratch! Harry had an extreme amount of respect for that, and yet, it wasn't the reason why he liked the team so much…
His eyes stared boringly as he took her in…
She sat in the first row, as she was one of the shortest on the team, as she beamed at the camera as they took the picture. Her dazzling red hair was down and in waves but was all thrown over one shoulder, exposing her other clothed shoulder to the world.
But what was really tantalizing was that a hint of her bra strap was peaking out from underneath the uniform of that exposed shoulder…
Harry bit his lip. Hard.
A year ago, during his first month away at basic Auror training, he had been alone in his room, reading his monthly edition of 'Quidditch Today' magazine, when he came upon a page informing of the Holyhead Harpies' newest recruit…
Ginny Weasley.
As soon as Harry had seen her picture, he had been a goner.
She was honestly the most beautiful, captivating witch he had ever seen! In the picture, Ginny hovered sideways on her broom, posing with her legs crossed at the ankles in a very feminine way. She was slender, almost petite, but also muscular within her lean build. Her skin was ivory and looked very smooth to the touch. Oh, how Harry longed to touch. Her hair was a long, fiery red that tumbled down in messy waves. And best of all, she had the biggest, most soulful brown eyes of any person he had ever come across.
As Ginny Weasley stared out at him from that magazine photograph, it was almost as though she were staring right into his soul...
That had been the moment where he had become a Holyhead Harpies fan.
But it seemed that he wasn't the only one. He had learned rather quickly that Ginny had a vastly growing fanbase… particularly, a rather large male fanbase.
Harry couldn't blame them. It made sense, really. Not only was Ginny an amazing Chaser, but she was the most bloody gorgeous girl within the entire league!
Hell, Harry could argue that she was the most attractive witch in all of Wizarding Britain!
Harry sighed as he stared at her form within the group photo… He had debated last night on whether he would bring the poster with only Ginny in the photo, as she smirked deviously and winked saucily at him as one hand played with the end of her broom. But Harry didn't think that it would have been appropriate.
Not because the picture of Ginny was inappropriate on that particular poster… no, it was because Harry had wanked to that poster often enough that one look at it, caused him to harden instantly.
He kept it hidden in his bedroom closet.
Merlin forbid if Sirius ever came across it.
With one last lingering look at her smiling form, while she was gathered around her teammates, Harry turned with it towards the wall. And proceeded to hang it up using a sticking charm that was cast wandlessly.
He grinned as he stepped back and surveyed his handiwork.
If he were ever having a bad day at work, one look at Ginny Weasley's smiling face would make it all better.
Because it would remind him that he lived in a world where Ginny Weasley existed, and that made all the difference to him.
…..
Harry had settled in at his desk, going over some of the first-day paperwork he had to read and sign before he would be allowed out on the field.
It was very tedious and boring… but also extremely important.
And on top of that, there was his emergency contact information he had to give and his health records in regards to immunizations.
But the most morbid of all was that they strongly suggested that an Auror started writing a will. And with Harry's wealth, it was probably best that he heed that advice… Lest some distant, generations-removed relative tried to stake a claim on his family's wealth.
If he ever found himself dead, he wanted Teddy to be well-taken-care-of. Especially since both Remus and Tonks had given their lives to the war, and neither had much wealth to speak of to leave Teddy when they died. It was partially Andromeda and Harry that took care of Teddy financially.
A sudden knock on his open door startled Harry out of his depressing thoughts and Harry looked up.
It was a man with red hair and bright, blue eyes. He was tall and skinny and had freckles scattered along his long nose. Harry guessed that he looked to be around his own age.
"Hey, mate," The man said in a relaxed tone and an easy smile. Harry took an instant liking to him. "Sorry if I disturbed you, but I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Ron."
Harry smiled back as he stood up from his seat and crossed the room. He extended his hand and Ron grasped it. His handshake was firm and steady. "Nice to meet you, Ron. It's no bother, I needed a break from the paperwork, anyway."
