I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
Extended Family
Chapter 41 – Reunited
Takes place a few years after chapter 37
"Hey baby bird."
Harry noticed Alicia's expression and hugged her tightly. "Hey Alicia. What's wrong?"
"I need your help with Oliver. He's been in a funk and I haven't been able to break him out of it." She rubbed her eyes. "I've been especially annoying and disruptive and that hasn't worked."
"Must be serious then," Harry joked feebly. "Do you know what's going on?"
"It has to do with his team, I know it. Our home life is wonderful and whenever he's at home for some time, he's perfectly fine. But he won't confide in me over this for some reason so I'm hoping he'll confide in you. Take him out and do man things."
"Man things?" Harry repeated with a smirk. "I might be the wrong man for man things."
"Well I don't trust anyone at Puddlemere and I'd have to go bail him out of the Aurors cells if George and Fred take him out and his brothers are thicker than porridge boiled dry. And I trust you."
"I love you too Alicia."
She kissed his cheek. "Now off you go and if you fail, no more Hadley and Melanie visits."
Harry snorted. "That's an empty threat. You know that they'd ignore you and barricade themselves at our home."
"I know but it was fun to give silly ultimatums like that." Her smile faded slightly. "Please help him."
"I'll get to the bottom of it, don't worry."
Harry left her potions lair, not laboratory according to her, and found Oliver polishing his broom in the garden. "Hey Captain."
"Hey Sir Harry." Oliver smiled but it did not quite reach his eyes. "What's up?"
"Alicia wants us to go do man things."
Oliver laughed. "What does that mean?"
"No idea. But how about we go fishing? And if we don't catch anything we go to Skye Market and buy a big fish and pretend we caught it."
Oliver laughed more. "You know, that sounds great. Yeah, let's do that."
They gathered their things and walked off to the nearby creek. Settling down at the widest and deepest part, they baited their hooks and threw the lines out. Time passed slowly and comfortably, the silence between them was companionable and familiar.
"She's worried, isn't she?" Oliver asked at last.
"A little bit. Said she's been especially annoying and that hasn't worked."
Oliver grinned. "She's mellowed a lot but she has ramped it up some lately. Huh, I guess I really have been funked if I barely noticed."
"What's going on then?"
Oliver looked out over the water. "I'm not happy playing for Puddlemere anymore." The words just fell from his lips and he looked shocked that he said it. Yet he also looked relieved, as if a great weight was lifted from his shoulders.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Harry said, sincere.
"I'm sorry to say it. They've been my team since I was a kid. I had some really good years but the new owners are running the team into the ground. They don't care about the players or the fans anymore. They let the good people go and keep the ones they think draw the most crowds and it's telling. We've barely made top five the last few seasons." Oliver sighed deeply, the sound travelling all the way up from his feet.
"I've tried my best. Was as good of a captain as I can be. It's not enough though. The last few I care about are quitting before the next season. I'm…" his voice faded into a whisper, "I'm starting to hate playing Harry and it scares me."
Harry blinked. "That scares me to be honest."
"I thought I'd play until I couldn't anymore and then be a coach you know? But I'm dreading to go to the stadium and the training camps. Honestly the fact that I keep getting picked to be on Team England is the only thing keeping me going right now."
"That's why they don't dare do anything to you right?" Harry asked.
"Yep, because the team gets a lot from sending players to national and international teams. But it's only going to get worse." He shook his head.
Harry's heart ached for his friend. Even during the lamentable losses his first two years at school, he had never seen Oliver this defeated. Suddenly Harry had a flash of inspiration. "So, if you could keep playing in the League for someone else, you'd be happy?"
"You know, I never thought I'd say this, but yeah. It depends on the team though. Fuck Ballycastle every which way and Alicia would murder me if I wore Catapults colors, but I think any team would be better than how Puddlemere is going." Oliver reeled his line in and threw it out again.
"Would you still insist on being captain?"
"Nah. Don't get me wrong, I like being captain but I just want to be happy playing again. I want to actually want to go to work again." He snorted. "Listen to me whinge about playing Quidditch for a living."
"Happiness is happiness," Harry said stoutly. "You taught me that."
Oliver smiled. "You're not wrong." He looked over at Harry and frowned. "What's that face for?"
