Quidditch Captain

The first thing Ron did the next morning was to go to the Owlery and send Pigwidgeon to the Burrow with a letter telling him about the letter from Penelope they had discovered. 'I'm sure Percy would really appreciate you reading his private letters,' said Harry sarcastically.

    'Well, he had no right to propose without even telling us,'

    'Ron, he's not a child,' said Harry.

    'No, he just does an amazing impersonation,' said Ron. 'I mean, even Fudge has come around. We've proved to everyone that You-Know-Who is back, but he still refuses to come back,'

    'Maybe he's enjoying being on his own,' Harry reasoned. Ron snorted.

    'Percy isn't the type to enjoy independence. When we were kids, all we wanted to do was get away from Mum and Dad, but not him. Fred, George and I would go out by ourselves, and sometimes, even Ginny would try to sneak out, especially if Bill or Charlie were home. But not Percy. Trust me Harry, if there's one thing I know, it's that Percy needs someone to take care of him. He can't make it on his own,'

    'Maybe that's why he's getting married,' Harry shrugged.

    'But why?' asked Ron in frustration. 'He knows we're not going to turn away from him, doesn't he?'

    Harry didn't know how to answer. The Weasleys wouldn't turn away from Percy, that was true. So why didn't he go back? Did he think that he would be teased mercilessly if he did or something? Well, Harry supposed, Percy had never been that strong. Maybe the thought of being teased by Fred and George about this, however slightly, would destroy him. In any case, it was too complicated for him to ponder on right now.

    After Pigwidgeon had flown off, and was out of sight, Harry and Ron went down to breakfast. They entered the Great Hall and checked their scheduled. Transfiguration was first, followed by Defense Against the Dark Arts. Ron groaned at this because he hadn't even bothered to try the Marble Transformation. Just then, the owls flew in to deliver the letters. A tawny owl flew to Hermione, and Hedwig aimed straight for Harry. She was carrying a letter from Hagrid.

Harry—

    How about coming down to me hut for tea tonight? Bring Ron and Hermione, if they don't have Prefect duties.

Hagrid

    'I don't know, Harry,' said Hermione when he asked them. 'We're supposed to meet Professor McGonagall tonight about which classes we plan to add and drop, remember?'

    Harry nodded, and scribbled a quick reply.

Hagrid—

    Can't promise anything, because we have to meet Professor McGonagall, and we don't know when. I'll owl you an answer after I ask.

—Harry

    'Look at this,' said Hermione, looking at the Daily Prophet. She passed it on to Harry.

DEATH EATER ATTACK ON PUREBLOOD

    'A report was made to the Ministry of Magic today from Harrison Bode, of the Department of Mysteries. Bode reported that he had been attacked in his home last night by Death Eaters for a yet unknown reason. Bode, who suffered the loss of his brother last year when he was killed by a Devil's Snare posing as a potted plant in St. Mungo's, currently lives alone in Godric's Hollow.'

    'Bode was taken into custody this morning, after the report was launched. The Ministry is baffled as to why You-Know-Who would order an attack on a pureblood wizard, and Aurors are currently searching for the missing Death Eaters. Cornelius Fudge has assured the community that they are close to finding the Death Eaters, who escaped, along with the Dementors of Azkaban, almost a week ago, or more. The Minister of Magic has admitted to not knowing when the Death Eaters escaped, only saying that he found the building empty when he conducted a search at one in the morning on September 30th.'

    'Cornelius Fudge is now facing an inquiry by the International Confederation of Wizards and the Wizengamot, and has been forced to leave his position as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in Hogwarts, leaving Junior Assistant, Percival Weasley, in charge until he returns. Cornelius Fudge, who has been hiding knowledge of the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and degrading Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and Harry Potter, the "Boy Who Lived", may be forced to leave his position as Minister for Magic, and maybe even the Ministry.'

    'What?' interrupted Ron. 'But—but that might mean that Percy will be Minister and Fudge might be a permanent Defense teacher!'

    Harry highly doubted so, but didn't say anything. In his mind, Fudge would most likely be degraded until he felt that he couldn't bear to be in England anymore. And from what Professor McGonagall had told him, being Junior Assistant meant nothing if the Ministry felt that there was someone better out there. And as Percy had been promoted so that he could spy for Fudge, there was bound to be someone better than him. They continued to eat their breakfast and read the news until the bell sounded and it was time for them to head to Transfiguration.

