AN: More reviews are always appreciated and thanks to all my loyal readers.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
A BIG DAY
The threesome arrived at Hogwarts just in time to catch the end of the evening meal. Mr. Weasley waved for them to join him at his table, and they enjoyed eating from a much larger selection of food than they usually had available when just the three of them were dining with Percy at the Burrow. Headmistress McGonagall soon interrupted the students' meal to introduce the new substitute teachers. Loud applause greeted the announcement, though Harry noticed the clapping was more restrained from the Slytherin table. Some, such as those who were members of last summer's Slytherin Quidditch team, applauded along with the rest of the Hogwarts' students. Those whose last names were the same as some of the Death Eaters who had died or been arrested in the last year tended to be quiet.
After the meal was finished, all of the teachers and students returned to their rooms except for Ginny and Luna. Ron and Hermione took Luna with them to visit Hagrid out at his hut. Harry and Ginny spent half an hour alone together before they also walked slowly to Hagrid's hut. Hagrid seemed surprised to see Harry at first.
"'Arry, I almost didn't recognize yeh with that horrible lump sticking out the side of yer head!" roared Hagrid. "Looks like yeh got somethin' livin' up there."
Harry was about to answer when he noticed Ron and Hermione laughing in the corner. It was obvious Ron had coached Hagrid on what to say when Harry arrived. Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it menacingly at Ron until he could no longer hold a straight face. Then he slapped Ron on the back and he and Ginny each grabbed an open seat.
The five spent several hours with Hagrid, sometimes telling old stories from Ron, Harry and Hermione's past and at other times filling in those three on the current happenings at Hogwarts. Laughter filled the hut until they realized it was late and they all needed to return to the castle to prepare for the next day.
Harry and Ron started their substitute teaching the next morning with a class of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw third year students. They soon settled upon a division of labor. Ron took charge of running the whole class, as the leadership skills he had recently acquired lent themselves to this task. He also seemed to enjoy ordering the younger kids around. That freed Harry to spend time tutoring students one at a time, the method for which he felt he was best suited.
Once again Harry and Ron found that they were a good team. Their experience in Dumbledore's Army, as well as helping Mrs. Weasley with Defense Against the Dark Arts classes last summer and working with the others in the Auror department, helped them feel prepared for this duty. Mrs. Weasley's detailed list of materials which she wanted them to cover didn't hurt either.
When Harry and Ron went to lunch after teaching a class of fifth-years, they were feeling good about their efforts so far. Hermione, who they met before going to the Great Hall, was feeling far less satisfied with her teaching.
"I've had such a frustrating morning. I don't think I got through to any of the students," sighed Hermione.
"What was the problem?" asked Harry.
"I went over this list Mrs. Weasley left me of material for the students to read and study. Then I went over my notes of what was on our end of the year tests, and added several extra books for the students to read," explained Hermione.
"When I presented these lists to the students, they all seemed to become upset," she continued. "I tried to tell them the type of questions they were going to see on their exams, but by then I had a hard time getting them to pay attention."
Ron and Harry looked at each other, desperately trying to keep a straight face. Finally, Ron could hold out no longer.
"You took notes on what was on our final tests?" asked Ron in disbelief.
"It turns out it was a good thing I did," said Hermione indignantly. "Those notes are coming in handy now."
Harry and Ron continued laughing until Harry finally regained his composure.
"Hermione, you have to realize that most of the students here are not like you, nor do they want to be," explained Harry as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "Most of them are more like Ron and me. Remember how you tried and tried, but you were always lucky if you could get us to read the bare minimum in our books? Well, we only read that much out of guilt from watching all the work you were doing."
"And we only felt guilty because you were such a good friend of ours," continued Ron. "Most of the other students just blew off the majority of the readings."
"You know," thought Harry out loud, "you should probably start your class with the part where you use your notes to tell them what might be on the upcoming test. They should like that."
"Yeah," interrupted Ron. "It will seem like you are giving them special information. It will make it seem like you are helping them cheat the system. They will like that."
Hermione shot Ron a very dirty look after that comment. Harry decided to use the opening to press the issue.
