A/N
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and not myself (which as I am posting under a fanfiction site should be obvious)
This is my first published story, one I've been writing for awhile. Enjoy : ]
"Kill the spare!
"Avada Kedavra!"
Harry saw a green light speed towards Cedric, and screamed out a warning for him to duck. Too late, Cedric realized what was happening only as the light stuck him in the chest, falling to the ground dead.
Enraged by seeing his fellow champions death, and with the incredible tolerance to pain built up from years of enduring the Dursleys abuse and countless injuries in the magical world, Harry ignored the growing pain from his scar and pointed his wand at the approaching figure that killed his friend.
"Reducto!"
Surprised that Harry had sent a curse at him, and encumbered by the disfigured monstrosity that was his master, Pettigrew was unable to block or dodge this basic spell. The spell struck Wormtail in the shoulder, tearing through flesh and bone, ripping his arm away from his body.
Despite the gory scene before him, Harry knew from his experience in the first task that he needed to keep calm until he was safely back at Hogwarts. He sent stunning spells at the writhing murderer and the abomination he was carrying, as despite his best friend Hermionie's complaints about his work ethic, Harry was still among the top of his year, and was by no means always a reckless idiot. He knew that if Wormtail was here, that the abomination was probably his master Lord Voldemort, and he was far likely better off being cautious.
In their first year, all students of Hogwarts have to attend an assembly where Auror's from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement inform those students that did not grow up in the Wizarding World, about what to do if they need help when away from school and need to contact the Aurors. While the trace, the mysterious spell that tracks underage magic, only works during the summer, the ministry sensors spread throughout the country are able to pick up a particular communication spell that immediately alerts the Aurors to an emergency at the Wizard or Witch's location. While the magical world and the Ministry for Magic was often devoid of logic, their law enforcement department was not completely incompetent, and this simple spell was taught to all first years before they were sent home for the summer.
Harry knew that this spell was only to be used in emergencies, and if being kidnapped, watching your peer be murdered and capturing a death eater as well as a dark lord in a mysterious graveyard was not an emergency, then nothing was. Casting the spell to summon help, Harry kept alert for any other Death Eaters that might be in the area.
Only a few minutes later Harry heard a series of pops not far from him, where five figures in crimson robes had appeared in a circle, wands pointing out.
"Aurors! Wands down!" bellowed a tall dark-skinned bald man with a large golden hoop earring.
Next to the tall man stood a young woman with violently violet hair and a cute heart shaped face, who stumbled on a gravestone just after appearing in the graveyard.
Harry, recognizing the robes they were wearing quickly pocketed his wand and raised his hands to show he was unarmed. The Aurors moved quickly to secure the area, with the tall Auror approaching Harry and the other casting spells at the three indisposed bodies in surrounding him.
"Identify yourself, and explain what you are doing outside of school young man", came a deep calm voice that instantly put Harry at ease.
"I am Harry Potter a fourth year Gryffindor at Hogwarts, I am one of the Triwizard Champions. During the third task when Cedric Diggory and I grabbed onto the cup as a part of the task we were brought here by a portkey. The man that's covered in blood is Peter Pettigrew, he was here waiting for us, but I don't think he was expecting there to be two champions. The baby like thing he was carrying told him to 'Kill the Spare' an-and he cast a killing curse at Cedric! I-There was nothing I could do! It was so fast! Cedric went down, so I cast a reductor curse at Pettigrew before he could attack me too. Then I stunned him and the thing he was carrying and sent for you guys.. I-I think the baby thing is Voldemort!" Harry babbled to the intimidating Auror, the terror of the situation finally penetrating his adrenalin.
The violet haired witch quickly approached the tall Auror to report that the other boy was dead and that like Harry had said it appeared that Pettigrew had killed him, as his wand had cast the Killing Curse. Casting some quick spells on the abomination Pettigrew was carrying, a black light surrounded it, which by the looks of fear that appeared on his face, could mean nothing good.