Harry smoothed his expression. "What face?"
"I know that look. It usually means trouble when one of the twins wear it. Or my daughters."
"Just saying I have an idea is all."
Oliver chuckled. "Should I be worried about your health or safety?"
"No," Harry said indignantly.
"Then I'm not worried," Oliver said easily.
"You're so funny-hey look!"
Oliver crowed and pulled up his rod, reeling the line. A large fish jumped out of the water and he fought with it, eventually puling it out onto the land. "Well look at that," Oliver said with a smile.
"That'll make a tasty dinner," Harry smiled. "How about we cook it in the backyard?"
"Sounds good to me. Maybe my luck is finally starting to turn," Oliver said, feeling relaxed for the first time in a long time.
"I think so too," Harry said knowingly.
-0-
"Hey Rabbit," Angelina smiled as she walked out of the back door.
"Hey Angelina! How'd you know I was here?"
"Hailey came tearing through the house earlier and you're the only reason she does that for," Angelina said easily, grinning as her daughter stuck her tongue out at her.
"Be nice to your mother," Harry said gently. "She needs all extra sweetness because she's very delicate."
Angelina snorted. "Your face is delicate." She rolled her eyes. "Hey now, your godfather and I were friends for longer than you've been alive bunny and this is how we interact so don't you give me that look." She shook a finger at Hailey's look of affront.
"It's okay, I know you love me," Harry said and hugged Hailey. "Oh, Auntie Hermione is on her way. Why don't you run over so you guys can get started on your lessons early?"
Hailey kissed Harry's cheek and ran past Angelina, sticking her tongue out again and dodging a playful swipe.
"Stop turning my children against me," Angelina laughed and pushed Harry playfully.
"I'll try," he said insincerely. "Say, question, how's Tutshill lately?"
"It's okay. I mean, even after all these years playing on the team, I don't feel like it's my team you know? Certainly not like it was in school. The only person I'm close to is Felicia and she's quitting. It'll suck when she's gone."
"Why'd you stay on them for so long then?"
"The money honestly. They gave me the best conditions when I was being signed on and they maintain a steady change in pay and benefits."
"So if you get a good opportunity…"
"I might be willing to go elsewhere. The opportunity has to be good though." She frowned. "What's that face for?"
"Why's everyone having a go about my face today?" Harry complained.
"Don't give me that. I see that face all the time on George and Fred and my babies. I don't need to see it on yours."
"Just trust me."
"Oh no, now I'm worried." She took a step at him. "Rabbit…what are you planning?"
"Hailey help!" Harry yelped. "Your mum is being mean to me!"
"I'm coming!" Hailey came running out of the house, dropping her school things and launched herself at Angelina.
"Hey!" Angelina shrieked as she toppled over, tackled from behind. "You're my daughter!"
"Don't be mean to Papa Harry!" Hailey said, wrestling with her.
"Rabbit! I'll get you for this!"
Harry laughed. "Oh, Captain and I caught a big fish and some smaller ones today and dinner will be grilled fish and things tonight. Thank you, Hailey. You should get to your class though."
Hailey hugged and kissed Harry again and scampered off with her things, leaving Angelina lying on the ground winded.
"So unfair," Angelina muttered. "My own baby, turned on me."
"I love you, Angelina."
"I hate you and love you, Rabbit."
-0-
Harry knocked on the door to the office. He winced at the depressed voices telling him to come in. "Is this a bad time?" he asked, poking his head in.
"Nope, unless you somehow make it worse," Tanya said, dispiritedly.
"Potter, if you're here to tell me you're quitting too then you might as well put me out of my misery with a Curse," Miranda said, slumped in her chair.
Harry frowned. "I'm not here to say that. Who's quitting?" He sat on the free chair in the office.
"Benny. His family business needs him and he always wanted to join it so he put in his notice. Tina is going onto reserve status because she's pregnant," Tanya said.
"Oh well, at least they're for decent reasons," Harry said.
"That's why I'm depressed and not pissed," Miranda said. "But we never found decent reservists to replace the ones that left this year so we're boned."
Harry smiled. "Maybe not."
"Don't do that, don't give me hope," Miranda said.
