Chapter Five: Harry Potter's Idea

(July 16, 2016)

James stood outside the gates of the Tornadoes' Quidditch pitch and bounced from foot to foot in line. He had been counting down the days to this match for two weeks.

"Relax James, we have seen a bunch of these matches," Al tried to calm his older brother.

"It's not the same," he whined for the hundredth time that day. Harry smiled at his eldest son. He understood the boy's excitement. This was just not any match to him; this was the match he was personally invited to by his hero.

"Just leave him be Al," Harry said to his youngest son. It had been over a week since Harry had kissed Ariella in his office, but he kept drifting back to it in his mind. It almost made him forego coming to the match today. He almost sent Ron with the kids by himself. Ariella had sent enough tickets for the lot to go, and Harry kept going back and forth between whether he would accompany everyone. The memory of her tousled and looking shocked just wouldn't erase itself from his mind's eye. Harry didn't understand what about that moment had been so surprising to her. It may have been that he unprofessionally kissed her in his office, but even that seemed too farfetched to be the reason. His mind kept coming back to the idea that she just couldn't believe her reaction to it.

"Oi, Harry, they're letting us in for the practice session," Ron said trying to get his attention. Harry shook his head and tried to focus on the task at hand.

The lot of them was ushered to a special box for the practice session that they would remain in for the actual match. There was a table with food and drinks, plenty of cushy seats, and binoculars.

Ron shook his head, "With these seats I don't think we need the binoculars. She really outdid even Malfoy." Harry nodded. This was the nicest accommodations they had ever had at a Tutshill match. Ariella had clearly pulled some weight around the pitch to get this.

The kids helped themselves to snacks as the Tutshill players took the pitch for their thirty minute before-match practice session. James ran back to his seat at the front of the box; it was denoted by his name and a charmed blue balloon.

"This is so wicked!" He screamed as he watched the players practice. Al rolled his eyes and sat down next to his brother.

Ariella flew up to the private box, "How is everything?" She was flushed from flying, but there was another look in her eyes as she looked at Harry.

"This is way more than necessary," Harry responded trying to get the image of her flustered from their kiss out of his head. "James what do you say?" He encouraged his son.

"Thank you Ariella Pucey! This is the best birthday ever!" James shouted with delight.

Ariella nodded, "You're welcome James Potter. Back to practice or Wood will have my broom."

James sat on the edge of his seat as he watched the Chasers do formation drills.

Harry did the same.

The match was against the Wasps and it was clear that Tutshill was the favourite. They had won the last four matches they played.

"PUCEY PASSES THE QUAFFLE TO ZABINI WHO SWERVES PAST THE WASPS BEATER. HE THROWS TO DAVIES, DAVIES THROWS BACK. ZABINI GETS TO THE GOAL POSTS, AND HE THROWS THE QUAFFLE…STRAIGHT UP?" The announcer sounded confused until a strawberry-blonde bolt came down the pitch, caught the Quaffle and tossed it into the left goal.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THE TORNADOES JUST DID THAT PLAY!" The announcer voiced his disbelief.

"That was bloody amazing!" James shouted and leaned forward on the rail of the box. He was so impressed and to learn that formation.

"AND THE RACE FOR THE SNITCH IS UNDERWAY! MALFOY IS LEANING FORWARD. AND…HE'S GOT IT FOLKS! THE SCORE IS 300 TO 50 MAKING IT ANOTHER TORNADOES' WIN! ALSO THE TORNADOES WOULD LIKE TO WISH JAMES POTTER A HAPPY BIRTHDAY."

James turned a peculiar shade of pink at the mention of his birthday. Harry chuckled because he knew how embarrassed James was by loud announcements about him.

When they all had made it to the players' quarters, Harry and the rest of the lot were stunned to see streamers, balloons, and a cake.

"Happy birthday!" The team greeted James with the game Quaffle. James was so excited he nearly fell over from it all.

Harry noticed Ariella having a heated discussion with Davies. He went to her and pulled her aside in order to thank her, "Ariella, this is amazing. It's way overdoing it, but amazing nonetheless."