"Auror Tonks! Go to Director Bones and report that the missing champions have been found, and to send the DOM Dark Magic Squad immediately, this is a class 5 emergency with possible necromancy and a confirmed murder." Barked the tall Auror.
"Ye-yes sir!" Squeaked the Violet haired witch-Tonks as it seemed was her name, who then turned on the spot and disappeared with a loud crack.
Harry, after keeping alert throughout the third task and the horror afterwards, despite the Acromentula venom racing through his bloodstream, stumbled a bit and asked if he could see a healer to see to his injuries.
"Of course Mr. Potter, we should have done that immediately, you will have to be questioned again later but there is no reason we can't bring you to St. Mungos immediately. By the way my name is Auror Captain Kingsley Shacklebolt." He handed Harry a yellow length of rope, and explained that it was a portkey that would bring him to the secure unit at the magical hospital, where he would receive treatment. He would be remaining at the scene but would send one of his Aurors along with Harry to explain the situation to the Healers.
"Activate!"
Harry suddenly found himself in the middle of a hospital ward, presumably St. Mungos, where the Healer on duty forced him into a hospital bed and started sending spell after spell at him.
"We have a poisoning case! Looks like Acromentula! Get the anti-venom kit and a dreamless sleep potion! He needs rest, it looks like he is going into shock!"
The healer shoved the two potions down Harry's throat and he knew no more.
The next morning Harry woke to find himself tucked into a hospital bed, and found his leg completely healed. Looking around the ward he found that he was alone, and was rather thirsty. Reaching for the glass of water on the table next to him, Harry rehydrated and decided to wait until a healer came to check on him. He did not have to wait long, as almost as soon as he could finish his drink, a short dark haired witch, in blue Healer robes entered the ward and rushed over to his bed.
"Welcome to St. Mungos Mr. Potter, my name is Healer Abbot, how are you feeling this morning?"
Sitting up Harry looked at the Healer who was probably a relative of his classmate in Hufflepuff. "I feel pretty good, my leg feels much better"
"Of course it does, we did heal you after all" cheekily replied the blond Healer, "You are very lucky that you came in when you did, that Acromentula Venom could have caused serious damage if left untreated, now let me check you over before the Aurors come back and by the way congratulations on wining that tournament."
As the Healer waved her wand, no doubt casting all sorts of medical spells on him, Harry thought about what had happened in the maze and then that graveyard. Winning the tournament had never really seemed likely to him, as he was so much younger than the other champions and wasn't even at the top of his year like he knew Cedric was. Thinking of Cedric brought up conflicting thoughts, he was horrified that he was dead, and killed in front of him no less, but at the same time relieved that he had survived himself.
The healer finished casting her spells just as the two Aurors from before entered to question him about the events. They introduced themselves as Auror Captain Shacklebolt and Junior Auror Tonks, and had him walk through the third task and its aftermath. Both ensured him that he had performed admirably and that the Unspeakables would want to talk with him about how they had dealt with Voldemort. When Harry asked if the capture of Petigrew would be enough to get his godfather, Sirius, a trial, they ensured him that the DMLE would be looking into it and that they would do everything they could to ensure justice.
Immediately after the Aurors left, there was a quiet 'Pop!' directly in front of Harry's bed, where a tall person in androgynous, featureless grey robes, with a face hidden in shadows appeared.
"Good evening Mister Potter", drawled a bland unremarkable voice, "I am Unspeakable Cain, the head of the Department of Mysteries Dark Illegal Magic Research and Containment division. My department's purpose is to contain and destroy any threat to national security caused by illegal magic. Now while the details about the abomination you captured tonight are classified, we can inform you that the remains of Voldemort have been dealt with and will never again be a threat. The story we will be releasing to the press however will not mention the Dark Lord's involvement, rather it will be a simple case of a kidnapping by disgruntled and insane Death Eaters who wanted revenge for their master's defeat. It's for the best that we keep how Voldemort was able to cheat death to as few people as possible. Don't worry about any of that Mister Potter, it will be taken care of and you will of course be awarded an Order of Merlin for your valiant capture of the murderous criminal Peter Pettigrew. Good Day."