"What's with that look?" Tanya asked, seeing the smile.
"Everyone's going on about my looks lately, really gives a bloke some concern." He gulped at the harsh looks from the team Captain and the Coach. "Right, sorry. I uh, might have a solution for this. I actually came to talk about getting a couple reservists maybe but with Benny and Tina leaving, it oddly works out perfectly."
"What do you mean?" Tanya asked. "You know of a couple of players that can just slot in?"
"Yup, and they might be willing. More than willing actually."
"It'll be rough training a couple newbies up to scratch but better than nothing I suppose," Miranda said.
"What if I told you they were vets?"
"I'd ask what you were drinking and give me some," Miranda snorted. "You want me to believe that you know a couple of vets that might want to join the team and would fill in Chaser and Keeper, just like that?"
"Sometimes I'm lucky like that," Harry said seriously.
"Well go on then," Tanya said, her face hopeful.
"Oliver Wood and Angelina Weasley," Harry said.
Miranda whistled. "No way. Seriously?"
"Oliver isn't happy with how Puddlemere is now and Angelina doesn't have any true attachments to her team."
"And they might with us? Oh wait, they're mates of yours and you all were on the same team at Hogwarts," Tanya said. "Sounds too good to be true."
"The problem is…" Miranda sighed, "I don't know if we can afford to have two vet players join us on the same salary that they're used to."
"I promise you, if you get close, they'll take the loss," Harry said confidently. "And I'll make it easier." He handed a slip of parchment over to Miranda.
She looked at it and her eyes widened. "You'd do this?"
"I would."
Tanya gasped when she read it. "You'd be willing to take a pay cut that much?"
"I hope I don't sound like a prat when I say this, but it's never been about money to me. It's about happiness and honestly, I live well and Portree has been incredibly generous to me. Taking the cut wouldn't put me out at all and if I get to play with my original team again, then it's well worth it to me."
"You're serious," Miranda said in awe.
"Yup. As long as I don't lose my bonus from the concessions," Harry winked.
The women laughed. "No, that won't be touched. With you taking this cut, I can pretty much get close to what they might have been making," Miranda said.
"Harry, this is incredible," Tanya said softly.
"We're a team," Harry said easily. "And if they join up, our team is going to be even better."
"You really think they'd sign over?" Tanya asked.
"Almost certain."
"Let me talk to the owner and as soon as they give me the go, get them over here," Miranda said. She jumped up, full of energy. "I'm going to Floo him right now."
-0-
"Fancy seeing you here," Oliver remarked.
Angelina smiled. "Yeah, bit of a surprise for me too. I thought Rabbit got in trouble and didn't want Katie to know."
"Does seem that way doesn't it," Oliver chuckled. He turned when the office door opened and beckoned for Angelina to precede him. They entered and smiled at a beaming Harry but sat down with more than a little confusion.
"You guys know Tanya of course," Harry said, "but this is Coach Miranda Rose. You've seen each other often obviously but never met formally."
"Nice to meet you," Oliver said, shaking her hand.
"Likewise," Miranda said to them as she shook their hands. "Let me get to the hoop of this, Harry mentioned you two might be somewhat unhappy with your current teams."
"I wouldn't say unhappy myself," Angelina said, "but not necessarily happy neither if that makes sense."
"I'm a bit unhappy," Oliver said openly.
"Well, no one else really knows outside this room yet but we are having a few openings in the team," Miranda said. "One of our Chasers is quitting and our Keeper is going on reserves and well, we don't have a reserve Chaser or Keeper right now to replace them. We've been having trouble finding some."
"Puddlemere's been poaching and dissuading," Oliver grumbled. "Something else I'm not happy with."
"Those fucks," Miranda swore. "Whatever, anyways, Harry said that you two might be open to new working arrangements."
Oliver and Angelina looked at each other before looking at Harry. "That's…really odd timing," Oliver said with wonder. "Like, fortuitous almost."
"If this is a prank I will kill you," Angelina said to Harry.
"Not a prank at all," Harry said, "swear on my heart."
Miranda slid two stacks of parchment over to them. "I met with the owner and he greenlit these offers. Open to some negotiation of course."