    When they were seated, Professor McGonagall reminded them about telling her which subjects they planned on dropping, and Harry was happy to find out that they didn't have to see her in her office again. She expected them to write it down and hand it up to her at the end of class (she was providing five minutes for them to write it down). This meant that the three of them would be free to see Hagrid.

    'I hope that you have gotten somewhere with the Marble Transformations,' she said. 'Please take out the quills I gave you, and show me what you have done,'

    Ron was relieved to see that most of the class hadn't made any progress whatever. Hermione, however, had turned the tip of the quill into marble, and had earned a congratulations from McGonagall.

    'How did you do that?' demanded Ron when they left the class. They had spent the hour unsuccessfully trying to turn the quill into marble, and had made absolutely no progress. 'How did you turn the tip marble? And why didn't the rest of the quill follow?'

    'I tried as hard as I could, but the spell couldn't transform something as big as a quill,' shrugged Hermione. They arrived in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and went in. They saw Percy writing something on a piece of parchment. Once the class was seated, Percy looked up.

    'Professor Fudge gave me a letter telling me that he taught you Hinkypunks last lesson, and has asked me to go through Boggarts,'

    'We've already done that,' said Hermione. Percy ignored her.

    'Now, Boggarts are shape-shifters, and take on the shape of the thing the victim fears most,' said Percy. 'There is a simple, Ministry-approved way of destroying it. Simply flick your wand and say 'Riddikulus!'

    'We have to think of something funny too,' added Neville. Percy ignored him as well.

    'Now, I think that pretty much covers it,' said Percy. 'Now, let's move on to Kappas.' He began to drone on about the topic, sounding very, very much like Professor Binns. He paused only to tell them to take down notes, which nobody did, as they already knew all they needed to know about Kappas. By the time the lesson was over, Percy had lectured about Boggarts, Kappas, done a revision of Hinkypunks, followed by many of the things Professor Lupin had taught them in their third year.

    'Ron, your brother is the most boring man I've ever met,' groaned Dean when they left the class. They had Care of Magical Creatures next, and complained about Percy's lack of teaching skills all the way there. The Slytherins were there already with Professor Grubbly-Plank. Harry was upset that he was to take another Care of Magical Creatures lesson, as he had already dropped it in Transfiguration, but the add/drop program was not meant to be active until next Monday

    'Good,' she said briskly. 'Now that we're all here, let's get started on the Lycosa. Girls, come with me.'

    They left the boys there waiting for her. For once Draco Malfoy didn't bother them, instead choosing to stay silent and glare at nothing. Harry wondered what was wrong with him, but didn't bother to find out. Whatever it was that had Malfoy distressed, he hoped that it continued for a long time. They stood there in silence, the students talking only about the news item. It seemed that ever since the sixth-year started, they had been following the news eagerly.  After a half-hour, the girls returned.

    'Boys!' barked Grubbly-Plank. 'Come here,'

    The boys went to the Professor, who was being surrounding by little bugs. 'Notebooks out,' she instructed. 'Now, as I said before, Lycosas are adult Licosas, which we saw last lesson. Now, can anyone tell me what the difference is between the two?' There was no response. 'Right then. Write this down. Licosas have two pairs of wings, each very small in size. When they mature into Lycosas, the wings expand. The top two expand first, and take up a bigger surface area, forcing the bottom two to fall off. So Lycosas only possess two large wings. There are small amounts of hair on the legs of the Lycosas as well, in order for them to carry pollen. The females have small legs on their pockets used to carry the eggs when it is laid. This is essential to deposit them in the water.

    'Lycosas are crushed because their bones are essential for the use of Polyjuice Potions—' at this, Ron's hands flew to his throat, and he made a strangled sort of noise. The students and Professor Grubbly-Plank stared at him. Harry gave him a don't-say-anything look. 'Something wrong, Weasley?'

