"Are you okay, Harry? You seem distracted."

The boy smiled, his gaze focusing on his partner and basking in the concern and affection in her chocolate-brown eyes. "I'm more than okay." He rolled his eyes at her sceptical look. "It's the tournament," he half-explained as they each leaned against a pillar in the courtyard. "It's been stressful and I look forward to the chance to unwind but it was also fun and I'll miss the excitement."

Hermione leaned forward and patted his leg. "Don't worry. Triwizard Tournament is sure to keep you busy and excited."

Harry groaned and hit his head back onto the pillar. "Don't remind me. I still haven't touched the golden egg. Then there is the whole 'someone is trying to murder me' angle."

Hermione gave a bright, albeit a fake, smile. "See, back to normal."

Harry snickered at the reality of that statement. "Good old-fashioned life-threatening plot, eh?"

The brown-eyed girl nodded. "And I'm sure we'll figure out the clue once we work on it."

The green-eyed boy gave her an impressed look. "Hermione Granger not dying to know something right away." He sighed and shook his head in fake sorrow. "People change so fast. It's like I don't even know you anymore."

"Oh, cut it out. Need I remind you, it was you who came up with this tournament and dragged me into it. I haven't opened a book for anything unrelated to this tournament since this whole shindig started."

"And that's a good thing." Seeing Hermione's confused expression, he explained. "You never study focused. I don't mean focused as in focused on your work. I mean focused as in studying with a particular goal in mind. For example, you study arithmancy, runes, charms but you never try to create something with it. You are easily smart enough to come up with your own if you wanted but you don't push yourself to do that. You learn for learning's sake, and while that's admirable, it's also stopping you from reaching to your potential. Look at the things you did, you came up with for this tournament. It's because you were focused. You saw a problem and created a solution."

Hermione flushed cutely in embarrassed pleasure and ducked her head. "You are exaggerating my contribution."

"I most certainly do not," Harry declared in exaggerated outrage. "If it wasn't for you, moving the basilisk out of the chamber would take at least three weeks. That number is straight from Mr. Jimmywick if you remember. It was that serial charms or whatever you came up with that allowed him to move the parts quickly and efficiently, without needing me to open the sink every hour or so."

"That was just one thing and it hardly had anything to do with the tournament," Hermione countered weakly.

"How about the deal with Honeydukes, then? Mrs. Flume herself said I couldn't have gotten more than a quarter of what you convinced her to. Not only that but the whole new line of products was your brainchild."

The studious girl looked as if she was going to refuse again but instead, she tilted her head and went unfocused. "You may have a point there. I study and learn more efficiently when I have a clear goal in mind."

"That's because it forces you to get creative and think instead of just memorising a subject," Harry guessed with a grin. "Say 'thank you, Harry'."

"Why would I thank you?"

"Because I organised a tournament just so you can find out how you can study better," Harry answered with a cheeky grin and a wink.

"Sure. I will once you thank me for everything I've done for you," Hermione shot back and lifted her nose in the air.

"Never. You already have a big enough ego as it is."

The girl jumped to her feet. "Oh, you didn't!"

Harry followed suit, ready to bail at a moment's notice. "I did and I stand by it."

Hermione lunged forward and Harry ran off, forcing her to chase him around the courtyard. He didn't try too hard and Hermione managed to tackle him to the ground a few minutes later. They laid on the snow, Harry's arms snaking around Hermione's waist and both children breathing heavily and laughing.

The chocolate-eyed girl opened her mouth to say something but didn't, losing herself in the sparkling emerald eyes. She leaned forward and pecked Harry on the lips before sitting up, leaving Harry wanting more.

Harry, on the other hand, was experiencing difficulties. Not only he wanted the kiss to continue into a snogging area, but all the blood in his body was rushing lower thanks Hermione's delightful... derriere on top of his second brain. "You may want to get up," he said, his voice husky.

Hermione looked surprised and confused all of two seconds before she became aware of the pressure on her hip and flew out of Harry's embrace. "Eek!"

Harry slowly stood, stealthy hiding the horizontal rise of his rogue body part, before he turned to the red-faced girl. "How about we find ourselves a secluded spot so you can reward me again?"

Hermione folded her arms and lifted her nose, this time to hide her embarrassment of their compromising position. "You haven't done anything to earn a reward."

Harry narrowed his eyes and huffed in faux-irritation. "Consider it encouragement for a good behaviour then."

