Chapter 9: Sidelines
Harry and his friends were walking to the Quidditch field. It was 15 minutes before the game and the Keeper and Seeker were running a tad bit late due to…personal reasons (they had gotten wrapped up in their girlfriends and lost track of time).
Suddenly, Harry saw a silver spell come from the shadows heading towards Ginny. He pushed her out of the way. As he tried to dodge it himself, it caught his leg. He tripped and fell down a few of the stone steps.
"HARRY!"
As Harry sat up to see what the damage was, he heard laughter from the shadows as the figures left. He recognized the laugh.
It was Malfoy.
"That git." He swore as he tried to stand back up, but his leg prevented it.
The others had recognized the voice as well.
"If Professor Lupin hadn't been cured…" Ron swore.
"No reenactments of Dad's fifth year." Harry told him as he tried to stand up again, but winced in pain. He was ready to say a few words that I will not repeat because of rating.
"What happened?" Neville asked when he saw the scene as he went running down the stairs to go to the stadium.
"Malfoy tried to curse Ginny, but Harry took it. I think his leg is broken." Hermione said.
"You should go see Pomfrey." Neville said.
"But the game." Ron said.
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Ron! You're now acting as captain. Inform the rest of the team what had happened." Harry ordered
"But we need a seeker." Ginny said.
"Ginny. I've seen you play. You're now the reserved seeker. Use my broom. Hurry or else we'll forfeit."
The two Weasley went to the Quidditch field.
"Put your arm around my neck." Hermione instructed.
After a few painful minutes, Harry was now supported between Hermione and Neville.
"When I get my hands on Malfoy…" He threatened.
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Fifteen minutes later,
"Unfortunately," Madame Pomfrey told the students when she finished looking at Harry's leg. "This is no ordinary break."
"You don't know how to heal him?" Neville asked worriedly.
"Oh. I know how. But it takes time. The leg needs to set for an hour." She said as she magically placed a cast on in.
"Can we go to the game now?" Harry asked.
"JUST like your father." Pomfrey sighed. "You can't think of anything but Quidditch."
"Please?" Harry asked with his hands folded and gave her an innocent look.
This was the technique his father had taught him.
Pomfrey groaned. She had been caught off guard.
"EXACTLY like your father." She said. "Very well. But I want you to take it easy."
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"HEY! IF YOU HURT GINNY, YOU'LL HAVE ME TO ANSWER TO!" Harry yelled at a Slytherin beater.
"You are supposed to take it EASY!" Hermione reminded him while holding him down.
The two were sitting in the staff section next to Remus and Sara so Harry could sit down and relax. He WAS sitting down. As for relaxing…that was a different story.
"I should be the one out there." Harry said with a pout.
"I'm amazed you got Madame Pomfrey to allow you to come." Remus said to Harry
"I used Dad's technique. She never saw it coming." Harry said still watching the game.
"James taught him the technique?" McGonagall asked Remus as she overheard the conversation.
"Apparently. Be on your guard." he warned her.
"Don't worry. I will."
"BY RON'S HEAD, GINNY!" Harry yelled.
"Physically, he's on the sidelines." Sara said. "Mentally, he's in the game."
"JUST like James." Remus sighed.
"What the bloody hell happened?!" a voice said next to Harry.
"Ron just blocked a goal." Harry said not realizing it was his father who had spoken. "But the snitch got away from Ginny."
"That's not what I meant." James asked pointing to the leg.
"Oh! Almost had it, Gin." Harry said.
"He's JUST like you Prongs." Sirius said. "There's no talking to you during a Quidditch game."
"I'm not THAT bad." James defended.
"I'm afraid I must agree with Sirius." Lily said holding a muggle car seat with a one-month old sleeping Megan in it.
"Is that her?" Hermione asked while looking at the sleeping baby.
Flashback
"Well?" Ginny asked. "What did Dumbledore want?"
"Nothing much. Just Megan was born."
"Who's Megan?" Ron asked.
"Only my baby sister." Harry told him.
"Really? More details!" Hermione said.
"She looks like Mum, but has Dad's eyes. She's also very tiny."
He held out his hands 21 inches apart to show how little she was.
"I can't wait to see her." Ginny said.
End Flashback
James nodded with a smile.
"So what are you doing here?" Sara asked.
