Welcome for another installment of my story. Thank you all again for all the lovely and informative review. I will handle the comments about P.O.V. as soon as I have time, General Kenobi SIYE. Thank you for telling me about that, and hopefully it will make the reading much more enjoyable when I get to it. As for why Ripper is in Harrods, as a lot of you asked. First off, I understand Ripper isn't a service dog. But Aunt Marge too me, does not seem like the type of woman to care. People take small dogs in their bags, into store all the time so I saw no reason why Aunt Marge shouldn't think Ripper could come too. Second off, it's a fan fiction, filled with my interpretations. Just look over this small fact and continue on because I think it's still a good story.

And I am sorry if the first part of this chapter is taxing. What I like about writing these stories is I'm learning new things. Like about Harrods and now Rugby. It makes this heartbreaking story a little easier to write.

Harry followed Blake outside after their third week of classes and headed towards the park where the pitch was. They had Rugby tryout's today and though Harry was nervous he was as excited to be trying out for the team sport as he normally was playing a game with Hermione. Abigail and Gregory knew where he was going and encouraged him trying out for the sport, thinking the team environment would help him become more confident and would also earn him a few friends. The pitch was as green as Harry's eyes, and smelt fresh. Nothing was like the sight of this place, a game he had quickly learned and discovered he was shockingly good at. Blake had gone so far as to say he was jealous of Harry's speed.

The first thing Harry had learned was this game was nothing like American style football (otherwise known as Gridiron) that Dudley had liked to watch back home, or Soccer. It's played without padding which worried Hermione and Abigail a great deal. Harry shrugged that off, saying he had been through worse. Blake had told Harry that the main similarities between rugby and American football were that they were both running games played with a ball that's roughly the same shape and size. The game itself is played on a grassy pitch that is 100 metres long (Which translated into American measurements is about 3.2808 ft.) by 69 metres wide. The sidelines are called touchlines and there are exactly two in-goal areas about 10 to 22 metres deep with a try line marking the front and a dead ball line at the back. The height of each post varies.

A game of rugby consists of two halves of time that are 40 minutes with injury time added on at the end of both halves. Each side consists of 15 players, divided into eight forwards and seven backs. A total of seven substitutes are allowed for international matches. There is one referee assisted by two touch judges, who mark where the ball goes out of play, adjudge kicks at goal and inform the referee of foul play. A fourth official control replacements and substitutes.

The whole object of Rugby is to score more points than your opponent before the end of the game. (A lot like Quidditch!) One way to score is a Try, which is worth five points. It is scored when a player places the ball on the ground with downward pressure in the in-goal area between the try line and dead line of the opposition's half. You can accomplish this a number of ways, other than running over the try line and putting the ball down. They include the pushover try, scored by driving the oppositions scrum back over its own line. Basically a scrum is where both teams stand in two lines while the ball is being rolled between them and they try to kick it behind the feet to gain control of the ball. There is also a penalty kick, done from the sidelines and drop goals, where you drop kick the ball into the opposition's goal. The ball is passed and kicked, which is just moving the ball itself. And there is tackling, but onto the player that is in possession of ball, unlike in American football where blocking is basically done to everyone.

Hermione had told Blake that the game sounded barbaric and was played by complete chauvinistic males. Black had quickly replied that she was wrong, and that the Black Ferns in New Zealand are a formidable opposition and play against many other teams around the world.

Hermione had quickly shut up and went back to her homework.

Sitting down on the pitch as Blake stretched, Harry made sure his shoes were on tight and that he exchanged his glasses with the sports goggled that the Grangers had provided. No need for him to completely ruin his new glasses. Getting up he stretched besides Blake and looked around. Other kids were coming up to try out, a handful of large and small boys, all looking like bullies in their own right, and a small group of girls. Harry kept an eye on them but did pretend to be uninterested. Girls could be just as good, even better at this game and he didn't need them to show him up at tryouts. The Couch approached the field and began to shout out orders, telling the kids to get into two groups of 15. The larger boys stuck together, more than likely just a school yard gang that was looking for a way to beat up kids without getting into much trouble.