The now-calm girl snickered. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. I wouldn't want it to go to your head."

"Wow. Once you get the upper hand, you sure know how to milk the situation," Harry groused. "Then how about you do it because I'm handsome and kind, and you want me too."

Hermione tapped her foot impatiently before giving up the act and took Harry's hand to drag him to a broom closet for some age-appropriate fun.

A knock on the door twenty minutes after disrupted their fun and earned a growl from Harry and a groan from Hermione. Harry wrenched the door open to find a red-faced Ron standing there awkwardly as he tried to balance two bags and two brooms. "The pre-game interview is about to begin. We need to change," he said hurriedly and stepped away to give two teenagers some space to gather themselves.

Harry looked at Hermione longingly, finding her dazed and hungry gaze irresistible. He gave her one last kiss that lasted until they were breathless again before sweeping a hand over his clothes to fix the wrinkles. He turned a glare at Ron and nodded at him to lead the way, Hermione joining his side a few moments later.

This was the first and last pre-game interview for the tournament. Originally, Harry had suggested they organise it for after the game but Dumbledore suggested it would crowd their schedule too much if the match went on for long; especially with the Yuletide Ball that same evening.

They arrived to find a small battalion of reporters sitting on the chairs house-elves had put together, in front of a long table that distanced the group from the reporters. Harry's teammates were standing near the table and having whispered conversation, looking distinctly uncomfortable. Harry patted the twins on the shoulder as he joined them and turned to the four chasers of his team. "How are you guys doing?"

"Good," Alicia lied, while the others nodded their acceptance of that description.

"Aw. Are you guys nervous? Do you want me to get you some warm milk to calm your nerves?" Harry mocked, earning glares from all seven of his teammates, including Ginny and Ron who had turned white as he realised what the interview would entail. "You know you don't have to do this, right? You don't have to answer any questions. You don't even have to sit on the table. I invited you because I thought you deserved your share of the spotlight and it would help alleviate some of the attention away from me."

"Wouldn't that make the interview a null point? Not answering, I mean," asked Ginny, the only one in the group who looked remotely in control.

"So what if it does? I don't know if you noticed but we are teenagers. We get to act all moody and uncooperative. It's in the law," Harry deadpanned. "Jokes aside, this interview is to give a general overview of what we accomplished in this tournament. It can add credibility to your possible future Quidditch careers but that's just a bonus."

That seemed to ease their minds a bit. Harry wanted to help more but he had no idea what he could say so instead, he stood in silence with his team plus the other three champions and Hermione, each lost in their own world.

He really was proud of how well this tournament had gone. The money they raised was staggering, the comments from the public were great and everyone from all three schools enjoyed the matches, especially the one between Viktor and him. He hadn't told anyone yet but the day after that particular match, he received letters of interest from three league teams and British National team. The league teams enquired about his career plans and to make sure he knew he could train with them until he was ready to go professional at seventeen. The British National Team's manager wanted to prepare Harry for his role as the star of the team for when he would play in '98 World Cup.

Harry had been shocked to inaction and had hidden the letters for future consideration. I need to talk to Hermione about it soon. And Dumbledore. And Sirius. Still, he knew he wanted to accept at least the national team's offer if not the others. He could imagine himself wearing the red and white uniform as he caught the snitch and won the World Cup.

A gentle jab to his left side brought him out of his musings. "Gwenog Jones and her teammates," Hermione whispered, nodding her head towards where the women in dark green robes were making their way towards them.

Harry stepped in front of his group to welcome the guests. "Miss Jones, welcome."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Potter."

After the introductions, everyone settled on the table, Harry at the centre with Hermione on one side and Jones on another. Next to Hermione was Viktor and the rest of Harry's team while Cedric, Fleur and the rest of the Harpies sat on the other side of Jones.

"I must say, you impressed me in your last game, kiddo," Jones commented with a grin. "You have an eye for tactics."

"I have a good team," Harry answered with a shrug before grinning. "But yeah, I rule. Scared yet?"

Jones rewarded him with a booming laughter. "Don't go letting a win go to your head, boy," she said, her smile softening the sting. "Your team has a lot of potentials but that's all there is. Potential. We are professionals; you have much to learn before you can win against us."

Oh, I know but I can't very well give up, now, can I? "What did you think of my players?" he asked, knowing his teammates were listening.