Ariella nodded at his gratitude.

(July 17, 2016)

Harry watched as the kids roamed the Burrow's yard. Molly had planned this Sunday's dinner around James' birthday. She had set up a table in the front for a cake and presents.

James, Fred, Al, Scorpius, and Hugo were all tossing the Quaffle James got the day before at the match. He had told every detail of the experience to his cousins.

Harry sighed. Every one of his adopted siblings were staring and worried about him since Ron had let slip to George that Harry had snogged Ariella in their office.

"So Harry, what's it like to kiss Ariella Pucey?" George inquired raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Shove it," Harry replied, but didn't quite get away before Hermione approached him.

She grabbed his sleeve, "You can talk to me."

Harry hated when she gave him that look. It was the 'I'm your best mate you should talk to me' look. He sighed, followed her to a seat, and waited for her to speak.

"Ron told us you were kissing Ariella Pucey. How do you feel about it?" Hermione asked, approaching it like a problem to solve.

"I don't know. She reminds me a lot of Ginny and it makes me wary. At the same time she's been overly kind to James. Did Ron tell you about yesterday?" She told him that Ron explained the whole day in great detail to her.

"Maybe you should explore the idea and be cautious," she suggested. Harry was hesitant to commit to this idea, but it seemed the most logical. Logical was what was expected from Hermione Granger-Weasley.

(July 22, 2016)

Taking Hermione's advice, Harry found himself going to the Tutshill pitch after he finished with some paperwork in his office on Friday. He stood outside the players' rooms waiting for the object of too many fantasies made her way out of them.

Draco found Harry outside because he was the first to leave, "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting to speak to Ariella," he answered nonchalantly. Draco looked at him for a moment, "Just don't be an arse again." With his mind spoken, Draco disapparated.

A few more of the players left, Harry saying hello to each of them, before Ariella was in the corridor with him. She was stunned to see him at first, but assumed he was here to speak to Draco. She then realized Draco had left long before her, and yet Harry was still here.

Harry noticing her confusion spoke, "I'm here to talk to you. Fancy some dinner?"

Ariella nodded because she didn't trust her voice to say anything for her. First he makes her stay away, then he apologizes, and now he's taking her to dinner. Harry Potter was a very confusing man.

He took her hand and did a side-along apparition with her to one of his favorite cafes in Diagon Alley.

Once they were seated, Harry looked at her. He wanted to tell her that he was going to let James spend whatever time he would like for the rest of the summer doing training or whatever it was she had planned with Tutshill. It was the best thing for his son especially knowing that James wanted nothing more than to become a Quidditch player one day.

"So, Harry, what did you want to talk to me about?" Ariella asked warily, her emotions for him ranging from anger to arousal at the moment.

"I wanted to tell you that I'll let James spend whatever time with the team for the rest of the summer. What you had said about him being able to have access to a professional team this young, it makes sense. I was being stubborn," he answered her as someone came by with their glasses of water.

"Okay, well you didn't need to take me to dinner to tell me that."

"I wasn't finished. Even though I know this is against my better judgment, I want to see you socially."

Ariella looked at him bewildered, "Don't you think that would be a conflict of interest with James spending time with my team? And, if it's against your better judgment, then why would you want to do it?"

"I think that we're able to separate the professional from the personal. We're both single. And even though it's against my better judgment I'm bloody well attracted to you and I know you feel the same about me." He answered as the waiter returned.

They both placed orders with him before continuing with the conversation.

"You're right. I can't deny that I find you attractive and that I enjoyed kissing you. I just don't know if this is the best idea right now. You have me puzzled about what it is you want. You send me away with instructions not to talk to your son, then you change your mind. I don't know if I can handle a relationship with those kinds of ups and downs," she explained to him as she thought about the issues with Roger and Everett before him. Cheating, lying, it was too much for her to go through again this soon after leaving Roger.

Harry stared at her. She was not telling him something. He heard her say that she was attracted to him, but she was still saying no.

"I'm sure whatever you're hiding from me is the real reason you are saying no, but rest assured that I'm going to ask you again.