"We wanted to watch a Quidditch game." Sirius said. "So, what happened to the star seeker?"
"Malfoy." Hermione said. "He shot a silver curse at Ginny. Harry pushed her out of the way and took it to the leg. After tripping and falling down a few steps, the leg broke."
"Oh." Lily said in realization while setting the car seat down and pulling out her wand. "I know a faster way to heal it. I meant to tell Pomfrey about it. How long has he been resting?"
"Is that a trick question?" Hermione said pushing Harry to the back of the chair that Remus was making him sit in.
Ginny was after the snitch. Head to head with Malfoy. And from the looks of it, he was taunting her.
"Thirty minutes." Remus answered. "Relatively."
Lily knelt to her son's leg and prepared to say the charm when Ginny's hand wrapped around the snitch.
"YES!" Harry cheered. As he cheered, his injured leg fell off the stand it was propped on.
"That…. Was stupid." Harry said in a strained voice while wincing in agony wanting to say a few words I will not say due to rating reasons.
"I could have told you that." Sirius said as Lily said the charms.
"After all, Sirius is the king of doing stupid things." James teased.
"Very funny." Sirius said sarcastically.
"How's Spica?" Sara asked. "I haven't seen her in ages."
"Tired." Sirius said.
"Shouldn't she be resting if she's tired?" Remus asked with a grin.
"Yes." Sirius answered. "Why do you ask?"
Remus pointed behind Sirius.
Sirius turned and saw his wife standing behind him
"Why aren't you resting?" Sirius asked.
"I'm not an invalid." She told him with a laugh. "Honestly. You're making me regret telling you."
"I'm not taking any chances." Sirius said motioning her to sit down.
Spica rolled her eyes, but sat down anyways.
"What's going on?" Harry asked as he tested his now healed leg.
"Ask me again in three months." Sirius told his godson.
"Why don't you go get Madame Pomfrey to double check?" Lily told her son handing him the crutches Pomfrey gave him. "I know you may feel up to walking, but I don't want to take any chances. Tell Pomfrey I'll tell her what I did later."
"Okay. I'll see you later." Harry said as he and Hermione left.
"He's not letting me do ANYTHING." Spica told her friends motioning to Sirius. "He's doing all the cooking, cleaning, working, you name it."
"Sirius can cook?" James asked.
"He can clean?" Remus added.
"He's…getting better." Spica said.
"Padfoot? I never knew you had it in you." James said to Sirius.
"How come you never cleaned MY flat while you were staying there?" Remus teased
"Very funny guys." Sirius said. "But Spica NEEDS to rest."
"Oh. And I didn't?" Remus said sarcastically
"I'LL be the judge of that." Lily said looking at Spica.
"Sirius is right." Spica told them. "I do need to rest. It's just…I'm so used to NOT resting."
"Yes. You do need rest." Sara said. "You just admitted Sirius Black was right about something."
Everyone laughed at this while Sirius gave Sara a look.
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"How's your leg?" Ginny asked a few minutes later as Harry left the Hospital Wing.
"Better. Thanks to Mum."
"Good thing your Mum's a healer."
"Yes. Now, to plan how to teach Malfoy a lesson."
"That won't be necessary." Ginny said innocently. "He…accidentally fell down a few stairs himself and touched a stone. Amazingly, the stone was a portkey that led him a little too close to the Whomping Willow."
"How could THAT have happened?" Harry asked sarcastically as they turned towards the DADA classroom.
Ginny shrugged innocently.
"I'm considering giving him some Snack boxes as a get well present." She added. "Perhaps Pneumonia Peanut Butter."
"What if he's allergic to peanuts?" Harry asked.
"All the better." Ginny said. "Where are we going?"
"I want you to meet someone." Harry said knocking on the classroom door before opening it.
As they walked in, the two students found Sara playing peek-a-boo with a now awake Megan.
"Ginny." Harry said. "I'd like you to meet Megan Lily Potter."
"Oh Harry." Ginny cooed. "She's so cute."
Megan turned in the direction of the new voices. When she saw her brother, she turned to her father to figure out how James could be in two places at once.
"Looks like she might confuse you and Archimedes one day, Prongs." Sirius teased.
TBC
"Are you sure we can't home school him?" James asked Lily. "We could use him to help with Megan."
"Nice try." Lily told him.
"I have no objections." Harry said.
