July 17, 1998

Man-Who-Won to return to Quidditch?

Penelope Clearwater- Quidditch Correspondent

With only a few short days to go before the Junior League Tryouts, one could be forgiven if they didn't think there were many ways for the excitement to increase. Of course, one wouldn't expect any more exciting prospects to have come out. However, there may be another two new prospects coming in.

Rumors are circulating that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Man-Who-Won, will be participating in this year's tryouts. Sources close to Potter could not be reached to confirm any of these rumors, though League sources claim Potter and best friend Ronald Weasley met quietly with several owners and managers over the last couple of weeks.

If true, Potter could be one of the top Seeker prospects in the talent pool. Potter has played a major part in making Gryffindor a juggernaut from 1991 to 1997, including capturing a trio of House Cups in 1994, 1996, and 1997. He captained the latter team, and further rumors abound that Potter would be tapped for the captaincy again if he went back to finish schooling. Several stars, including Puddlemere Keeper Oliver Wood and Bulgarian Seeker Viktor Krum have spoken highly of Potter's abilities on a broom. "Potter would be an excellent addition to the league," said Wood, "He was quite a natural, and with proper guidance, could be among the best to play in this generation, possibly in league history."

Quidditch Health Expert Reginald Pomfrey raised questions about his health though, saying, "Potter spent the last year on the run, and despite being slight for much of his Hogwarts career, he appeared to have deteriorated some at the Battle of Hogwarts in May. Given that he likely was subjected to Dark Magic including Unforgivables, there are valid concerns about his current health and ability to last a full season." Pomfrey did note, however, that "Potter likely will shake most of these concerns off in the next year or two, given his unusually successful recoveries from previous injuries." Teams may very well take a look at him, even if he has these concerns, as Potter's popularity could prove to be great for sales to the club.

Opinion: Britain needs Potter

Oliver Wood- Keeper (Captain), Puddlemere United

Quidditch has proven to be a national embarrassment for Magical Britain for the last several cups. We were fielding decent teams who underperformed at the international stage, and leaving key pieces off. This is the fault of our former coach, who was killed in the Battle of Hogwarts, fighting on behalf of the twice-deceased Voldemort. Several star players from the BQL were left off due to blood status.

Let's not forget the embarrassment handed to us in the last pair of cups. We hosted the 1994 final (a final this keeper was at), but the site was attacked by Death Eaters following the match, in what would later become the first spells fired in the Second Rise of Voldemort. In 1997, as the national team was preparing to start the campaign to challenge for the Quidditch World Cup, the World Quidditch Federation handed England a ban that was lifted yesterday. The founder of Quidditch has been left out of the 1998 campaign, the first time in our nation's history that has happened. So where does Potter fit in?

Call me presumptive, but he would be a natural fit for Seeker in 2002. I had the honor of introducing him to the game back in 1991, and was proud to have him on my team for my final years at Hogwarts, and I do believe Gryffindor could have taken the cup for all six years Potter was at the school, had luck been on our side. As it was, he was the best Seeker the school had, and never lost, barring a fluke Dementor attack in 1993 that handed Cedric Diggory (rest his soul) the only win over Potter in Quidditch to date.

Potter would also be an asset to Britain if he joined the British Quidditch League. The conquering hero, or whatever the Daily Prophet will call him this week, would signify a return to normal, a rise from the ashes that Voldemort wanted to turn Britain into.

It is the opinion of this former captain of his that he has gone above and beyond in the quest to defeat Voldemort, and that wherever Harry's heart lies, he should be welcomed with open arms. It is the least we as a nation can do on behalf of the man who has given and lost so much on our behalf.

June 7, 1998
12 Grimmauld Place

Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, now the Man-Who-Won, sat on the roof of Grimmauld Place, looking out over London.

It had been a little over a month since the Battle of Hogwarts, and things had finally calmed down since- being honest, among the hardest parts were attending the funerals of those he'd gone to school with, as well as those of Tonks and Remus.

Harry sighed, thinking of the baby Teddy sleeping in the bedrooms below. Dear Lord, please let this be the end and not history repeating itself. Hopefully Kingsley cleans up the Ministry…

Harry was brought out of his musing by a tapping on the window. Harry lifted it to reveal Ron, wielding a pair of Pumpkin Pasties. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

Harry gave a small grin. "Couldn't sleep? Or didn't want to sleep?" He nodded at the sweets in Ron's hands.

Ron shrugged. "Thought you might want one." He handed Harry the Pasties, then pulled himself onto the roof. Looking over at Harry, he grabbed one back and sat down. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Harry looked at Ron, then at the sweet in his hand, then back out at the neighborhoods sprawling out in front of him. "I don't know what to do."

Ron stopped, mid-bite. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it- my entire life has been focused around Voldemort- until a month ago. Mum and Dad went into hiding, then they were killed because of Pettigrew. I was sent to the Dursleys for my protection. At Hogwarts I fought Voldie on an almost yearly basis… come to think of it, the only year I didn't was third when we were dealing with Pettigrew." Harry sighed slightly. "Everything in my life led up to the final battle. But now… now what?"