    'N-no,' said Ron. 'Sorry, something got caught in my throat,'

    'Right,' Grubbly-Plank turned back to the Lycosas. 'Lycosa wings are not as precious Licosas, but they are used to keep fires going. Lycosas are also one of the favorite foods of Thestrals, along with other animals, including Carnals—which we will be learning next lesson, I might add,'

    They spent the rest of the lesson learning about the Lycosa, and the merits and demerits about them on the world. After that, they were permitted to leave.

    The two houses made their way to the Great Hall and sat down for lunch. Harry noticed that Malfoy wasn't talking or eating, like the rest of his housemates, and briefly wondered why, before his attention was torn to Seamus, who had accidentally set his leg on fire and was frantically attempting to douse it. In the end, Hermione stood up and shouted, 'Aqua!' and water spurted out of the tip of her wand and onto Seamus's chicken leg.

    'Thanks, Hermione,' said Seamus gratefully. Hermione smiled and sat back down, and resumed eating her steamed fish, and the rest of the students resumed their lunch as well. Harry saw Professor Dumbledore whisper to Professor McGonagall, who looked very serious, just as he did, but they didn't do anything.

    They went to Double Potions and finally to Herbology, before it was time to go back to their dorms. The Gryffindors were to have Astronomy that night, and Harry was eager to get some rest beforehand. They went up to the castle, and were about to go up the stairs when—

    'Ron! Harry! Hermione!' called a very familiar voice. They turned to see Mrs. Weasley rushing up to them, Mr. Weasley behind her. The three of them paused and let the students pass, and the two Weasleys caught up to them.

    'Mum,' said Ron, stunned. 'What are you doing here?'

    'Well, we got your owl about Percy,' said Mr. Weasley quickly, and he and his wife shared a look.

    'So you came all the way here just to see Percy?' Ron couldn't conceal his surprise. 'I thought that you would—I dunno—send him a Howler or something,'

    'Well …' Mrs. Weasley was at a loss for words.

    'We decided we didn't want to embarrass Percy with a Howler in front of the students,' Mr. Weasley jumped in. 'You know how loud those things are. So we decided to come and have a mature chat with him,'

    'I see,' nodded Ron, not sounding as though he quite believed them. 'Well …'

    'By any chance, do you know the password to Dumbledore's office?' asked Mr. Weasley. Ron looked surprised, and Harry and Hermione were too.

    'Why would you need to go to Dumbledore's office?' asked Hermione.

    'Oh …Order business,' Mrs. Weasley lowered her voice. 'Kingsley needs to work overtime at the Ministry, so we need to ask Dumbledore if Arthur or I can take his place, and since we're coming here anyway, we decided not to bother him with an owl,'

    'Well, if Dumbledore's expecting you, you could tell the gargoyle that, and he'd let you through. But you can always ask one of the professors,' Harry volunteered.

    'Thank you, Harry dear,' smiled Mrs. Weasley. 'Come on, Arthur, let's go. See you, Ron. You three will behave yourselves, won't you?'

    'Yes, mum,' sighed Ron. When they were gone, he turned to them. 'Wonder why they're still patrolling. I thought they only did that last year because of the prophecy,'

    'No, I suppose that they need to be on the lookout for anything suspicious,' said Hermione. 'I wonder where they're patrolling though,'

    That night, Harry noticed that Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape weren't present at dinner.

*

    The next day, Harry woke up at eight, determined not to be late for breakfast, when he realized that it was Saturday. He groaned, and fell back onto the sheets. He shot back up when he realized that Seamus wasn't in his bed. Pulling on some pants, he walked down to the common room to see Seamus there, dozing. He was sleeping upon a book, which Harry recognized, as he had read it many times during his first year. But what on earth was Seamus doing with Quidditch Through the Ages?

    'Seamus,' he shook his friend lightly on the shoulder.

    Seamus's eyes opened. 'Harry?'

    'Why are you sleeping in the common room?' asked Harry. 'Didn't you come up at all?'

    'No, I guess I didn't,' said Seamus, stretching and yawning. 'I've been reading this book, it's really amazing,'

    'I know,' smiled Harry. 'It's one of my favorites,'

    'Oh, right,' nodded Seamus. 'You would have read it. Well, I suppose you've guessed that I'm trying out for Quidditch this year,'

    'That's great!' said Harry enthusiastically.