The muscular woman leaned back and cast her eyes skyward in thought. "Your beaters have potential to become starting players for a mid-rank team. They aren't flexible enough for complex tactics but they have excellent chemistry. Your keeper is disjointed; he can save the difficult shots but fumble against the easiest ones as well. The red-head girl, Weasel or something. She is good. If she can build on her talents, she can become a star. The black girl is okay. She has a good command of the field and can read the game well. The blonde is a good team player. She won't make any waves but if she can get better, she might become a rotation player."

"That was... detailed but yeah, a good description of my team, I guess," Harry said with a hesitant nod.

"What about Harry?" Hermione butted in from next to him, leaning over the table to see the famous player.

"Oh, he'll be a star alright. From what I hear, he had already proven his skills as a seeker in the first two games but the last match... Teams will be lining up to sign you," she told Harry with a grin before turning serious. "Speaking of, I know Nathaniel wrote to you about getting you ready for the next World Cup. I will be the captain during that tournament. I suggest you take him up on his offer. You'll need it."

Harry felt more than saw Hermione sit up in surprise.

"Thanks for that," Harry mumbled to the grinning woman before he turned to Hermione. "I was going to tell you tomorrow. I want to finish this tournament so I can consider my options," he told her. "Three league teams offered to train me as well."

"That's great, Harry," Hermione cheered. "How would that work with school?"

Harry smiled and winked. "That's something to think about tomorrow. Today, I have an all-women team to defeat." Jones chuckled as he turned to face the reporters watching the exchange in interest. "Shall we begin?" he asked and the reporters made all made a noise of assent. "As you are all aware, today is the final game where we will defeat Holyhead Harpies."

"That's a bold claim. Do you really think your team can beat a professional team; a team that is second place in the standings at the moment?" asked a man from the crowd.

Harry smiled and pretended to think. "To be honest, no, I don't think we will win this match but I know I will do my best to surprise everyone. But I can safely say we will give them a hard time."

"Miss Jones, what are your expectations for the upcoming game?"

Jones sniffed and screwed up her face before she answered. "Well, these are talented kids and I'm sure they will surprise us but this isn't a professional match and we are not here as professionals. We are here to enjoy ourselves and give the fans a good show. To enjoy the game we all love so much."

Damn, that's a good answer. I wish I had come up with that.

"What about the charity? In your last interview, you mentioned you had raised sixty thousand galleons if I remember right."

Harry's lips curved up into a self-satisfied smile and his nose raised a fraction. "We have raised over a hundred and ten thousand galleons without counting today's proceedings. I'd say we've done well."

A murmur of surprise came from the group of reporters and everyone else except Hermione. "A hundred and ten thousand galleons? That's... a lot of money. You had briefly mentioned where that money would go. Can you give us the specifics?"

"I would but that's Hermione's department. She deals with the important stuff. I just play Quidditch and look pretty," Harry answered with a winning smile, an imitation of Lockhart at his finest.

The reporters turned to Hermione like a pack of lions who saw a lonely gazelle making her go red. "Ehm. St. Mungo's will receive eighty-five thousand galleons. We had decided to divide the rest of the money between three schools but if today goes as well as the tournament has gone so far, we may find a third option to donate."

"What about the Werewolf Relief Fund?"

Hermione answered calmer now that her first answer didn't raise a riot. "We have reached an agreement with the Chief of St. Mungo's. Instead of starting a new program for werewolves from scratch, they will supply wolfsbane potion at a reduced price. The ministry is unwilling to join such an undertaking with at this time but they agreed to pay the difference if the program succeeds."

"We, that is Professor Dumbledore, Hermione, Chief Healer Abbott and I, are also reaching out to greenhouses, local and foreign, to see if we could find a way to grow some of the expensive ingredients cheaper so the fiscal burden on the government can be mitigated somewhat," Harry added before the reporters could ask another question. "We haven't found a cost-effective option yet but we remain hopeful."

"Mr. Krum, what are your thoughts on your game against Mr. Potter's team?"

"They played smart; they played well. They deserved to win," the Bulgarian answered succinctly. "If only they had a good seeker," he added with a small smile.

"And I thought we were friends, you- you bad person," Harry joked.

"What about you, Mr. Potter?" asked a reporter once the chuckles stopped.

"Quidditch is a team sport and we played like a team. We played to our strengths. We knew before even the game started that I would have a hard time against Viktor, so we focused on stretching the game and playing the quaffle," Harry answered after a moment.

"Your tactics made a big difference. How much of your success, would you say, was yours personally?"