"After you've given them your insights on the test, then give them Mrs. Weasley's list of required reading. They might then see it as an attempt to help instead of seeing it as a pile of homework."
Ron agreed, then added his own thoughts.
"After that, you can tell them you have ideas for extra reading for those who want to have an advantage on the test. Most of the students will ignore you, but the ones who are like you might appreciate it."
Hermione looked grumpily at Harry and Ron, but she remained silent in thought for a moment before replying.
"That's not how I would have wanted to be taught."
"True, but you have to remember that a lot of the students aren't all that interested in learning some of this stuff," said Harry. "You might have to trick them into learning. Instead of having them read everything in a textbook, work some stuff in while telling stories of breaking into the Ministry or escaping from Gringotts. Kids love that kind of stuff, especially if you include the part where we rode out on that dragon."
Hermione thought some more, until a big wicked grin slowly spread across her face.
"I get it," she replied. "I need to be a little devious."
Hermione turned around and left Ron and Harry before even having her lunch.
"I have to go adjust my afternoon lesson plans," she shouted back to them. "I'll see you this evening."
Ron watched her go before speaking to Harry.
"Do you think we ought to have lesson plans?"
"Nah," said Harry. "We'll just wing it like usual."
Ron looked back in the direction in which Hermione had departed.
"I don't think I liked that nasty look on her face, mate. I almost feel like I should warn the students. That look always scares me."
"At least she is not planning something against us this time," offered Harry.
Ron agreed heartily. He filled his plate to almost overflowing in his own way of preparing for the rest of the day.
Harry saw Ginny only briefly Friday evening, as she spent most of that night and Saturday morning with her Quidditch team. Harry joined Ron and Hermione as they walked to the Quidditch stadium and took their seats next to Mr. Weasley in the faculty area.
There was an electric feeling in the air prior to the match. Both the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teams were undefeated coming into this final match of the school year. There was no need to worry about the final score. The winning team would win the Quidditch Cup and the defeated team would have to settle for second place.
The stands were filled well before the start of the match. Not only did the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws come out in force, but most of the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were also in attendance. Harry had a chill run down his spine as he remembered how it felt to be out there in front of such a crowd waiting for the match to start.
Harry continued to look around the stadium. He saw Lee Jordan in the announcers' booth along with a Hufflepuff sixth year whose name Harry could not remember, though the fact that the kid could cast a fairly good disarming spell did stick in his memory. Harry assumed he must be the student announcer for this match.
Just to the left of the faculty area were three women whom Harry had never seen before. They certainly did not fit in with the Slytherin students standing around them. They were wearing identical robes, and when Harry studied them more closely he noticed that they all had the symbol for the Holyhead Harpies emblazoned on their left side. So, thought Harry, the rumor was true. Ginny was drawing some interest from at least one professional Quidditch team. One of the women noticed the attention Harry was giving them and nodded a greeting towards him, which he returned.
A cheer arose from the crowd as Harry noticed both teams arriving on the field. The Ravenclaw team came out running and jumping, leading their fellow Ravenclaws in loud, rowdy cheers.
In contrast, Ginny led the Gryffindor team out at a steady walk. They were waving to their fellow Gryffindors, but they were not smiling. They gave the impression of people who were serious about a job they had to do. Harry looked at Ginny, but she never even glanced in his direction. Instead, she merely stared at the Ravenclaw team hopping around in the middle of the field.
"Uh, oh," said Harry. "I think they mean business. I used to think Oliver Wood took this game seriously."
"Oliver used to have Fred and George around to keep things from getting too serious," replied Ron. "There is no one there to challenge Ginny. She runs that team with an iron fist." Ron grinned before continuing. "Are you sure you want to live with her, mate?"
"I'll take my chances," smiled Harry.
As the time to start the match approached, Lee Jordan made an announcement.
"We are all here today to watch this important match. It will determine which of these two teams will be awarded the Quidditch Cup this year."
A large roar went up from the crowd, especially from the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw sections.
"However, it is also fitting that we all remember this date as the one year anniversary of the terrible battle which took place last year," Lee continued. "At this time, we ask that all please observe a few moments of silence as we remember our classmates and friends who are unable to join us today."
