Author's Note: It seems I forgot to address an issue that has come up several times in the reviews: ships. As of this moment, there will be no set ships as they are all just 11 years old and just met. I won't start ships until they are all in their second years. However, I already have an idea of the pairs I want at the end and will work my way there. But remember, just because I paired up two characters doesn't mean that they will stay together (unless they are married. I don't enjoy breaking up a marriage). And no, I won't tell you who will end up with who, but I can say that there will be no slash pairings.
Chapter 09 – A Double Reserve
It was Saturday and the two weeks of detention was finally over so Harry decided to use his free time after breakfast to do some thinking about his new world in the quiet sanctuary of the Hogwarts Library. In one life, Harry Potter was the reason his parents were killed as well as the rest of his family and those he loved. In this life, Harry Potter was the reason Neville's family was killed.
Harry, disguised as a Death Eater at the time, had convinced Voldemort that a pureblood posed a greater threat than a halfblood. Cruel as it may be, The-Boy-Who-Lived was a vital necessity as long as Voldemort lived. At least Neville still had his parents. Harry only had his spiteful aunt, uncle and cousin.
Voldemort was fairly convinced, but why was it that the reason Voldemort chose to attack the Longbottoms was because Harry was a squib? Then the answer came to him. Dumbledore had determined Harry was a squib a few months after he was born. This information was leaked somehow and got to Voldemort's ears. No wonder why Peter Pettigrew was already dead. Or was he?
In his first life, Peter Pettigrew, better known as Wormtail, betrayed his friends and framed Sirius for murder. It was said that Peter had died, but in fact he was still alive living as the Weasley's family pet: Scabbers. But Ron's familiar was not a rat, but a hyperactive owl named Pig. In this world, it was said Wormtail's body was laid to rest in his family graveyard which Harry had no idea where it was. But Harry did not dismiss the notion there was a chance that it was just an empty casket.
Harry let out a scowl as he knew he should have checked this during his time with Mikhal. His thoughts were broken when an owl flew into his room with a letter from his parents. Harry wasted no time tearing it open and reading it.
Dear beloved Harry,
I thought you said that you were going to keep out of trouble! I heard from Dumbledore about your two fights with Neville. Your father was laughing when Dumbledore told him that you won both fights. Sirius and Remus were asking about the details. But they were quickly disturbed to find that you had to serve detention with Severus. I hope he isn't too hard on you. Severus is a good man, but might hold some malice towards you because of your father and his friends. If he is mean towards you, try and keep your head down.
I heard you were doing well in your classes. Well, in the theory and homework portions. But Minerva tells me you have a lot of difficulties in spellcasting. I wish I could help you, but she says this is something you have to learn on your own. There's a trick to magic that I've always found useful though. I just visualize the effect, but this may be hard if you do not see it. Memorizing the wand movements and incantations are easy, but making the spell work is the hard part.
You may seem weaker than most students, but your father and I believe that you will grow stronger! Don't ever give up! When you do, then everything you have worked for is lost. And don't believe everything people say. Hogwarts is a place where rumors and gossip spread faster than light! Keep up the good work and try and stay out of trouble. But if you cross paths with Neville, I don't mind if you give him a good whipping! Don't tell your father I said that! Good luck with your studies and lots of love!
-Mom
Harry laughed as he read the letter. This was the first one he has ever gotten from his mother. In his first life, his parents were killed before he could make any memories of them. Harry was determined not to let that chance slip away. Harry was sure to make lots of memories with his parents. He would live the life he dreamed of for so long.
Harry pulled out a small wooden replica of a door and rubbed it with his thumb three times. A magical doorway opened up next to him and Harry walked in. When Harry walked through, he found himself in the living room of his secret shelter. There were photographs of his parents with him while he was a child. Sirius and Remus's pictures were also there as was the pictures of Harry's twin younger brothers and sisters.
An L-shaped couch was placed before a brick fireplace with a small glass table in front of the couch. There were a few decorative items placed around, but the living room was mostly filled with pictures of his present life. Harry did not place any pictures of his old life as it was something he wanted to remain a secret. Harry lingered in the living room for a moment longer before walking up the steps into his room.
There was his bed in the corner next to the window. A small table stood next to his bed which had a lamp and a few drawers. His wardrobe was placed against the wall at the end of his bed and a bookshelf stood on the opposite wall. It only had fifty or so books on the shelves, but Harry had enchanted it to carry thousands. Harry just had to think of whichever book he wanted to read and the bookshelf will magically bring it up to the front.
