A/N: After a year and a half of not writing anything that wasn't related to school, I'm back. I finally felt inspired to write after watching the U.S. Women take home the World Cup for the first time since I was a month old. Unfortunately, I had no idea where I was going with A Change of Intentions and that made writing it tough. However, this one should be pretty basic and I imagine I'll enjoy writing it, as Quidditch has always intrigued me. A quick bit of background: Voldemort basically didn't exist, which means Harry isn't immediately a celebrity (although he likely will reach that in this story at some point), and James and Lily are still alive.

Disclaimer: Most of what appears in this is J.K. Rowling's, including the teams. There will be a massive number of OC's due to necessity in making this work, but for the most part, they aren't going to play major roles beyond playing their role in Quidditch, if that makes any sense.

June 1, 1998—6:30 P.M.

The Gryffindor common room was typically a source of constant noise. On this night however, they would wait in agonizing silence until the name of one of their own, one of the best seekers to be produced from Hogwarts in a long time, was called by Jack Williams, the commissioner of the British and Irish Quidditch League. The player in question, one Harry Potter, who had caught a remarkable 17/19 snitches in his time at Hogwarts, was one of the most decorated Hogwarts players in the twentieth century. The seven year starter had won 5 Hogwarts Golden Goggles awards as best seeker, as well as 4 M.V.P. trophies. In addition, he had helped Gryffindor win 6 Hogwarts Inter-League Championships, captaining them to three himself. However, concerns over the level of competition he had played, and a poor combine work-out as well as concerns over his slight build had him projected to go in the middle of the first round.

As the WWN blared the familiar orchestral lines associated with the BIQL over the numerous radios throughout the room, the bit of chatter that had been present suddenly quieted.

"Greetings to you from Exmoor Quidditch Stadium, the home of the Falmouth Falcons, as well as the 1998 First Year Player Combine and the 1998 First Year Draft. I'm Ken Osbourne, and with me today are WWN BIQL Draft Expert Marty Lewis, and a former first round pick of the Puddlemere United, BIQL Hall of Famer, Larry White," came the iconic voice of the longtime voice of professional quidditch in the British Isles. "Larry, I'll start with you. Tonight, forty-two young men and women will realize the dream of a lifetime when Commissioner Williams calls their names from the podium at the center of the pitch. Can you explain what it felt like when your name was called all those years ago?"

"Well, Ken, I really can't. It's just too hard to describe all the emotions that you feel when you realize that what you've worked for your entire life has finally come to fruition. I will say, though, that these men and women cannot sit back after their name has been called and take it for granted. Getting your name called is really just the first step in what is required to succeed in this league. I can almost guarantee that half of these players will be out of the league within four years," Larry White's deep, booming voice responded.

"Thank you, Larry. Now Marty, the newly reinstated Banchory Bangers hold the first pick in this year's draft as an expansion team. What do you expect them to do once they are on the clock in about 10 minutes?" Osbourne asked the draft expert.

"Boy, Ken, is this exciting or what? This looks to be a very strong draft class, but in my mind, the guy who stands head and shoulders above the rest is Karl O'Hara. This guy was just dominant at St. Pat's, leading his team to 5 consecutive Irish Private School Circuit Championships. He has prototypical size for an elite chaser, and his broom-handling is second to none. He scored nearly 2500 points in 30 games during his amateur career, and recorded 57 assists as well. I expect there will be a little adjustment period as he gets adjusted to the ferocity of professional quidditch next season, but when he gets adjusted, watch out!"

"Thank you for that insight Marty, now it looks like Commissioner Williams is ready to begin. To the podium we go," Osbourne's voice once again came through the radio speakers.

Exmoor Quidditch Stadium

"Welcome players, teams, and quidditch fans, to the 1998 first-year player draft. Tonight, 42 names will be called over three rounds as young men and women from across the Isles realize the dream of a lifetime. The expansion Banchory Bangers hold the first pick. They have 10 minutes to make a selection in the first round. Good luck!" Jack Williams, the commissioner of the BIQL said from the podium, making his way off to the side.

Harry Potter sat at a table with his family and his date for the evening, a 6-year teammate of his at Hogwarts, Katie Bell. He looked around the room at the other 9 players invited by the league to attend the draft, and tried to gauge when his name would be called. His agent had said he could potentially go as early as fourth to the Falcons, but was most likely to be called somewhere in the 6-8 range. Apparently, his poor combine had hurt his draft stock significantly, as he was originally projected to be somewhere in the 2-5 range. The poor effort had moved him down mock boards to become the second seeker off the board, behind David Walsh. Personally, Harry thought himself to be the second or third best player in the draft, but had to admit that the concerns many scouts had were probably valid. He was interrupted from his musings when his father, James Potter, clapped him on the back.

"Head up, champ. Try not to worry so much. Your name will be called sooner or later, and hey, the later you go, the better the team you land on, eh?" the almost never serious patriarch said.

"Yeah, I know. I just don't like not knowing what'll happen. I'll try to not think about it too much," Harry admitted to his father.

"There you go, pup. You have a lovely date that you've basically ignored for the entirety of the night already," Harry's godfather, the ultimate playboy Sirius Black chimed in. Harry rolled his eyes in response, but did engage Katie in small talk.

Exmoor Quidditch Stadium got quiet as the commissioner took the stage. Williams cleared his throat, and began reading the card he was holding. "With the first overall pick of the 1998 British and Irish Quidditch League First Year Player Draft, the Banchory Bangers select…Karl O'Hara, chaser, St. Patrick's Private Institute of Magic. The Chudley Cannons are now on the clock."

While the crowd cheered as O'Hara took the stage to take pictures with the commissioner, the guys at the broadcast table were already discussing the pick.