Harry tilted his head in thought. "Six of eight players of my team have been training together for the last four years. We know each other. We trust each other. When one of us has an idea, the others listen. Our last game was a prime example of that trust. I'd say I deserve as much as the next member."

"Okay, now that's a lie," Angelina disagreed. "It was Harry who called the tactics and it was his tactics that almost won us the game even though we failed to catch the snitch."

"It was Ron who guessed Viktor's change of tactics," Harry pointed out. "It doesn't matter. Next time, someone else may come up with the winning strategy."

"Due to an injury, you had to substitute one of your chasers, Katie Bell, with a new player who exceeded all expectations. Who will play today?"

Harry grinned cheekily. "Now, why would I give away such an important secret? We will need every help we can get and who knows? My decision may surprise you all." He glanced at the star player next to him. "Sweating yet, Jones?"

Gwenog Jones chuckled. "I like you, kid. You have a vivid imagination."

"Mr. Diggory, Miss Delacour, your teams share the third place. Are you content about not technically being in the last place? Or are you upset?"

Cedric and Fleur looked at each other before Cedric waved his hand for Fleur to answer first. "We deserved ze zird place. So did zey."

"Fleur explained it perfectly. I think it ended up being the best. This tournament was about enjoying ourselves while making money for a good cause. Not about winning or losing. It's nice that no one lost."

"Mr. Diggory, in the match against you, Mr. Potter caught the snitch within two minutes, becoming the player to catch the snitch fastest in the last century."

Cedric hesitated for a moment, giving Harry a side-eyed glance. "Is there a question?" he asked to get a moment to think.

"What are your thoughts about that?" the reporter asked between his teeth.

"It was the first time I didn't have to shower after a game," he answered after a long moment of thought. "I don't know how I feel. I feel bad that I lost but I was also amazed at the skill Harry showed," he added when the reporter stared at him pointedly.

The reporter gave up on getting a rise out of Cedric and turned to Harry. "What about you, Mr. Potter? You frequently mentioned this tournament is about charity, not winning; yet you showed a ruthless focus in that game. Why?"

"It wasn't one of my best moments, to be honest. I was having a bad day and I guess I wanted to prove something to myself," he answered with a shrug. "It was unnecessary and unprofessional. Then again, I am a teenager. It is expected of me to have mood swings. I read that in a book, you know."

The reporter glared at Harry but didn't pursue the line of question. Another one decided to take a shot at Harry. "There are rumours you hired a... prostitute to be your date for the Yule Ball tonight."

Harry chuckled at the vulture. "There is a grain of truth and a funny story behind that rumour. I have no idea how that reporter, and I use that title in the loosest sense, heard what she heard but it was all a misunderstanding. Don't get me wrong, money did change hands but it didn't go to a prostitute."

"Then who did it go to?"

Harry smiled with no mirth. "You'll just have to wait and see. And I can't wait to see your face when you and Skeeter realise your mistake."

There was an awkward silence following Harry's statement and Harry took advantage of it. "How about one last question before we put an end to my agony?"

That earned him chuckles. Yay! I made them chuckle. Vultures.

"This is for all of the champions. What do you think your chances are for winning the Triwizard Tournament?"

See, now that's a good question.

The champions all glanced at each other and decided to let the lady answer first. "Ze uzzer champions proved zemselves talented and capable, but I will win," the gorgeous blonde answered with her nose in the air, her haughty self coming out to play.

Krum went next. "I vill vin."

Now, that answer was confusing. What did he mean? It's all so confusing!

Harry waved Cedric to go first. "I agree with Fleur. We all proved ourselves and I guess we all have a chance of winning the tournament. I will do my best and we'll see what happens."

Harry felt every eye on him and felt the need to climb the table and shout his desire to win. He restrained himself. I guess I'm growing up. He scratched his chin in thought. In all honesty, since the day the idea for the Quidditch tournament had born, he didn't give a moment's thought at the other tournament. Can I win? "I guess there is a possibility I might win. To be honest, I have no idea. Like I said when my name came out of Goblet of Fire; I didn't put my name in, I didn't want to compete. This year was supposed to be a calm year after last year's fiasco but... Like they say; no rest for the wicked. I am a talented and resourceful wizard. I do my best work when I'm under stress and my ass is on the line, so I might surprise everyone and win." He shook his head and chuckled. "I'm rooting for Cedric. I will put in a token effort but I have no desire to win so a Hogwarts victory is the next best thing."