Harry and Blake got onto the opposite team, the girls and several of the smaller boys joining them. Small was not necessarily a bad thing though. If they could keep up with Harry and guard him while he was running the ball, like Blake could then there wouldn't be any problem, and they might actually win the scrimmage.

Just before the game began, Coach Darby handed out colored vests with numbers written on the back, telling them to take the appropriate vest for the position they were trying out for. The boys scrambled to grab the vests numbered 1-8 to get the forward position, but Blake quickly thwarted their greedy ways. Taking the vests from the smallest boys trying out for forward, he turned and handed them to the girls. At their age the girls were growing faster and therefore larger. That left the rest of the boys, and Harry with the vests number 9-15, taking position as backs. They would exploit the possession of the ball that is won by the forwards. The coach looked over the kids and seemed to get a slightly satisfied expression on his gruff face. Walking to the middle of the field with the ball, coach allowed the opposition to make the kick off, which rankled Blake's mood considerably. Timmy, the other teams forward that was making the kick off gave them a gape toothed savage grin that made the kid closest to Harry whimper and nearly wet his pants.

With a sharp whistle the ball was kicked and the game had begun! Blake led the forwards and snatched up the ball, running forward and leading the back towards the opposition. Just as it seemed like they were going to collide, Blake flicked the ball over his shoulder where Harry, quick as a cheetah, snatched the ball and began to run around the mob of bullies. Two quickly turned and began to race after him. No one acted as his block, because it wouldn't be cost effective, player wise. At the last second Harry snapped the ball off to a kid with dark red hair. Harry felt the larger body crash into him and knock him into the ground as the kid took off for the goal. He dropped it between the try line and the dead post, earning them several points. The team shouted in excitement and earned quite a few resentful glares as well. Blake pulled Harry up and they shared a grin, before getting into formation again.

It was sundown before the end of the tryouts, and Couch Darby had the kids all sit around him, though granted they were a little divided, having grown close during the shockingly long game. (Rugby is generally a face paced game.) He looked over his clipboard and sighed.

"Now I'm only picking 20 of your to play, five of which are just going to be subs. So I'm sorry. You're all pretty good players." He flipped the page and began to call out names, tossing Jerseys to the appropriate kids.

"Anderson, Timothy. Wagenheim, Clark. Pham, Sonia." He tossed out the first three, and apprehension began to build as Blake and Harry looked at each other.

"Williams, Donald. Xin, Cynthia-" as the couch continued both boys began to slouch. Maybe they weren't as good as they had though.

Both boys quietly began to put their things into their school bags. They were ready to leave then Couch Darby tossed them both Jerseys. A forward for Blake and a Back for Harry.

"Didn't think I was going to forget you two, little devils. You're both on the team." He turned away and began to tell them when their first practice and game was. Congratulating one another quietly, both boys stood. Abigail seemed to be running late and after bidding Blake farewell, Harry began the long walk home. Watching from the pitch and through the park, Harry noticed the hunched shoulders of a kid walking away. His clothes were torn up and he was scrawny. Staring more he couldn't help but think that blond kid reminded him of himself. Picking up the pace, Harry changed his path to follow after him.

The kid began to pick up his pace, a familiar expensive looking backpack was on his shoulders, but why would he be using an old backpack. He had always gotten a new one.

Harry began to run after the kid, who was instantly sprinting across the street and down an alley. When had He gotten so skinny!?

Struggling to catch up, he ran down the hall and yelped when a trashcan lid lifted up and flew at him as if it had a mind of its own. Ducking, Harry stared ahead with wide eyes. The kid was struggling to climb over a chain link fence. Quickly without thinking he ran over and grabbed the other 7-year-old by the baggy trousers and pulled him down. Falling on top of the righting kid, both squirmed and tried to over-power one another.

For once, Harry pinned Dudley.

Looking at one another in shock, Harry took in the skinny waif that was once a pompous fat boy. And he was bruised, and his eyes filled with fear.

"Dudley?"

The other kid didn't even respond. Then Harry realized his cousin had done accidental magic.

Thank you all for you reviews about my Author's Note. I read every comment and took them to heart. I hope you all and your families have better futures. Thank you Ceo55, Blackheart09, The Submarauder, General Kenobi SIYE, Bobmin356, Ipod reader and sonikidds.