    'Yeah,' nodded Seamus. 'I wanted to try out last year, but there was only the Keeper position open, and I want to be a Chaser,'

    'Well, you're in luck,' said Harry. 'We have a lot of openings this year,'

    'Including the position of team captain, eh?' winked Seamus. Harry smiled. 'Don't worry, mate. The only competition you have is Katie, and she wasn't as good as Angelina, and she's not half as good as you are,'

    Harry's smile turned into a full-blown grin. Seamus's hand went to his, Harry's, hair and he brushed it a little with his fingers, and brought a lock of it down to Harry's forehead. 'Looks better that way,' said Seamus softly. 'More … handsome,'

    Harry blushed.

    'Thanks,' he said, sitting next to Seamus. 'So why are you reading Ages? I thought you knew everything there was to know about Quidditch,'

    'I do,' said Seamus. 'Just brushing up on a few facts. Having to go back to the Muggle world every summer and miss Quidditch matches takes its toll after a while.' Seamus was a half-blood, and he had once told them, in their first year, that his parents lived in a Muggle community, as his father didn't know he married a witch until after the wedding. 'So, I hear you're dropping Care of Magical Creatures,'

    With a flash of horror, Harry realized that he had completely forgotten about his visit to Hagrid's. 'Er, yeah. I am. Since Hagrid's not teaching and all,' he said.

    'So you know what you want to do then,' said Seamus, sounding impressed. 'I still have no idea. In the end, I went to the library before my meeting with McGonagall and just wrote down every occupation they listed in a book that didn't sound too outrageous,'

    'Did she suspect?'

    'I think so,' he nodded. 'She was definitely trying not to giggle when she saw that I wrote 'Healer' on the list. I would have laughed too. I don't think I realized what I was writing at the time,'

    'So what did she tell you to do?' asked Harry.

    'Well, not Healer, that's for sure. And Ministry work is out too. She said that I could most probably become a Potion Master, if I work hard at it. And if I don't set the class on fire. And I'm pretty good at Charms too, so I could make it as a wand-maker, if I wanted as a backup. What about you?'

    'Auror if I keep working hard,' said Harry. 'Defense teacher at Hogwarts as a backup,'

    'I hate Career Advice,' said Seamus gloomily. 'And work in the Muggle world is out, so I guess I'm eventually going to have to decide,'

    'Guess so,' said Harry. He looked over at Seamus and was surprised to see that the other boy was pouting. Not a big pout, his lower lip was just sticking out a fraction of an inch. It was barely noticeable, but Harry could still see it. He wondered if Seamus knew. 'You're pouting,'

    'I'm what?' Seamus stared.

    'Pouting,' Harry repeated. 'Just a little,'

    'Should I be flattered that you're noticing my lips?' Seamus teased, grinning. Harry laughed.

    'Maybe you should be,' he replied, taken aback by his bold answer.

    'Oh, I am,' assured Seamus. 'Very flattered,'

    Harry then noticed how close they were to each other, but made no move to back away. He was suddenly reminded of the vision he had had of his father and Sirius. There was a pang of sadness when he thought about Sirius, but his attention was drawn away from his dead godfather when Seamus suddenly clamped his lips on his. He moaned, and kissed back, thanking the stars that he had kissed Cho Chang last year. Seamus, though younger than her, seemed to be more experienced. He started off slow, and quickly became more passionate as the kisses continued. Cho had just been gentle, as though afraid that he would break if she got more intense.

    It seemed to Harry as though he spent hours kissing Seamus, and he didn't want to stop, but finally Seamus pulled back. 'Wow,' he said.

    'Yeah,' Seamus nodded.

    'Who have you been kissing?' Harry questioned.

    'Oh, just a few people,' Seamus shrugged. 'Lavender, Kalana, Justin—'

    'Finch-Fletchly?' asked Harry, eyebrows rising.

    'Yes,' nodded Seamus. 'He was the only guy other than you I've ever kissed, though,'

    'Really? I would have thought Dean would be on the list too,'

    Seamus blushed. 'I don't have a list,' he said self-consciously. 'But nah, Dean wouldn't be interested. Besides we're too good as friends to try anything else. And I wouldn't be interested in him either. And before you ask, I snogged you because I think you're cute, not because you're the next Quidditch Captain. In case you're wondering,'

    'Don't worry, I'm not,' said Harry. He had always thought Seamus as attractive and he knew that he had a good body underneath his robes, and he was flattered that Seamus thought him as cute. Just then, a yawning Kalana Kolaris came down the stairs.