And with another 'Pop!' the unspeakable disappeared before Harry could even say a word.
After another round by the Healers, Harry was finally discharged from the hospital and allowed to floo to the Hogwarts hospital wing and the tender mercy of Madam Pomprey. Needless to say he was instantly forced right back into a hospital bed and subjected to yet another round of prodding and poking from a Healer before being force fed a rather nasty potion and once again passing out.
After a strange dream involving a pair of boots, three sandwiches and a very cranky ostrich, Harry groggily opened his eyes to find the customary pile of sweets and a toilet seat at the foot of his bed. With a nostalgic grin he turned to face the Headmaster, who, just as in his first year, was seated beside his bed staring down on him with twinkling eyes.
Dressed in a blindingly bright lime green robe, covered in Silver and Gold crescent moons, the Headmaster looked down at Harry with twinkling eyes. A seasoned politician, Dumbledore was well aware that letting Harry know that not only did he suspect that he was going to be kidnapped by Tom, but that he had thought Harry would have to willingly sacrifice himself to Tom for the Greater Good, would sour his only illustrious reputation harming his ability to manip- er guide his world. Never let it be known however that he, Albus Dumbledore, was not a resourceful man, and what better way to maintain his reputation and power then to deny having any knowledge of the situation, twinkle his eyes a bit and ensure that there was something else to distract his constituents. He knew that Harry was the future of the world, a hero to the people and soon to be fellow winner of the Order of Merlin. To maintain his influence into the coming century, even after his own passing on to the next great adventure, he would need to ensure Harry continued to look up to him and eventually follow in his footsteps. So a distraction was in order, and nothing was a better distraction to a young lad than Quidditch. Not only would Quidditch keep Harry happy and on his good side, but it would increase his popularity and resources for use in the future as the next leader of the light. Nothing is better than having your lemon drop and eating it too!
"Harry my boy, I am so sorry you put into such a situation, the unspeakables explained everything, I had no idea this whole thing was a trap. You preformed marvelously of course, you should be so proud of your actions, you surely saved so many lives. Of course the elimination of the threat of Voldemort changes everything for you my boy. Without Tom the Blood Wards around your relative's house are no longer necessary for your safety and there is no need to stay there over the summer. Coincidentally I recently received an invitation for you from the British Quidditch League to declare your eligibility as a professional. As you may know now that you will be 15 before the next season starts you are eligible to play professionally, and there has been a good deal of interest in you my boy, including from the national team. We haven't had a good seeker in nearly a century. If I may be so bold my boy I think this is an excellent opportunity for you to broaden your community involvement and have a good time, not to mention earn enough money to buy a place to live, after all as I understand it the Potter's properties were all destroyed in the war. It wouldn't do after all to have to empty your vaults to rebuild everything leaving your future family with nothing, not to mention that you are unable to use funds from the family vault and for that matter your seat on the Wizengamot before you are of age."
Shocked by this development, and overwhelmed by all this information about his family. Vaults? Seats? Homes?! Harry sputtered,
"P-Professor, why is this the first I have heard about any of this?! I didn't know my family was that well off, although now that I think of it I should have guessed that at least the home in Godric's Hollow was mine."
"Alas, I thought you already knew, as it is the Goblins responsibility to look after your estate. I can only guess that they decided to keep you ignorant until you have access to those assets. I know this is a lot to think about Harry, but if you decide to play Quidditch I am sure a good agent can include the use of an apartment as part of your contract, which would allow you to save up enough to at least repair Potter Mannor in Rowen Hill, where your family has traditionally lived. I would talk to the goblins about contracting someone to rebuild your home if that is something that interests you. As for an agent, consider talking to my good friend Queenie Greengrass. She is the Aunt of one of your classmates and represents a number of our former students including Mr. Wood who as you know signed with Puddlemore United last year. I'l owl her for you to get things rolling."