The crowd went deadly silent as Lee slowly read the names of those who had died at the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry found it to be a moving moment, as he thought not only of the people whose names were being read, but also of other casualties such as Professor Dumbledore, Sirius, Mad Eye Moody, Dobby and others. Harry noticed to tear or two form in Ron's eyes when his brother Fred's name was read, and he also thought Mr. Weasley was struggling to retain his composure.
After a few minutes of silence, Lee spoke again.
"Now let our grief be put aside as we celebrate the joy of the day."
The crowd gave a cheer. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and all fifteen brooms rose into the air. The match was on.
Harry decided to concentrate only on what Ginny was doing. He was amazed at the difference between the way he played Seeker and the way Ginny played the position. Harry used to try to stay out of the way of the action until he saw the Snitch. He would then let the rest of the team do their jobs while he concentrated solely upon catching the Snitch. Harry realized that he must have had a lot of faith that his Beaters would protect him to play the game that way.
In contrast, Ginny was much more involved in the activities of the rest of her team. As she searched for the Snitch, she occasionally shouted instructions to her teammates and appeared to be calling some plays.
She would also fly into the vicinity of the new Ravenclaw Seeker on occasion. His name was Stewart Ackerley, a fifth-year who was supposed to be a natural at the position. Besides being an excellent flyer, he also had a slightly larger build than most Seekers, and he did not shy away from using his size to his advantage.
Harry heard Lee Jordan announce that the Snitch had been spotted. Ginny and Stewart took off in pursuit towards the other end of the field. Stewart would lean into Ginny as they flew, trying to push her aside and thus gain better position on the Snitch. This was repeated the next several times the Snitch was spotted. Ginny always pushed back, but Stewart's size gave him the advantage.
When the Gryffindor lead reached 110-70, the Snitch was sighted again, this time very near the two Seekers. They again took off in pursuit. While Stewart concentrated solely on the chase of the Snitch, Ginny was signaling to Euan Abercromby, one of the Gryffindor Beaters who was flying slightly behind and several meters aside of Ginny.
As the Snitch crossed midfield, the other Gryffindor Beater, Jimmy Peakes, sent a Bludger towards Euan. Euan in turn sent it flying directly at Ginny.
At the same moment, Stewart Ackerley chose to try to push Ginny aside. As he leaned her way, Ginny dropped down a few meters. Stewart moved into the spot where Ginny had been just as the Bludger came crashing into his side. He was barely able to stay on his broom, but the collision caused him to fall far behind Ginny.
With no one in her way, Ginny was able to rapidly close in on the Snitch. It quickly approached the end line, which meant it would be changing direction soon. Since the Snitch could turn much more sharply than Ginny could on her broom, she would have to take a guess as to which way it would go. She turned upward and towards the middle of the field.
The crowd groaned when the Snitch turned downward and towards the sideline instead. As Ginny turned to pursue, the Snitch changed direction again, this time upward and back towards midfield.
The Snitch was going to pass just behind Ginny. As she kept her right hand on her Firebolt (the preferred Quidditch broom of Harry Potter, as Lee Jordan had stated twice already during this match), she threw her body backwards and stretched out her left hand. The maneuver left her hanging upside down under her broom, hanging on by her feet and one hand. She was almost immediately rewarded by something solid contacting her fingers. She snapped her hand closed and felt the Snitch fluttering in her grasp, trying but failing to escape.
"Weasley has the Snitch!" yelled Lee Jordan. "What an amazing catch! Gryffindor wins, 260-70!"
The stadium erupted in noise. The Ravenclaws seemed to groan in unison in their despair, while the Gryffindors roared in celebration. The Hufflepuffs and Slytherins reacted differently depending on which team they were rooting for, but everyone was pointing and commenting on Ginny's amazing move to end the match.
Harry was exchanging high-fives with Ron, Hermione and Mr. Weasley when he looked to his left and noticed the three ladies from the Holyhead Harpies huddled in conversation. After a few moments they broke apart and started to head for the field. The one who had noticed Harry before the start of the match turned towards him and smiled as she nodded in a positive fashion.