    'Oh, hello Harry,' she said, apparently forgiven him about not knowing who she was. She caught sight of Seamus and went silent, eyes flashing.

    'Hey, Kalana,' said Seamus easily.

    'Good morning, Seamus,' she said coldly, then turned her attention back on Harry again. 'Going for an early breakfast?'

    'Uh, yeah. I guess so,' said Harry. 'Want to come?' he asked Seamus, who nodded. Kalana narrowed her eyes at Seamus, but smiled sweetly.

    'She's just a piece of work, isn't she?' muttered Seamus as they went down to the Great Hall, Kalana a few steps ahead of them. 'Never forgave me for chucking her, even though it was five months ago,'

    Harry wanted to listen to Seamus's words, but couldn't help smiling at the low pitch of Seamus's voice when he was muttering. His eyes widened when he felt Seamus's hand wrap around his arse and slowly stroke it. He wanted badly to kiss Seamus, and there was an erection pressing against his jeans and robes.

    They arrived at the Gryffindor table and sat down. Harry noted that Luna Lovegood was at the Ravenclaw table, stirring her porridge with her spoon while looking at the enchanted roof. He and Luna had met last year, and had an alright relationship, but he hadn't really talked to her this year. He had doubts however, that she would be in the background anymore. Most probably, she would play an active role in his circle of friends from now on. Lorena Nott was there too, looking incredibly sleepy, but she looked up when they walked in, and waved at Harry, who waved back.

    Ernie Macmillan was talking to Hannah Abbott, a friend of his, at the Hufflepuff table, and Harry was surprised to see Malfoy sitting alone at the Slytherin table, eyes trained on his eggs and toast. He found himself feeling something like concern for his arch-nemesis. Ever since Crabbe and Goyle had disappeared (he was very concerned about this too), Malfoy had been a loner, and Harry knew that Malfoy was one of the most popular students in Slytherin. Why then, didn't he just find some new friends? Surely the two of them were not hard to replace?

    Harry was afraid mainly that Malfoy's two cronies had been taken into Voldemort's service, but he couldn't understand why he had been left behind. Was he there to spy on Hogwarts? He shook his head and took a croissant and ate it, then placed the rest on his plate. Seamus was wolfing down scrambled eggs and sausages, and Kalana was daintily sipping coffee, reminding Harry of his Aunt Petunia. He closed his eyes, feeling tired. He wondered what Voldemort was planning this year, and wondered if he could handle it.

    'There is a room in the Department of Mysteries that is kept locked at all times,' he remembered Dumbledore's words. 'It contains a force more wonderful and terrible than death, than human intelligence, than the forces of nature. It is the power held in that room that you possess in such quantities, and which Voldemort has not at all.'

    'Harry?' Harry jerked awake at the sound of Seamus's voice. He had been dozing on the table, and Seamus was shaking him gently on the arm. 'Harry, wake up!'

    'I'm awake, I'm awake,' said Harry. There were more students there now. He saw Malfoy walking away, not looking at anything but the door he was heading for.

    'You were talking in your sleep,' Kalana said with an amused smile. 'Do you do that often?'

    Harry saw Seamus roll his eyes in exasperation. 'Er … was I?' Harry asked uncertainly. 'I don't think I've done that before,'

    'Well, don't start now,' said Seamus. 'I've got to go, mate. See you,'

    'See you,' said Harry. Seamus got up from the bench, and went out.

    'So …' said Kalana, smiling flirtatiously. 'Tell me about yourself,'

    Harry stared at her. 'Hey, Seamus!' he called. 'I think I'll come along,' and he got up and tried to get out of the room quickly without looking like he was running.

    Seamus was nowhere to be found, but Lorena was. 'Hey, Harry,' she greeted. 'Where are you going?'

    'Anywhere away from Kalana Kolaris,' said Harry.

     'What's wrong with her?' Lorena frowned. 'Doesn't she like you?'