"You said you didn't want to compete, that you didn't put your name in the goblet. Then how do you think your name came out of it?"

Harry scratched the back of his head in irritation. Not at the reporters but at himself. How could I forget there is a plot against me? "I'm clueless. Mad-eye Moody is of the opinion it could be someone who wants to harm me." He grinned at the sceptical looks on the reporters' faces. "I'm more inclined to believe someone wanted me to humiliate myself in a tournament designed for older students. A cruel prank of a sick mind, maybe? I don't know. I know I'm looking forward to the end of Triwizard tournament so I can go back to being just another student."

That last sentence earned him looks of disbelief that lit a fire under his irritation.

"Everyone praises me for what happened that Halloween thirteen years ago. No one asked me about it though. You all put me on this pedestal and treat me like I'm supposed to be different from the rest of you; like I'm supposed to go around casting ancient spells or some such. Allow me to correct your misconceptions, I am a talented wizard who likes to play Quidditch and laze around, not a young Dumbledore or a young Voldemort. You all celebrate me for what happened that day. Let me tell you what happened. I lost my parents. It was, without a doubt, the worst day of my life. And I get that it represents something else to you and you have every right to celebrate the day you were freed from a nightmare. But don't go celebrating me for it."

Harry sniffed, cursing his eyes for leaking and burning. He felt Hermione squeeze his hand and couldn't help but smile before he blinked back the tears and shrugged. "I was so shocked when I first stepped foot into the Leaky Cauldron. Everyone knew my name. I was famous and I had no idea why. When I found out, I hated my fame. I still do. Don't go thinking I have anything to prove. I didn't want to be in this tournament. I'm not going to do more than make a token effort. I'm sorry if that disappoints you because it's not newsworthy."

He stood up and left, unwilling to suffer the stares any longer with the state he's in. The boy with the lightning bolt scar hurried towards the lake, his unblemished partner following at his heels.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked after they spent ten minutes gazing out at the lake.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry answered, his voice hoarse.

Hermione's response was lost when another voice yelled, "Harry!"

Harry turned around in surprise and saw a small missile heading his way. He had barely gotten to his knees when the dark-haired missile hit him and sent him tumbling back to the snow. "Someone is excited," he commented from where he lay sprawled.

"She's off her medication for the day," a male voice belonging to a tall man with dark-brown hair and chiselled face explained.

"Good to see you, Jack. And it's wonderful to see you, little miss sunshine."

"Hogwarts is awesome! We rode horseless carriages and the stairs were moving and..."

Harry smiled and hugged the girl close as she babbled about her exciting day, looking up to see Hermione and Jack talking in soft voices and smiling at the duo.

"... the giant-man is sooooo sweet. He gave me chocolate. I saved you some. Daddy, give Harry his chocolate."

The dark-haired boy chuckled as he rose to his feet with a fifty pounds hanging onto his neck. "How about we fly instead?"

"Yes! Can I, daddy? Can I please?" the sick girl pleaded with wide eyes.

Jack sighed and nodded before looking Harry in the eye. "Please, be careful."

Harry nodded and shifted the cute girl around so she was sitting on his shoulder before running wildly towards the changing rooms to get his broom. He spent the next half hour flying with Wendy and enjoying her joyful laughter and sparkling eyes. He didn't want to but he had to land at the end of the half-hour as the game was about to start in fifteen minutes.

He entered the locker room to be bombarded by cooing sounds as his teammates teased him about his latest tour with his broom. He ignored them, blushing moderately.

"Listen up, you insufferable bastards," he began as he walked out of a changing stall. "We all know we probably won't win this game but that's not an excuse not to do your best. You are Gryffindors; you can't give anything but your best." He smiled at the serious faces around him before turning serious again. "Alicia, if it's okay with you, I want Ginny to take your place for this game." Alicia pouted but nodded her acceptance while Ginny looked at him in shock. "Good. Angelina, I want you to stay mid-field while we attack. Your primary role today is defence. I want you to stick close to Luasaigh. She's their best flier and best setter. If we lock her down, we just might throw their game off."

He turned to his other two starting chasers. "Ginny, Katie, you are fast fliers. Don't mark opposing chasers. Focus on intercepting passes. While we attack, use your speed to the fullest instead of playing our usual hot-potato game. I'm not saying play selfish but pass only when it's more advantageous. They have a high interception rate and we don't want to get caught in that trap."