Angelina and Oliver went through them slowly. "This…" Angelina did some hasty figuring, "this is really close to what I make now. A little less but if you have room to improve, it's not bad at all. It's damn good actually, better than my initial contract."
"Same," Oliver said. "A bit less than what I make now, well more considering I won't be team captain, but it's still remarkably close." He looked at Miranda. "I know we're vets and all, but how did you get the okay to offer us good contracts like this? It's still high for incoming vets on any team."
"You have a fan here," Miranda said, hiking a thumb at Harry. "Not to mention you two are on Team England with him a lot. That's a a huge factor in your favor. And like I said, he's a big fan."
"What does that mean?" Oliver asked.
"He's taking a big pay cut for you," Tanya said. She ignored Harry's look. "What? We should be honest if we're playing together."
"Rabbit, you didn't," Angelina gasped.
"I want to," Harry said. "I get overpaid as it is. Ignore that," he said to a smirking Miranda and Tanya. "But I live very comfortably and my immediate family is taken care of, and well, I can take a pay cut if it means my other family is happy and we get to play together."
"Plus you still have that castle," Angelina smiled softly.
"I sold it," Harry laughed. "We have our neighborhood now."
"You had a castle?" Miranda asked.
"If you believe those terrible books written about my childhood," Harry said.
"Oh those things. I had a couple for my babies when they were younger," Tanya confessed.
"And you still hired me on? Dang," Harry said and the others laughed.
"We really would get to play together again, all the time," Oliver said with growing enthusiasm. "Not just for the national team!"
"That alone is worth it," Angelina said, her voice rising too.
"Do you two need to discuss it with your families?" Miranda asked hesitantly.
"Alicia's going to love it," Oliver said. "She never liked the Puddlemere team."
"George will love it and more importantly our daughters would kill us if we don't take the opportunity," Angelina laughed.
"My goddaughters are very sweet, thank you very much," Harry sniffed.
Oliver took a quill and signed the contract and Angelina did it right after. Miranda almost wept from relief. "Thank goodness. I was so bloody worried about this coming year but I feel like I fell off the bridge into a river of gold."
"And you're going to be okay not being Team Captain?" Tanya asked Oliver.
"Very okay," Oliver said easily. "It'll be a nice break from responsibility for me and I'm going to enjoy playing the game again."
Tanya shook her head and smiled at Harry. "Your team was really something wasn't it?"
Harry's grin was from ear to ear. "It sure was, and it sure is."
-0-
Katie's eyes popped open as she saw Angelina and Oliver walk into the medical room with Harry. "Hey you two! Nice to see you, did you come to have lunch with us or something?"
"Sure that sounds great. But do you mind taking a look at this crick I got in my neck?" Angelina asked.
"Can it wait till later?" Katie asked apologetically. "I'm on the clock and I'm normally not supposed to see people not on the team if it isn't an emergency."
"You don't have to worry about that," Oliver said with the biggest smile Katie had seen in weeks.
"Wait what?" She looked at her friends and husband, taking in their barely restrained glee. "No!"
"Yes!" Angelina shouted.
Katie shrieked and threw herself at them, bowling them over. "WE'RE ON THE SAME TEAM AGAIN?!" she yelled.
"WE'RE ON THE SAME TEAM AGAIN!" Angelina screamed and they danced around hugging and crying wildly.
"How?! When?!" Katie said excitedly.
"Sir Harry did some poking about and found out we weren't too happy where we were," Oliver said. "And uh, did you tell Katie what you did by the way?"
"Tell me what?" Katie asked, eyes narrowing.
"I took a pay cut so we could get Angelina and Oliver on the team," Harry said sheepishly.
Katie blinked at him. After a moment she tackled him to the ground and kissed him hard on the lips.
"Guess she's okay with it," Oliver laughed.
"Gross! Get a room!" Angelina shouted playfully.
"We were here before you so we got seniority," Katie said as she came up for air. "You better get used to it."
"Is it too late to refuse the position?" Angelina joked.
"I'm telling Hailey you said that," Harry said.
"No, please no. She'll be a legitimate terror," Angelina begged.
"Oh my goodness the girls are going to be so happy," Katie said, clapping her hands.
"We're all happy," Oliver smiled.
"The League isn't ready for this, is it?" Harry smirked.