    'Maybe a bit too much,' said Harry. 'She just asked me to tell her about myself,'

    Lorena laughed. 'Ah, the charmed life of Harry Potter,' she mocked. 'It's so troublesome to have people throwing themselves at your feet, I expect,'

    Harry blushed.

    'Anyway, I'm just headed for the lake,' she said. 'Do you want to come along? I notice Ron and Hermione aren't exactly early risers,'

    'Sure,' Harry shrugged.

    'Give me a moment. I just need to send my parents a letter,' she looked annoyed by this. 'I don't know why. They probably just use my letters as target practice or something. We barely even talk when I'm back for the summer from school, but during the school year, they decide to play being the perfect family,'

    'I'll wait for you here,' promised Harry. Lorena nodded, and went to the Owlery. After a few minutes, she returned, looking a bit excited, but her features turned back to normal as she approached Harry.

    'You look excited,' said Harry at once.

    'Hmm? Oh, I went to the Owlery, and I found an owl waiting for me,' she explained. 'It was from my boyfriend,'

    'I didn't know you had a boyfriend,' said Harry.

    'Were you hopeful?' she teased. 'Look at this face,' she said in a dramatic voice. 'This is the face that will one day launch a thousand brooms.' Harry laughed, and she grinned. 'I was always told in Durmstrang that I had a flair for acting,'

    If she could only hear the truth. Harry wondered if she would be surprised to hear that the famous Harry Potter kissed boys more than he did girls. Lately, he had felt a very odd change within him. It wasn't magical, he knew. But now he wondered if the change was a change in sexual preference. He realized he hadn't thought about Cho in months. He hadn't felt upset that she had started dating Michael Corner, and he hadn't thought about a single girl ever since. Instead, he had dreamt (he wasn't too sure it was a dream, though) about his father and godfather, and he had snogged Seamus just this morning. And he liked it.

    They went past the Quidditch pitch, and stopped at the tree he had seen his dad and his friends hang around through Snape's Pensieve last year. Lorena revealed some toast she had taken from the Great Hall. She tore off a strip and tossed it into the lake. It floated there for a minute or two, then a giant tentacle rose and pulled the toast down. 'It's very peaceful here,' Lorena observed.

    Harry kept silent, thoughts running through his head. 'Are your parents Death Eaters?' he blurted.

    'What?'

    'Are your parents Death Eaters?' Harry repeated.

    Lorena kept quiet. 'Yes, they are,' she said. 'But I don't want to be. That's why I was in Durmstrang this whole time,'

    'So you're a Muggle-lover?'

    'No,' she shook her head. 'I'm not willing to die for Muggles. Nor am I willing to spend the rest of my life in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts section in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. But I don't want to torture them either, especially when I don't have to. I just want to lead a normal life. Did you know that the Death Eaters are forced to kiss the Dark Lord's feet?'

    'Yes, I do,' said Harry. 'I saw them in my fourth year. They were scared,'

    'I don't want that for myself. And I've met Draco Malfoy, and I seriously doubt he wants that either. Though he may not have any choice …'

    'What do you mean?' asked Harry, looking at her.

    She kept looking at the lake, occasionally throwing more strips of toast for the giant squid to eat. 'I mean that Draco has been forced to follow Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy's rules all his life. And he's in Slytherin. His destiny is practically set. I've been disobedient all my life, and I got into Ravenclaw, so there's hope for me. You-Know-Who could see this as a betrayal, if he wishes. He'd never want me in his circle. Of course, he would most probably want me dead, but the point is I'm escaping. Draco's not,'

    Harry nodded. 'The Slytherins are doomed, aren't they?' he asked. 'I know they are, but … there's really no way out for them, is there?'

    'If You-Know-Who hadn't returned,' Lorena sighed heavily, 'they probably would have had a chance. But now that he's back, they really have no choice. I don't think there's an escape for them,'

    Harry looked up at the sky. Her words hung in the sky, and as he looked at the sky, a dark cloud arrived and blocked out the sun.