Getting up, and walking towards the door, Dumbledore left him with some parting words, "In case you were wondering Harry, I am a Chudley fan, after all their wonderful color scheme is right up my ally. "
Chuckling to himself Harry thought over the conversation he just had with the headmaster. While Harry would be the first to admit he wasn't nearly as intelligent as his bushy haired best friend, he was still rather clever, and had plenty of experience from his Uncle in how to distract people from something by overloading them with information. Despite Dumbledore's obvious tactics, the idea of no more Dursleys and playing Quidditch professionally, not to mention rebuilding his family home was a worthy distraction in his mind, and more than enough for him to not dig into whatever Dumbledore was trying to hide. While he knew Sirius would hopefully be free soon, he would much rather be on his own, as he didn't really know Padfoot all that well, and there was little he wouldn't do to get away from his relatives.
Harry heard a loud bang as the door to the infirmary swung open and a bushy haired blur rushed over to his bed, immediately assaulting him with a hug.
"Oh Harry I was so worried. You were doing so well in the maze and then you grabbed the cup and no one could find you! Then Professor Moody was arrested and found to be someone else using Polyjuice and then Aurors were everywhere and they rushed us all back into our dormitories and I was so worried and you still weren't back and I just knew you'd wind up hurt again! They told us Cedric was dead and I was terrified! Honestly Harry, you always get hurt you can't keep doing this to me." Hermione rapidly sputtered, despite being his best friend for 4 years now it still surprised Harry just how quick she could talk when excited about something.
"Shh Hermione I'm fine, really. Everything is going to be ok, nothing like this will ever happen to me again."
Harry went on to tell Hermione everything that had happened, the Maze, the Graveyard, the Hospital and what Dumbledore had told him.
"I just don't know Hermione, if I were to play professionally I could make a good living, meet a lot of people and travel a good deal. I'm worried though about how I would keep in touch with you, I know it would be hard to go to Hogwarts and still play, Krum seemed to struggle a bit with that this year and next year is OWLs. I could always get tutors I guess, that might even be better really. Before Hogwarts started I was so excited about potions and then Snape crushed that interest with his petty taunts about my dad. We both spend most of our time in class fooling around anyway as we have to wait for everyone else to get a spell down before we move on, which slows down our learning significantly."
"That's true Harry, but one of the reasons Hogwarts graduates tend to get the best positions is due to Hogwarts reputation. While your name would probably make up for not having a diploma from Hogwarts, it certainly wouldn't hurt. Hogwarts has the best professors, and access to one of the best libraries in the world, and that's hard to beat and it would ensure that you have time away from Quidditch to relax with friends."
After Hermione was chased out of the hospital wing by an angry Madam Pomfrey, Harry came to the decision to stay a student at Hogwarts. Even if he could make a career as an athlete he still wanted to complete his education like his parents did, maybe even become head boy. Plus Hogwarts was his first home, and regardless of what came next in his life, Hogwarts would always remain a place of comfort for him.
The next day.
Dressed in his finest robes, leftover from the yule ball months earlier, Harry found himself anxiously waiting for Queenie Greengrass to arrive for their first meeting, set up by the headmaster. Dumbledore had graciously allowed Harry to use the staff meeting room, a private area where he would not be disturbed or overheard by the ever prying ears of the Hogwarts students.
The door opened to show a tall middle aged women with pitch black hair, brown eyes and aristocratic cheekbones, wearing a knee length blue dress.