"Boy, Ken, I have to say that I love this pick. This was a pick that the Bangers needed to make a splash with, and boy did they! O'Hara is the top talent in this deep draft class, and I think he could be a superstar for years to come. It will be important for the Bangers to draft well for the rest of the night to help build the roster beyond the guys they got in the expansion draft, but O'Hara is a great cornerstone to start that," said the ever excitable Marty Lewis.

"Yeah, I agree. The Bangers had a solid chasing line already, but it's unjustifiable to pass up on a prospect of this caliber," Larry White added his two cents.

"So we agree this is a great pick for the Bangers," Ken Osbourne said. "But now we have to look ahead to the team on the clock. The Chudley Cannons have not won a league title since 1892, and have basically been a lock to finish dead last for the past 20 years. What do they need to do to turn the franchise around?"

"Ken, there isn't a roster in any sport, magical or muggle, anywhere in the world like the Chudley Cannons. They have 6 former number 1 overall picks, and all of them have seemingly busted. I've projected most of them to be impact players, which tells me that this is an issue that is rooted in the coaching. I think Ragmar Dorkins has done just an awful job of managing the players, and his inept coaching has kept those players from reaching their full potentials. I don't think whoever they pick has a chance to succeed unless they can get a trade out of Chudley as soon as possible," Lewis said scathingly.

"Harsh words, Marty, but I think most people understand where you are coming from. It looks like the pick is in, let's head down to the podium," Osbourne said, turning to look to the commissioner making his way to the afore mentioned structure.

"With the second pick, the Chudley Cannons select David Walsh, seeker, Magical Institute of the British Isles. The Falmouth Falcons are on the clock," Commissioner Williams announced.

"So, Chudley decides to go with Walsh. Thoughts?" Osbourne asked his partners.

"I think Harry Potter is feeling lucky that his bad combine performance dropped him behind Walsh on many mock drafts," White said honestly. "Otherwise that may be him picked in that spot, and let's be honest, no one wants to play for the Cannons. At least, not anyone who hopes to play for a long time."

"Yeah, I have to agree with you Larry. Although, I think this could be a very good pick. I had Walsh going fourth to the Falcons, but it's hard to argue grabbing a seeker when you think about how vital they are to a team. Walsh had better hope the second round pick is a beater, though, or he will get smashed into a pulp in Chudley," Lewis said. "The kid has great size for a seeker, he's wickedly fast, and extremely smart on the pitch. He caught 22 of 25 possible snitches, and brought his team to the British Amateur League Finals on three occasions."

"Thank you both for the insight, but before we discuss the Wanderers, who pick next, I want to talk about something Larry brought up. What does this mean for Harry Potter, the seeker that many people felt was the top one in the draft until his bad day at the combine earlier this month?" Osbourne asked.

"Frankly, I think Harry Potter is the big winner of that pick," Lewis said. "It ensures that he will at least not get smeared due to the worst back line in the league, and even though he is about even in terms of talent with Walsh, it would seem that when we look back at this draft in twenty years, we will be saying that it was Harry Potter who helped his team more, because Chudley seems helpless at this point."

"Alright, thank you Marty. Back to the podium we go," said Osbourne.

As Harry and his party waited for his name to finally be called, they watched as the room slowly started clearing out. The Wanderers took Elizabeth Hodges, the consensus best keeper in the draft. After that, the Falcons took Kevin Mallery, a former chaser-mate of Karl O'Hara. Harry knew that he wouldn't be picked fifth, as the Harpies held that pick, and they hadn't picked a male player since the mid-1800's. As it turned out, they spent the pick on the third chaser to be picked in the draft, Megan Wallace.

"Relax, Harry. I have a feeling you will be the next player picked," said Lily comfortingly. As if on cue, the Commissioner took the stage.

"With the sixth pick, the Wimbourne Wasps select Harry Potter, seeker, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

James, Sirius, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, all whooped and hollered and patted Harry on the back as the young man stood up from the table. Harry hugged Lily, and then Katie, before making his way to the stage, where the commissioner was waiting with a Wasps Jersey with the number 1, and 'Potter' etched on the back at the shoulders.

As Harry shook hands with the commissioner and posed for pictures, the Gryffindor common room broke out in full celebration, while the broadcasters on the WNN analyzed the pick.

"Ken, I absolutely love this pick at 6. I think Potter has the biggest upside of any player in this whole draft. Yes, he had the poor showing at the combine, but I think he will eventually make the teams that passed on him regret it. He has the bloodline: his father was a player briefly for the Montrose Magpies in the late seventies into the early eighties. He has the leadership that teams love; he captained his team at Hogwarts to three straight titles, and he won a total of six in his seven years there. And most importantly, he has the talent. He captured 17/19 possible snitches during his time at Hogwarts, and he has the uncanny ability to have total control of his broom even at top speed, which is essential to be a successful seeker. The only major issues I see are that he didn't really play against the best competition at Hogwarts, and I have to wonder if he is perhaps too small to last at the professional level," Marty Lewis gushed.

"Thank you for the insight, Marty. I would like to point out that the young Potter appeared to be in the company of the promising young Katie Bell, the chaser for the Appleby Arrows that had a strong showing in the second half of the season last year. I don't wish to imply anything by that, but that could perhaps lead to some interesting storylines down the road," the observant Ken Osbourne said. "Now, what do we expect the Catapults to do with the next pick?"

A/N: And that's a wrap for now. I apologize for all of the talking, but let's face it, that's mostly what a draft is. And before anyone complains, I felt it necessary to include the draft because it sets up competitive rivals for the first year. Also, do not expect Harry to necessarily even start right away. I'm going to try to make this realistic in terms of player development. Even great players take some time to develop, especially when they make the jump to the pros. A large number of players do flame out, even when they are drafted top 10.

Signing off for now,

TheDarkMind10