Ron smiled before his face brightened slightly in recognition. "Hey, wait a sec, you're Harry Potter, aren't you?"
Dread started to spread deep within his stomach. Is this the part where Ron starts treating him differently now that he knew who Harry was?
"That's me."
Ron eagerly shook his hand with a wide grin, "I've always wanted to meet you, to say thanks. Not only for the war, but you inspired me to become an Auror. Is it true that you used to fly with dragons?"
The feeling of dread in his stomach started to dissipate and a creeping lightness started to replace it. He wasn't staring. This was a good sign. "Yeah, actually, how did you know about that?"
Ron's face brightened in surprise and awe. "No bloody way! That's so wicked! My brother, Charlie works in Romania with the dragons and he told me stories of your visit there. I just never believed them before. Thought he was making them up."
Harry strained his memory to try to remember a Charlie from his time in Romania, but everything in his memory fell to the backburner when in comparison to his memory of the dragons.
"What's it like?" Ron asked curiously, "Flying with dragons?"
Harry grinned widely as he remembered. "Exhilarating. When you fly with a broom, you are in complete control. But when you fly with dragons, control is completely out of your hands. You have to trust in the dragon. Let go of control. And just feel. You feel almost as though you become one with the dragon and the air."
"Merlin…" Ron breathed. "You make it sound as though we should be playing Quidditch with dragons instead of brooms!"
Harry laughed, partially from the wide, flabbergasted look on Ron's face and partially from his actual words. The picture of a Seeker chasing the snitch on a dragon came to mind… "If that were the case, we would need a much larger pitch! Besides, control and Quidditch tend to have to go hand in hand."
Ron's eyes brightened in interest.
"Quidditch fan, I see?" Ron asked before his eyes caught on the poster hanging on the wall of Harry's office. Ron pointed to it with an inquiring look. "Holyhead Harpies?"
Harry turned to see what Ron was pointing at and a slight flush spread across his neck. Ron didn't seem to notice. "Eh, yeah. They are my favourite professional team."
Ron turned his head back to look at him with raised eyebrows. "Really?"
Harry nodded, his flush spreading. But Ron merely smiled at him.
"Say, I've got some season tickets in the box seats for the Holyhead Harpies. You should come with me this Saturday, to hang out."
Harry's eyes bugged out and an excitement swelled in his chest. "Are you kidding?!"
Ron laughed at Harry's obvious elation as he nodded. "I'm serious, honest! What do you say?"
Harry couldn't believe it. An opportunity had presented itself where he would not only get to see Ginny Weasley play Quidditch from the best seats available for viewing, but he would also be going with a potential friend!
A friend…!
"Of course I want to go!" Harry cried out, passionately, "Are you kidding?!"
"You keep saying that," Ron snickered before he punched Harry on the shoulder. "We'll work out the details later for when and where we'll meet on Saturday. It depends on when my mum has lunch planned for the family, so I'll get back to you soon once I talk to her."
Harry could only nod exuberantly with a stupid grin on his face.
Ron chuckled again as started to walk away, "See you later, mate."
"Wait!" Harry asked, needing to know the answer to his question. "How in Merlin's name were you able to get season tickets for the box seats?! I thought that they were reserved years in advance?!"
Ron paused at the door and looked back at him with a shrug. "I get them for free. My sister's on the team, see, Ginny Weasley."
Harry's jaw dropped as Ron walked out of the office, none the wiser to the dread that started to spread in Harry's gut yet again.
Ginny Weasley was Ron's sister?!
Now that he knew, he could definitely see some resemblance between the two… Especially with the red hair.
"Bollocks." Harry cursed, knowing that he somehow had to keep from Ron that his new friend was completely infatuated with his own sister… Lest he comes off as a creep that wanks to perfectly innocent Quidditch posters...
Merlin help him.
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A/N: Hey guys! I needed to write something fresh and this story is what happened. Let me know what you think! This story will continue.
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