"Good afternoon Mr. Potter, my name is Queenie Greengrass. I am a partner at the firm Greengrass & Davis which provides a number of legal services, including dealing with the press and the goblins. My own specialty is in sports law, and I represent many clients in the British Quidditch League. If you agree to hire my firm to represent you, we will go over your options for the upcoming offseason. Our rates are rather reasonable and our client's confidentiality is assured by a magical contract, even if in the future you decide to move to another representative. For the first meeting here you will be charged one galleon, just to get things started legally and all your preliminary paperwork and contracts will be charged at a 2 galleon per hour basis. Now once you are signed by a team, and for any endorsements you sign, our rates are a 10% commission on any money paid. Now this may seem high, but this rate gives you complete coverage by our legal teams and publicists at a low, 5 galleons per hour rate. "
Thinking over the rates discussed, Harry quickly agreed, as given the nonsense with the daily prophet this year and how little he knew about the legal system in the Wizarding World having a team of professionals looking after his best interest would be worth the fees.
"I think I can agree to that Ms. Greengrass, I assume you have a contract already drawn up?"
After signing a contract and authorizing the firm to withdraw their fees from his trust vault, his new agent began to explain the process to him of how to declare his eligibility and their plan for getting signed for the upcoming season.
"Now as you are aware, the British League has invited you to their camp this summer. This is crucial for all hopefuls to display their talent to the scouts. All of the British teams will send their top scouts and the national team coach will be there as well. Now Hogwarts isn't particularly known for developing seekers, but your talent is rather well known. Let's start with the national team as I know for a fact that their new coach, Manfield White, is a huge fan of yours. He watches all of the Hogwarts games and played with your father when they won the cup back when they were at Hogwarts. The next world cup isn't for another 3 years, and Britain hasn't had a good showing so far. Their current seeker is mediocre at best and I think it is extremely likely that you will be offered a spot on the team. You won't be their starter right away, but they are planning for the future and White thinks you are going to be a star."
"Our real focus however will be the club teams, that's where the big money is and where you will have to make the best impression. The British League is the premiere league in the world and will offer you the best opportunity, given your built in popularity here especially with your recent victory in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The Falcons, Catapults, Bats and Arrows are all looking for seekers. The rest will still have an eye on you and may even tender an offer, but these teams are all desperate and will likely offer a starting position if you impress them enough. Despite your inexperience they will want you to get as much experience as quickly as possible to maximize your potential. However to do any of that you must have a strong camp so that will be our focus for the next month. We have until August to get you into top shape."
"So first things first, I'm going to have our team look into apartments in London near a private Gym that we send our clients to before they have access to a team gym. We will set you up with a personal trainer who will work with you for the next month, and we will find a seekers coach who will help train you up to professional standards. It's a bit of an investment but I think they will give you the best shot to get a starting position on a competitive team. It certainly won't cost more than 200 galleons. I will personally meet you at King's Cross to take you to your temporary apartment and we will discuss what comes next then. Do you have any questions?"
Harry sat absorbing all the information thrown his way, impressed by the professionalism of his new agent and excited for his future for the first time in years. Working with a coach sounded like a brilliant idea and wasn't something he ever would have thought of. While he often had problems accepting praise for his accomplishments, Quidditch was something he took a great deal of pride and joy in. As much as he loved playing at Hogwarts, he knew that becoming a professional would be a thousand times better, and a good deal more work.
"My only question is how we are going to handle my schedule during the school year? I would like to continue being a student here at Hogwarts as well as my duties for whatever team I sign with."
"Ah that is actually rather straight forward. As you know you aren't the only teen to play while still in school, so there is a procedure for that. Most teams play one game a week during the season, with national team games coming during off weeks and the off season. Given how long games can go they are usually scheduled for Saturdays, with practices Monday through Thursday. Players are expected to work out on their own time, and attend all team practices. To accommodate student athletes the league has a set system where you will floo from Hogwarts to your team's facilities in the morning for your workout and practice before going to the league office where they will send you back in time in order to sleep then attend your classes. It will be annoying to essentially live through each twice, but it will allow you to meet all your responsibilities."