Next to his bookshelf was his desk where there were a few parchments on it and some quills. His eyes noticed a frame sitting by his lamp and Harry realized he had forgotten that he did make one picture of his past. In it were the faces of everyone Harry knew. Dumbledore. Members of the Order. Friends. Family. And most importantly, the two who stood right next to him, Ron and Hermione. They were once his best friends, and now, Hermione was forced not to talk to him while Ron was his enemy. Weird how some things worked out.
Harry sat down into his chair with a heavy sigh and pulled open one of the draws. It was empty and for good reason. Harry had cleaned it out specifically for keeping letters his family would send him. He placed the first letter into the drawer and closed it. As much as Harry wanted to remember the feelings he had before, he couldn't. This was part of the deal for his new life. His old emotions would only cloud his judgment.
After a few moments, Harry got up from his seat and walked out of the doorway. With two rubs, the magical doorway disappeared. The doorway was enchanted so only Harry could see where it was or enter it. Anyone else who tried without his permission would just walk through it like air. Harry had plenty of time to build this shelter to perfection. Everything was enchanted and well protected. Not even the higher beings could enter.
Just as Harry sat back down in his chair in the Hogwarts Library, Oliver Wood came up and said, "Professor McGonagall said you would be a good candidate for the Gryffindor Seeker. Tryouts are starting now, would you like to come?"
Harry's eyes lit up to the prospect of playing Quidditch, but there was still one problem. Neville Longbottom. How Harry was going to get around the brat, he had no idea. "Of course!" Harry said excitedly with a smile. He had waited a long time to play Quidditch again. Longer than anyone can imagine. This did not mean he did not fly. Oh did Harry fly. He loved his Firebird, but knew it was illegal to use a broom like that. Maybe I could construct a Firebolt… Harry thought to himself as he followed Oliver.
"Have you played Quidditch before?" Oliver asked.
"I couldn't fly until three weeks ago, so unfortunately I have not played," Harry lied naturally.
"Wow. And to be recommended as seeker by McGonagall with at most three weeks of flying experience, you must be a natural!"
"Well, my father is James Potter," Harry said as they passed the familiar trophies. Oliver laughed as he agreed to Harry's statement. What Oliver did not know, was that Harry had enough experience in the air to outdo his father. "I know the basics of Quidditch, as my father loved the game. So who do we have playing each position?"
"I'm the captain and Keeper. Fred and George Weasley are the Beaters. Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet are our Chasers. The Minister has made Neville our Seeker, but we are still holding tryouts for reserve players." Oliver replied as they walked out of Hogwarts and towards the Quidditch pitch. "And truthfully speaking, Neville is horrible."
Harry laughed as he knew exactly how horrible the old Neville was with a broom. The current Neville was not fairing much better, but at least he could fly straight. "How do tryouts work out?" Harry asked as they entered the pitch. Hundreds of Gryffindors were lined up for tryouts for the reserve positions. Harry noted that Cormac McLaggen was in the crowd for Keeper and the memory of a Bludger hitting the back of his head popped into his mind.
"Well, for Seekers, we will release ten Golden Snitches into the air. Only ten will make it to the second round. The second round we will release two snitches into the air. The two who catches the snitches will go onto the last round which is with one snitch. Winner becomes the Gryffindor reserve Seeker." Oliver explained. "Normally it is only two rounds, the two at the end or round two face off to see which becomes our reserve Seeker. But the Minister forced us to make Neville seeker."
Harry sensed a bit of malice from Oliver towards Neville and Harry did not blame him. Neville and his family abused the power and fame given to them. As to why people followed them? They wanted a share of that power as well. Harry was amazed that Lucius Malfoy did not get along with Frank Longbottom. Then again, they were enemies just a little over ten years ago.
Harry split up from Oliver and lined up behind eighty eager yet nervous Gryffindors waiting for the release of the Golden Snitches. Harry was completely relaxed as there was no possible way anyone could beat him. They had to search for the snitch while Harry could follow them through the air. In one of Harry's travels with Mikhal, Harry had to catch an alien bird that flew just as fast as his Firebird and moved just as spontaneous as the Golden Snitch. Harry spent three hundred days getting use to following something that fast with his eyes before attempting to catch it. So a Golden Snitch was nothing to Harry.