The stadium started to empty out, with most of the students heading back into the school. The Gryffindors, however, poured out on the field to celebrate. Dennis Creevey was running through the crowd wearing the Quidditch Cup like a hat while Natalie McDonald ran behind him, swatting him in the behind with her broom. Harry spotted Headmistress McGonagall shaking her head at the lack of propriety. He imagined that she was glad she had not given anyone permission to broadcast video of the event.
By the time Harry reached the field, all of the Gryffindors were already taking part in the celebration. Now that he was a part of the faculty, he had to avoid mixing with the students too much. He looked around and spotted Hermione talking to Luna, who stayed around after her fellow Ravenclaws had left to congratulate her friends on the Gryffindor team.
Ron, meanwhile, was busy talking to the Gryffindor Keeper, Emma Dobbs. Judging by the exaggerated hand motions both were displaying, Harry guessed that Emma was describing some of her saves in the match while Ron was responding by reliving some of his past Quidditch triumphs.
Harry even spotted Hagrid moving through the crowd, congratulating all the players he met. Harry cringed a bit when he saw poor Demelza Robins fall to the ground. Hagrid never had learned to control his strength, and his congratulatory back slap had sent Demelza sprawling.
Finally, Harry found the person he had been looking for. Ginny was busy talking to the three representatives of the Holyhead Harpies. She was looking at a small scroll of paper when she spotted Harry. She left them and rushed over to give Harry a big hug before showing him the scroll.
"Look at this!" she exclaimed. "They are offering me a chance to play for the Harpies!"
She settled down a bit and started to talk more softly.
"They already have a good Seeker so I won't play much at first, and they are not offering to pay a lot …"
Harry interrupted her.
"Don't worry about the pay. My parents and Sirius left me a lot of gold to begin with. Added to that, between my Auror pay and all that your brother keeps making for me with that magical business touch of his, gold will never be a problem," explained Harry.
"Do what you want to do," he urged. "Do what makes you happy."
Ginny's face broke into a wide smile and she gave Harry a big hug and a quick kiss. Then she returned to the women from the Holyhead Harpies to accept their offer. They talked for a few minutes before leaving. Ginny then met up with some of her teammates and Luna, who were getting ready to return to the school.
The crowd was starting to break up, though Harry had to duck suddenly when Dennis Creevey flew just over his head. Harry wondered how he could see where he was going since he still had the Quidditch Cup over his head. Natalie McDonald followed close behind, yelling directions at him that he tried to follow, with varying degrees of success.
Harry decided to walk back to the school with Ron, Hermione and Mr. Weasley. But first he was intercepted by one of the representative from the Holyhead Harpies.
"Harry Potter?" she asked. Harry nodded in the affirmative.
"I have a friend who works for the Chudley Cannons. He was just saying the other day how he'd like to recruit you to play Seeker for the Cannons. Are you interested?"
Harry thought about it briefly, having the chance to fly on his broom again in front of cheering crowds. Then he shook his head.
"No, I'm afraid that part of my life is behind me. I'll just have to follow my Quidditch dreams by watching Ginny."
Harry shook her hand and then turned to rejoin his friends. As he reached them, a huge owl flew over his head, then came to a halt on Mr. Weasley's shoulder.
"What do you have for me, Cheriton?" asked Mr. Weasley.
He gave the owl a treat and took a piece of paper from the owl's legs. The owl flew towards the Hogwarts' owlery while Mr. Weasley read the note.
"Ginny! Ron! Come over here!"
Ron had only been a few steps ahead, but Ginny had been several meters away. She sent her teammates on ahead, and then returned along with Luna to join Mr. Weasley.
Mr. Weasley looked at all the kids.
"Ron, Ginny, I just received a note from your mother. She says that Fleur went into labor this morning and gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl."
Everyone started talking at once, asking Mr. Weasley all kinds of questions at the same time so that he could not hear any of them.
"Quiet, quiet now. If you'll all calm down I will continue."
"Bill added something to the bottom of the note. He says that in acknowledgement of the special day on which their daughter was born, they are giving her a special name."
"They named her Victorie."
AN: Thanks for all the praise and following! (btw this is my uncle's story and it is already complete so any constructive criticism will be passed on but not implemented)