"Oh, we're going to rip everyone a new one and it's going to be fucking glorious," Angelina crowed. "The Dynasty is back!"
-0-
That night, the neighborhood gathered to have dinner together. "We have a very special announcement," Oliver said during a lull in the conversations.
"You're having another baby?" George asked.
Alicia paled for a moment. She turned to Harry who cast the diagnostic and she went limp with relief when he shook his head. She then threw a pitcher full of lemonade at George who ducked with a squawk.
Oliver too had frozen for a moment before shaking himself free. "No, and damn that's still a shock." They all waited for George to get back to them after Alicia chased him around for a bit. "No, it's news that's just as good if not slightly better depending."
"Well that's clear," Hermione remarked. "Well go on then, what's the news?"
"You're looking at two new team members for Portree," Angelina said smugly.
"You two joined Portree?!" Alicia and George shouted excitedly.
"Yeah! We're on a team again!" Angelina cried, hugging Oliver and Harry and Katie.
Everyone shrieked and cried with delight, babbling congratulations and exclamations.
"Oh man, the League isn't going to know what's going to hit them, does it?" George asked with bright eyes and a smile that would not fade.
"It sure won't," Oliver said. "And it's going to be amazing."
-0-
All of their confidence, which seemed almost excessive at the time, was somehow still an understatement.
By the time the deals went through, dragged on by a livid Puddlemere and an upset Tutshill, most of the off-season was over. A lot of the sports writers for the magazines and the Daily Prophet said that despite Angelina and Oliver being pros, it would be hard for them to find their groove with an established team like Portree. They projected that it would take at least a quarter of the season for them to function well as a team.
Angelina had joined Flora and Samuel with little difficulty. They had flown against each other many times and had helped Team England practice many a time before so they found their teamwork easily enough. Oliver slotted in easily and to the rest of the team's dismay, became second to Tanya and took over general practice with the fervor from his school years.
As fate would have it, the first team they played against at the start of the season was Puddlemere United. The Puddlemere team called him the Traitor of Puddlemere and ran a nasty campaign full of lies and falsehoods against Oliver.
Oliver had not shown any outward displeasure, acting as genial as he normally did. He told everyone that he would show his mettle on the field.
The game ended 400 to 0. He did not allow a single goal to be made. The new Chaser team punished the Puddlemere team soundly and Tanya and Nathan owned the Bludgers for the duration of the game. By the time Harry caught the Snitch, the Puddlemere team were trying to claim the rarely used Mercy rule, where a team could forfeit if they felt they could not win.
Tanya had let her second decide if they would accept the Mercy rule and Oliver had demurred, saying he had a reputation to salvage.
It was the worst defeat Puddlemere had suffered in their history and the Riverbank had been absolutely cowed by the Pride of Portree. Every sports writer did an about face on their opinions and now everyone was looking forward to a momentously exciting season of Quidditch.
-0-
Alicia hugged Harry tight. "Thank you, baby bird," she whispered into his ear.
"For what?" he asked, hugging her back.
"He's actually happy. I never realized how unhappy he was before. He was careful to not show it but now he's not hiding how excited he is to play again, how happy he is to play again," Alicia said, dabbing at her eyes. She and Harry watched fondly as Oliver laughed deeply as he talked to George and Fred, holding Melanie in his arms.
"Hey, it was literally my pleasure. I get to play with him and Angelina on a team again," Harry smiled.
"You still took a substantial pay cut," Alicia murmured. "Katie told me how much."
Harry shrugged. "We're still more than fine. We're all happier now. That's what matters."
"It is," Alicia sighed happily and rested her head on his shoulder. "We really are. We all are."
-0-0-0-
DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - I grew up in Florida but currently live in PA so very familiar with gravy but didn't have it on Thanksgiving at all, different cultural foods then. I do adore a good sausage gravy and biscuits though and you could argue cream chipped beef is a gravy dish. Don't wait for November. Be the gravy you want to gravy in the word.
1529 - I'm glad you are still enjoying it and I'm happy to know I can make your day better. Thank you for reading.
mwinter1 - Thank you.
alix33 - It was fun writing a more normal-style loving family scene with the Wood family.
jahi06 - I have an extended one shot planned with that premise.