Harry noticed that Oliver was explaining how the tryouts worked and decided to listen in. The Chasers would try and score past him while dodging Bludgers fired by the infamous Weasley twins. Keepers had to block ten goals shot by Katie, Alicia and Angelina. And Beaters, they were to try and hit Katie, Alicia or Angelina. Madam Hooch was also here to watch the tryouts and see who caught a snitch. This was one crazy tryout as every position was tested out during the same time. Harry had worked tryouts his sixth year and split it up across an entire day. Harry just shrugged as this was probably better and less time consuming.
When Oliver was done, Madam Hooch released the ten Snitches into the air. Harry waited patiently for the thirty seconds to be up before he could try and catch one of the Snitches. During that time, Harry wondered if he should catch the closest one or the farthest one. All of them were in his sight. The whistle blew and everyone blasted off into the air. Harry decided to just grab the closest one and try and get some practice in with the Chasers. He thought it would be fun to play some other positions as he was just a reserve after all.
Harry saw the closest Snitch and dashed towards it. No one followed as they did not believe a first year could see a Snitch that early on. Oh how wrong they were. Harry kicked his broom in full speed, but it was an old school broom so it was far too slow. But at least everyone was using the same brooms for the Seeker tryouts at least.
The Snitch dove down and Harry followed. Not a single person trying out cared to look at Harry. Suddenly, the Snitch shot left and Harry jerked his broom around to follow. He hated the old school brooms. They moved and reacted far too slow. Again Harry kicked his broom to chase after the Snitch. It weaved around through the Keeper tryout area which was where all the Bludgers were flying. Some of the Beaters actually tried to hit Harry, but he dodged with ease. It did not distract his concentration from the Snitch in the least.
Harry was up high in the air again chasing the Snitch when some of the Gryffindor's finally caught on. He cursed at the slow broom as he turned again. Several Gryffindors were chasing after him, but none had the skills to maneuver the old brooms to keep up with the sporadic movements of the Snitch. Many were slamming into each other knocking some of them away from the chase.
Harry dove once more as the Snitch was just outside of his reach. He was zooming towards the ground at great speeds and many of those who had followed broke away. Two still followed as they came closer and closer to the ground. The Snitch was ten feet off the ground before it changed left. Harry, having the greater advantage of higher reflexes, yanked his broom around to follow the Snitch. One of the potential seekers behind Harry smashed into the ground as he hesitated because he did not know which way to turn. The other broke off to the left guessing the wrong direction.
Once more, Harry was alone in the chase after the Snitch when he heard the laughter of Neville. Harry made a quick glance and noticed Neville had taken a bat from one of the Beaters and was about to fire one at him. The Snitch was just an inch out of his reach, but a Bludger would be heading his way soon. Harry did the one thing he knew would work. He quickly stood up on his broom, made a single step run and jumped at the Snitch. A Bludger smashed into the ground, passing through where Harry would have been if he stayed on the broom.
Everyone was watching now as Harry was soaring through the air. In a flash, Harry came down on the Snitch and slammed into the ground. Harry quickly curled up and rolled, breaking his fall before getting back on his feet swiftly. Everyone was staring at him wondering if he had caught the Snitch and Harry showed it. In his hand was a golden ball with thin golden wings that fluttered rapidly.
Harry made it a point to beam at Neville who was red in fury. Not only had his Bludger missed, Harry had also caught the snitch within ten minutes after the initial release. This was faster than anyone has ever caught the Snitch with an old school broom. Madam Hooch rushed to Harry's side checking for injuries and found none which shocked everyone even more. This was one of the skills Harry had developed while chasing the stupid alien bird. But that was going even faster.
"That was bloody brilliant!" Oliver cried out as he touched down before Harry.
"I must agree," Hooch said. "Where did you learn all those moves?"
Harry shrugged with a smug smile across his face. "What can I say? I'm the son of James Potter."
"Bloody hell! Do we even need to hold tryouts for Seeker anymore?" One of the candidates asked.
Oliver thought about it, but Harry spoke up, "You should continue the tryouts. I want to try out for a Chaser position as well. I know it's not normal, but I would like to be both reserves for Seeker and Chaser."
Oliver raised an eyebrow at Harry's request. Whispers echoed through the air as a player has never requested to for playing as reserves for two positions. But then again, Neville's position as Seeker was locked down regardless if there was a better candidate. That is, until Oliver could find a reason to override the Minister's lock on Neville's position. "Very well," Oliver agreed. He could place Harry into the game as Chaser if Neville could not catch the Snitch in time. "We will continue tryouts for a second Seeker Reserve. Harry Potter is currently our first. He will double as a Chaser Reserve."