"Fred, George, I want one of you to stay close to Ron and attack anyone who gets close to the scoring area. Make sure they don't get a clean shot. The other will act as a free agent." He glanced at Ron. "I've got nothing for you, mate. They play high-scoring game without any preferences so you'll have to do your best."

"I will stay low and help out when I see an opportunity. Shock and awe, you know? I will change tactics often to keep them on their toes and hope it will mess with their head."

"What about Jones? She's an excellent beater," Alicia asked.

"I know and there is not much we can do about her." He glanced at the twins. "No offence but neither of you can match her and I don't want to waste one of you on a losing strategy." He turned back to Alicia. "Al, I want you to keep a close eye on the game and observe their patterns. I will try to fly by you to get updates and we'll see if we can figure out a weakness we can exploit."

Alicia sat straighter and nodded.

"Good. We will go out there and we will show everyone why they should turn around and smile at us when we meow."

"... and here come the Potter's Pixies with a surprise in their line up. Beaters; Fred and George Weasley. Keeper; Ronald Weasley. Chasers; Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell and Ginny Weasley. And their captain and star seeker; Harry Potter!"

As he flew up, Harry looked around the stadium filled with people. It's magnificent. And it was. People from all walks of life were there, including a dozen goblins, and all were cheering. It didn't matter whether they cheered him or not. They cheered and loved the game he loved. For the first time in his life, Harry Potter felt connected; he belonged.

He drew a lazy circle around the mid-field, waving at Wendy as he passed her by. His circle went slower and slower until he met Jones in the middle to shake her hand. "Good luck, kid."

"Thanks. You are going to need it." She looked puzzled so he explained, "You know, if I'm lucky, I'll put up a challenge... Oh, never mind. Have fun."

The game started out mildly, each team playing soft and having fun. That changed quickly as the Harpies gained momentum, scoring goals one after another. In fifteen minutes, the point difference reached forty and Harry didn't even get a chance to touch any balls because of the chaos of the game. He decided to see if Alicia had found the reason his team started out so bad.

"It's Ginny and Ron. After he let in the first shot, Ron just fell apart without a fight. And Ginny freaks out whenever Jones is anywhere near her. They have to get it together if we want to win this game."

Harry screwed up his face in thought. It was too early in the game to call a timeout and he wasn't sure what he could do while he was still in the air. Fuck it. I'll improvise. "Anything else? Anything on the other team?"

"Jones' right shoulder must be injured. She's only using her left hand and always backhands the ball. The driver passes the ball as soon as Angelina gets close to her. You need to figure out a way to shot her down or you'll just be losing Angelina for no reason. Their keeper favours her right side so flies closer to the left ring."

Harry sighed as Harpies scored another goal, bringing the score to seventy to twenty. Fuck it. He flew mid-field as soon as Ron passed the ball to Angelina who passed to Ginny in mid-field. Ginny fumbled the ball but Harry was there to catch it and sloth-roll around a sneaky bludger sent by a grinning Jones. As he came out of the roll, he allowed himself a second to process where his teammates where before sending the quaffle flying, using the momentum of the roll to his advantage. Katie caught the ball with a light hand near the scoring zone and faked right before scoring through the left ring.

As his team flew back to defend against the coming tide, Harry closed the distance with Ginny but before he could say anything, Ginny spoke. "I know. I suck!"

"You are putting your elbow in your dish," Harry said. When Ginny looked at him uncomprehendingly, he explained," You are getting in your own way. Sit out this defence and take a minute. Use it on breathing exercises to calm yourself. If you could get over your crush on me and become my friend, you can get over your crush on Gwenog Jones as well."

Before Ginny could say anything, the opposing keeper started the game again. "Go," Harry ordered and pointed to where Alicia was sitting. "Talk to Al. She'll calm you down nice and easy."

Ginny hesitated for a moment but did as Harry ordered while Harry caught Katie's eyes and ordered her to stay to Angelina's top right. He did the opposite, going low left. Luasaigh saw Katie's shadow and chose to pass the ball to the woman on Harry's side. It wasn't hard for Harry to intercept the ball as he knew where it would go but he didn't expect the same sneaky bludger sent by the same sneaky beater. It hit his left shoulder at full speed, causing Harry to whirl around.

It's okay. Pain is your friend. It tells you when something is wrong. Accept it, experience it. Don't fight it.

He shook his head and gained control of his broom before zipping forward. He saw Katie to his left and passed the ball to her before cross-flying the field. Katie passed back to Angelina who sent a long pass to where he was headed.