"You live for yourself." Ron smiled, a slight sadness hidden behind. "You live. Yes, Fred, Sirius, Remus and Tonks, Your Mum and Dad… they died because of you and what you stood for. Hope for a better tomorrow."

"But that's just it. I know I could be an Auror, and that's probably what people would expect out of me, but… I don't think I want it. Not anymore."

"You have every right to do something that you want to do, not what's expected. Nobody has any right to demand any more of your life than you have already given. But the obvious question is what do you want to do?"

"I don't know."

There was a brief silence between the pair, punctuated by an occasional bite, chew, and swallow. This would be broken by Ron. "You know, you always appeared happiest when you were on a broom. And you were wicked on it- you could probably go pro without too many issues."

"Do you think they'd take it well? I get this feeling that people are looking to me to do more than that. Like they expect me to go into the Ministry and clean it up."

"So what? You're barely out of Hogwarts, and even then, only on a technicality. You'll ruffle feathers of the old guard if you go straight to the Aurors, and you know Kingley and the Order will have it. Plus, you going and playing Quidditch could be seen as a sign of normalcy, and by Merlin do we need that." Ron paused for a minute. "You could also go back to Hogwarts for one final year… if you could stand to go back."

Harry looked at Ron quizzically. "Awfully well thought out for someone with the emotional range of a teaspoon?"

Ron grimaced. "Yeah, well Hermione isn't likely to be fond of my plan to try out. Trouble is, I don't want to spend my life chasing bad guys either. At least not for another couple of years." He chuckled. "We saved the world once, and I couldn't make it through the full trip without leaving. I don't think I could do that day in, day out, at least for now."

Harry started to point out the Horcrux, but decided it was better not to. "I barely made it through myself."

The pair sat for a couple more minutes before Ron shifted moving back towards the window. Before he opened it, however, be added, "It's not a decision you need to make tonight, or even anything to commit to; we can go to the tryouts, and you can see if you like it. If not, we can find you something else. Mum and Dad would probably be more than happy to talk to you… but I'd probably talk to Dad alone first…"

Harry looked over at the retreating form of his friend, asking "Have you done that?"

"No. not yet. I don't think Mum will be well pleased… Anyways, good night, Harry." With those parting words, Ron was back inside, leaving Harry along on the roof.

Harry looked toward the slightly open window, then back out at the city. He could have summoned his broom if he was at the Burrow, but it was still being rebuilt. "Ron did have a point," he said to himself, "those were the most freeing moments I'd had." He smiled, returning back to Hogwarts, holding up the Snitch and the Quidditch Cup in 1994. The roar of the crowd, that original 7 celebrating alongside him, Wood crying out of happiness.

Thinking of Wood, he paused. Wood had returned for the Battle of Hogwarts, despite having been considered a favorite to play for Magical Britain in 2002, if not 1998. "Nothing would stop me from coming to fight on behalf of Magical Britain if I needed to," he argued with no one in particular, "So I'm not running away." He did have to admit, he didn't have a desire to be in harm's way more than he already had done.

He was brought out of his musing by another tapping on the window, seeing his female best friend there, he helped her onto the roof. "Couldn't sleep either?"

Hermione shrugged. "Not really. I've been thinking of the future."

"Same." Harry paused, wondering if he should tell her of his thoughts. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, I was planning out this next year, should I go back to Hogwarts, or should I take up Kingsley's offer?" Harry nodded as she spoke. Kingsley had offered many of the would-have-been-Seventh-years positions in the Ministry, as long as they worked on getting their necessary NEWTS. "I just don't know if I should join now, or wait a year."

"Well what would you be doing if you joined now?"

"I'd pretty much be his Undersecretary."

Harry thought for a moment. "Well you could hardly do worse than Umbridge."

Hermione smacked him on the arm. "Prat." Harry grinned back in response. "But not untrue. I just worry that people would see me as getting it because of the Order."

Harry scoffed. "Okay, and? They'd see you that way, even if you joined in a year. Remember? Daily Prophet?"

Hermione nodded, knowing Harry was alluding to the Prophet's way of going back and forth on him. "But at least then I could say I got my qualifications the normal way." Silence settled between the pair for a brief while. "What about you?" she asked, looking at him. "What are you thinking of?"

"I'm not sure," Harry admitted, "I spent my last 7 years preparing to defeat him, and now I have my life ahead of me."

"What if you took Kingsley's offer?" Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione had anticipated his rebuttal, "Auror isn't a political position, and the office is known to be slightly meritocratic anyway, so you'd be earning your promotions."

Harry quietly sat, looking back out over London once again. The lights of distant skylines twinkled and danced, as if calling out to Hogwarts' youngest seeker in a century. And in that moment, a not yet 18-year-old Harry Potter knew where his heart lay.

A/N: I initially posted the first chapter of this story back in early 2020, but life was too busy to continue it at that time. I decided to restart it and polish up the prologue and what I'd written a bit more.