-Yeah, yeah.- Harry said to Silva before his familiar could start. –I know I'm not keeping a low profile, but I still want my house to win the Quidditch Cup! El fatso couldn't catch the Snitch even if he had the Firebird.-
-Yeah, that's because only you could control that thing. That was the whole reason for chasing that bird in the first place.- Silva replied.
"That was a blood dangerous stun you pulled there," a familiar voice spoke out.
"And a bloody brilliant one. How do you do, I'm George Weasley," the same voice said from another direction.
"And I'm Fred Weasley," the first one introduced himself.
"Welcome to the team, mate," the redheaded twins welcomed in unison.
A smile grew across Harry's face as he found himself in the company of the mischievous Weasley twins. Silva had noted that the two were better than their younger brother and shared a hatred of Neville Longbottom. Harry was too busy with his detention to get a chance to properly meet the two in the past two weeks, but now that they were here, he mind as well introduce himself. "Hi. I'm Harry Potter," Harry greeted as he shook the hands of the twins.
"Ah, the infamous Squib," Fred said.
"That dueled Longbottom in a fistfight." George continued.
"And survived Snape's torture."
"And humiliated our younger brother."
"But we don't harbor ill feelings, he's a bloody git anyways," the twins whispered the ending in unison.
"So, ready for Chaser tryouts?" George asked.
"I want to see if I can actually hit you." Fred said with a smile as he raised his bat.
"I wonder if you could," Harry challenged as he picked his broom off the ground. When Harry made his way to the Chaser Tryout half of the pitch, he noticed majority of the candidates were already down on the ground and groaning in pain.
"Still think you can get past us?" The twins asked in unison as they flew up into the air with their bats ready.
"Alright, when you're ready, grab the Quaffle and begin," Oliver said as he glided to the goal post.
Harry wasted no time in picking up the Quaffle and blasting off into the air. Suddenly, a Bludger shot from his left which he dodged with some difficulty. It came back at blazing speeds which Harry dodged again. This time it was closer to hitting his shoulder. Damn… I just realized I never had to go against these two! Harry cursed as he began to weave through the air making it hard for the twins to aim. Yet, they blasted the Bludger back and forth relentlessly and with vicious accuracy. It was only because Harry was trained to dodge spells in air combat that he was able to dodge the Bludgers. Spells worked much faster. And it usually came from multiple directions.
Harry barely had time to concentrate for a shot, but he still was able to get one off. Harry nearly tricked Oliver to block right, but the veteran Keeper saw through at the last moment. Harry zoomed past the goals as Oliver deflected the Quaffle making Harry the second person to make it past the twins. The first was a second year named Geoffrey Hooper who never had a chance to get a shot off.
"Almost had you there," Fred said as he joined Harry on the ground. Harry had sat down in exhaustion from playing every trick in his book to dodge Fred and George's deadly volleying.
"You lasted longer than our Chasers when we play seriously," George laughed.
"We were actually going easy on the candidates," Fred explained.
"But since you made it as Seeker, we thought we would up it a notch."
"Who would have thought that you would actually make us use our skills in the end?"
Harry laughed with the Weasley twins as he flopped down on his back. "That was some good practice," Harry said as he slowed his breathing down. "Go easy on the others," Harry noted as the twins mounted their brooms to find the four more Chaser reserve players.
"Don't think that because you made reserve that you'll be playing, Potter," Neville spat as he cast a shadow over Harry.
"Oh, I will be playing, Neville. I promise you that. You can't win the game even if you had a Firebolt," Harry fired back as he closed his eyes to rest. He knew Neville would not attack him here. Not while Madam Hooch was standing right behind him. Harry had chose this spot purposely so he could rest after an exhausting run against the twins.
"You'll see. I'll bring out my Firebolt and you will see!" Neville promised.
"Yeah. Sure, Neville. You'll probably crash into the stands with that broom," Harry replied lazily. Harry probably should have kept his mouth quiet, as he did want to rest, but making fun of Neville was worth the delay. "And nice shot trying to knock me off the broom. That was pretty inconspicuous, Neville, but I saw you blast that Bludger at me. Too bad you suck at that too."
"I would have hit you if you stayed on your broom!" Neville fumed loudly which caught the attention of Hooch.
"Mr. Longbottom! Did you actually interfere with the tryout of one of the candidates?" Hooch question which made Neville swallow hard. Apparently everyone else heard it too.
Harry had a smile across his face as he lay in the grass while Neville was taken away from the pitch. Finally, peace at last. But it was well worth the delay. Harry may not have many friends on his side, but he made a few friends and allies. Ones that weren't mindless followers of a false hero.