The pain on his left shoulder increased as he had to use his left arm to catch the ball but he ignored it still and rolled around his broom's axis to gain enough momentum to shot the ball with his injured shoulder. He aimed left hoop but scored through the middle one, chuckling to himself as he flushed.

He called a time-out as soon as the ball crossed the iron circle and sped to the ground, calling Madam Pomfrey. His teammates landed around him, including Ginny. He didn't give them a chance to talk. "Ginny, are you better?" The red-head nodded to convince herself more than to convince him. "Good. If you feel like you'll freak out again, take a minute to relax. This is just a game. No need to be nervous, okay?" He turned to Ron as Pomfrey cast a charm at his shoulder. "I told you this before, Ron. Don't try to outthink your opponent. Wait for the ball to leave their hands before you fly. Trust your instincts." He pointed a finger at the twins. "Whoever is not protecting the hoops. I want you to stay to Jones' left. Her right arm or shoulder is injured so she always hits towards left. Intercept her balls, or at least make it harder for her to shot accurately. He turned around to find Katie and Ginny and found them standing far away from each other, Ron and Angelina in between them. He ignored Pomfrey's irritated huff and dragged Ginny to Katie's side before speaking. "Ginny, I want you to crowd the driver from a different side each time they attack. Katie will play to intercept. I will low-cross the field while Angelina, you will fly straight as soon as we have the ball."

"After fifteen minutes, we will switch things around to improvisation. I want to stay unpredictable. They are professionals. We don't need to assist them by repeating the same play over and over again. We'll try our luck at freestyle for a while but when I give the signal, Angelina will fall back again and," he pointed at the other two chasers,"You two will early press them into making mistakes. Shock and awe will be the name of the game. We'll see what happens after that."

He thanked Pomfrey when she numbed his shoulder before leaving them. He looked at his teammates to see none of the faces showed an ounce of pleasant emotions. "This is a game, people. We are not here for a potions class. We are here to play the game we all love. Stop taking it so seriously. Enjoy yourselves. We might lose but let us, at least, enjoy our loss, okay?" His teammates gave him unsure nods. He didn't like that. "Oh, for fuck's sake, stop looking like Dumbledore just told you Snape is your real father." That earned a few disgusted moans and a few chuckles. "Take deep breaths and enjoy making a memory to tell your grandchildren when you are all white and wrinkly, while I stay young and sexy."

He smiled when his teammates laughed. "Good. Go on, then," he shooed them away but stayed behind a moment longer to test his left shoulder. Shit! Still a little stiff. Oh, well.

He got back on his broom and zipped up above the quaffle play height. He heard the swoosh of another broom and glanced to his right to see the blonde seeker of the Harpies. "You doing okay, kid?" she asked and pointed her head towards Harry's shoulder.

"Lucky for you, not a hundred percent," he said with a grin. "I played and won 'single-handedly' before," he told her with a wink.

She laughed at him or with him, Harry didn't care. "You are a cocky little fucker, aren't you?"

"Lady, I'm fourteen. You shouldn't be saying words with 'cock' in it."

"Don't be a smartarse, Potter. I was your age once; I know what goes around in a teenager's head."

"You still remember your teenage years? Merlin, you must have one hell of a memory." He grinned before adding, "Speaking of Merlin, what was he like? Did you ever... you know, find yourself alone in a broom closet with him?"

"Wow," she exclaimed. "I was never called old before, and never have been insulted so disjointedly. I recant my earlier statement. I have no idea what goes on in your head."

"Oh, trust me," Harry said as he watched Katie get into position. "You wouldn't believe the things I come up with."

He streaked forward towards the far end of the field and caught the ball Katie sent her way. He didn't keep it long before passing it to an unmarked Angelina who scored easily. Forty points left.

His tactics worked, sort of. Throughout the next hour, they kept switching tactics and executing them, but they never gained the upper hand. Whenever they evened the score, the Harpies upped their game and reclaimed their lead. Thankfully, his teammates started to enjoy themselves and the game gained some energy with both sides competing.

Well, at least they are not obvious about it, Harry thought when he realised their opponents were playing with them, not against them. They kept playing just a touch better than the Pixies, giving the impression the game was a cliffhanger. Come to think of it, it's like they are pushing us to play better; testing our limits.