*

    Ron and Hermione were in the common room, most probably waiting for Harry. He spotted Ron and Ginny playing a game of Gobstones near the unlit fireplace, and Hermione was knitting what looked like a pair of tiny pants. 'Isn't this great?' she asked enthusiastically as Harry came up to them. 'I've been working on them all summer, and once I finish this, I'll have made a complete set of clothes. I learned how to make a during the summer, and now I'm working on these pants,'

    'Great,' said Harry dryly. 'I'm sure Dobby will appreciate it,'

    She frowned. 'Dobby? Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be him. I mean, house-elves are basically the same size, it could fit anyone,'

    Harry sighed, sitting on the chair next to hers, watching Ron and Ginny play. 'Hermione, the house-elves haven't been cleaning Gryffindor Tower for almost a year. It's only been Dobby ever since they found out you're trying to force them to touch clothes. He's been taking them and wearing them,'

    'Oh, dear!' said Hermione, distressed. 'This is awful!'

    'Gee, Hermione,' said Ron, looking up from his game. 'Maybe you should stop. I mean, if it's only Dobby …'

    Hermione looked sadly at her work. 'Well, I suppose if they're not going to enter Gryffindor Tower anymore …' she trailed off. 'I'll just make this for Dobby, and then I'll stop,'

    'Really?' asked Ron eagerly. 'Promise?'

    'Yes, I promise,' Hermione rolled her eyes, but Harry saw her cross her fingers when Ron wasn't looking. Knowing Hermione, she would probably stop until she had lured all the house-elves back into cleaning the common rooms, before springing the clothes on them again. 'Where have you been?' she turned to Harry.

    'Early breakfast with Seamus ,' said Harry. 'He's trying out for Chaser this year, and fell asleep reading Quidditch Through the Ages.' He didn't tell them anything about his kissing session with the sandy-haired boy before breakfast. 'And then I went down to the lake with Lorena Nott,'

    'Yeah?' asked Ron, looking up in interest. 'How was that?'

    'Fine,' Harry shrugged. 'Her parents are Death Eaters,'

    Ron, Ginny and Hermione stared at him, dumbstruck. 'What?'

    'You were alone with a Death Eater?' asked Hermione.

    'Lorena's a Death Eater?' cried Ron.

    'Of course not,' said Harry. 'Her parents are Death Eaters, not her. She doesn't want to be one. She just wants to be normal,'

    'Harry,' said Ginny severely, 'there's nothing normal about someone who has Death Eaters for relatives,'

    Harry glared at the three of them. 'Sirius had a Death Eater for a brother,' he said quietly. They gaped. All at once, he realized that Lorena shared many things with Sirius. They were both disobedient, and fought against what was expected of them. They both had Death Eaters for relatives, and they were both born into a family they didn't want. With that thought, he left the two Weasleys and Hermione to themselves. He didn't want to talk anymore.

*

    Sunday was uneventful. Professor McGonagall came into their common room only to post a notice announcing that the Gryffindor Quidditch Team would be holding tryouts on Monday at four to fill the spots open. Seamus was very excited about this, and Harry even spotted Neville reading Quidditch Through the Ages, and wondered if he was going to try out for the team.

    Harry made it up to Hagrid by visiting him and Fang that afternoon, but he came alone. Fang gave a great bark of joy at the sight of him and lunged at him, knocking Harry to the floor, and proceeded to lick his face affectionately. Hagrid pulled Fang off and poured Harry a mug of tea. 'So, how have you been, 'Arry?' asked Hagrid, watching him concernedly. Harry was surprised to find that he didn't feel like talking to Hagrid either. He remembered how distant he felt from the world ever since Sirius died last year and he had found out about the prophecy. It still felt as though he was trapped in some dark realm, kept away from the rest of the world.

    'Fine,' he lied, taking a sip of his tea. 'It's all fine,'

    Hagrid didn't look like he believed this, but nodded. 'Dumbledore tol' me abou' yer dreams,' he said quietly. Harry nodded. 'You havin' more o' them?'

    'No,' Harry shook his head. He suddenly felt as though he were boring Hagrid, but he didn't really care about that either. 'How's Grawp?'

    Hagrid beamed. 'He's great. You wanna see him?'

    'Maybe later,' said Harry quickly.

    'Ah, it's just as well. Needs to spend more time wit' Olympe, anyway,' said Hagrid. 'She's been taking care of him, you know. Apparates into the Forbidden Forest when she can, all the way from Beauxbatons,'

    'Really,' said Harry, who wasn't aware that people could Apparate that far.