That brought up one concern though. He knew Jones wouldn't accept a defeat. Never. She just wasn't the type to lose as a courtesy. Which means I will be tested as well, to see if how good a seeker I am. It took Harry five minutes of contemplation to figure it out, all the while he continued to play. She's risking the game to see how I will get ready for the next World Cup.

It's all just to test me. She knows I will push extra hard if there is a chance I can win so she keeps the scores close enough. Holy shit! That's what I call a sophisticated plan.

He wondered why he was okay with an opponent playing games with him and realised he didn't care. He knew he couldn't win against the Harpies, not at this time, and he enjoyed himself far too much to care for his slightly bruised ego and humbled soul.

He dived to the ground as he refocused on the game, the blonde friend of Merlin right at his tail. He waved around the chasers, disrupting the opposition attack and causing the quaffle to hit the ground in the excitement. Instead of slowing when he passed the lowest player, he turned his broom parallel to the ground and sped off, catching the ball thrown by Angelina at the other end of the field and scoring a fast one while dodging the keeper. He stopped as soon as he passed the goal posts and turned around to watch as the blonde seeker had trouble manoeuvring around the panicked keeper.

Yeah, Jones, Harry thought as he saw Jones watch him, I'm that good.

He smiled victoriously as he glanced at the scoreboard to see the scores even for the first time since the game started. It feels good even if I know they aren't playing their best on purpose.

Harry flew up to where Jones was drawing lazy circles with one of the twins keeping near her. "I know what you are doing." Jones just smiled at him innocently. "Did you like my last show?"

"It was not so bad," she answered with a grin.

"Not so bad?" Harry exclaimed in disbelief. "I almost managed to fell your seeker and keeper at the same time I scored. That's what people call a great play."

"The key word is almost. Almost great play," she half-agreed. "If you had kept a little longer, you would've done it too."

"I was far too close to the keeper's line. It would've cost me a penalty."

She shook her head. "You need to think bigger. Don't just call plays to score a point. Even if it cost you a penalty and we scored, you would even out while the other team would have to deal with two injuries. You might have even gotten the seeker out of the game, effectively ending the game as close as this one."

"Oh, don't pretend it's not close because you want it to be," Harry snapped without any anger. "But you are right. That would've been awesome."

They sat in silence and watched the quaffle game for a few minutes, each resting and enjoying themselves. "Do you know why I agreed to play against the winner of your little tournament?" When Harry shook his head, she answered, "to see what's Krum truly made of. We thought we would play against him. You were a pleasant surprise."

"You would break the no men rule for Viktor?"

"No, don't be ridiculous. We heard rumours Puddlemere was courting Krum. It was a threat assessment, not a try-out." She shook her head to refocus. "Anyway, back to the point. You surprised me in your match against Krum. He is not only more experienced than you, he's also a more talented seeker. Yet, you almost won. You can think on your feet, or on your broom, as the case may be; but you can also see the weak spots and plan accordingly. You used five different successful tactics in this game. That's a high number even for a professional match. If you can start to think more surgically and outside the confines of scoring and defending, you'll be the captain of the national team in eight years."

Harry opened his mouth to thank the woman but a gold sparkle caught his eye and he zoomed away without a thought, starting the first snitch chase of the game. He glanced around to see if the other seeker caught on to what was going on and smiled when he saw her ignorance. Sadly, he didn't get to keep his advantage as he had to manoeuvre out of the Luasaigh's path and causing her to drop the quaffle. The resulting commotion brought the blonde seeker's attention and a moment later he was trying to shake off his tail while he tailed the snitch.

As the chase gained heat, he realised the other seeker failed to gain ground on him and instead, he increased the distance between them, albeit slowly. He didn't get to enjoy this revelation as he was forced to dodge two consecutive bludgers sent by Jones. He dodged the first one easily but the second one missed his ear by less than a centimetre.

He refocused on the snitch as he pushed down the irritation at not only losing advantage but falling behind the other seeker. He did catch up to her without much of a problem but she ended up on his left and a single shoulder from the woman caused his shoulder pain to flare up and make him lose balance.

He didn't get a chance to recover from that as the blonde seeker, now unchallenged, caught the snitch moments after he regained control of his whirling broom.

He landed on the ground with a small smile, not letting the loss take away from how much he enjoyed the game. His team landed around him with pouts and his smile got bigger. "Oh, stop moping, you morons. We played great. Yes, we lost but we gave it everything we got and you can be sure none of the other teams could play as well as we did. So, wear this loss proudly."

"And walk away from this stadium with your head held high."