    'Yeh'll be learnin' how to Apparate soon, 'Arry,' said Hagrid. 'Turnin' seventeen next year, aren' yeh? You'll be able to do magic outside Hogwarts on yer seventeenth birthday,'

    'That's good,' nodded Harry. Hagrid turned very sober.

    'I wan' yeh to know … Sirius—'

    'I have to go,' said Harry abruptly, standing up. Hagrid looked crestfallen.

    'Oh, okay then,' he nodded. 'I can tell you later, I s'pose,'

    'Er, yeah,' said Harry, but it wasn't true he knew. He didn't want to talk about Sirius to anyone, and certainly not to Hagrid, who seemed the angriest of everyone when Sirius had been accused of killing his parents. No, no one understood how he felt, and Hagrid was the one who understood the least.

*

    'Oh, good,' said Percy when he caught sight of Harry after he came back from Hagrid's. 'You can tell Ron that I want to speak to him. Now,'

    'Tell him yourself,' Harry retorted. He wasn't in the mood for this.

    'Watch your mouth, Potter,' said Percy in a warning tone. 'I'm a teacher, and I have full authority to give you a detention,'

    Harry didn't care. The worst detention he had had to date was with Professor Umbridge, and try as he might, Percy was nowhere close to the cruelty she possessed. 'Percy, do us all a favor. Take your detentions, and stuff them up your arse,' he said tiredly, then walked away, leaving Percy to gawp.

    He didn't tell Ron anything, but went to his room and lay in his bed. Just then, the door burst open, and Ron and Seamus stumbled in, laughing about something. 'Hey, Harry,' said Seamus when he caught sight of his friend.

    'Where have you been?' asked Ron. 'You missed all the fun. Fred and George were just here and they delivered some of their products. We just set them off on Filch,'

    'Yeah. He was really angry to find another swamp. And this one is right outside his office too, so he can't get in,' said Seamus. He noticed Harry's lack of enthusiasm. 'Hey, you alright mate?'

    'I'm fine,' said Harry, flashing Seamus a tight smile. 'Just tired,'

    'Oh. Where have you been?' asked Ron again.

    Harry hesitated. 'Hagrid's,' he admitted.

    Ron frowned, obviously hurt that Harry hadn't included him and Hermione in his visit. 'Oh. How was it?'

    Harry shrugged. 'Fine.' He didn't feel like talking, and Seamus could tell because he pulled Ron by the arm.

    'Rest up, mate,' said Seamus. 'Quidditch tomorrow. We'll let you go to sleep now,'

     Harry felt a rush of gratitude toward his roommate. Or was he more now? Was Seamus his boyfriend? Or friend? Or a snogging partner? Harry didn't know, and he didn't have the energy to ponder on it, so when the two of them left, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

    Voldemort was having mixed emotions. Harry seemed to be hiding behind a column, hidden from sight. From what he could see, Voldemort was sitting on some sort of throne, and the Death Eaters were cowering before him. Ordinarily,' said Voldemort, 'your lack of results would be met with my disappointment. However, I have been given a tip today by one of our younger recruits. A very valuable tip indeed. You know that I have long suspected the Ministry of knowing the existence of our goal, but now I think that they have the key. Bode, however, is a lost cause. We must use someone else …'

    'Yes sir,' came the dull murmurs of the Death Eaters.

    'Word of this must not get out to Dumbledore or Potter,' said Voldemort. 'I will not have my plans ruined by the two of them again. You are all disposable, and believe me when I say that if I catch anyone saying the name of our goal, you will be disposed of,'

    There was a dull chorus of agreement, and the scene disappeared. Harry sat up in his bed, choking and gasping. He didn't know why, but it suddenly felt as though he were suffocating. Finally, he was able to breathe again, and lay back on the mattress. He repressed the urge to groan. It felt as though someone had taken a sledgehammer to his head.

    He suddenly felt very tired, and closed his eyes, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

*

    Many Gryffindors were assembled in the Quiddtich Pitch the next evening. 'Okay,' said Madam Hooch. 'I've taken into consideration previous games and seniority and such, and I've decided who is the new Quidditch captain. Bell …' she turned to Katie, who looked excited, 'I know you've been here longer than Harry, but he's a very good flier. And you're in your final year now, and if you were captain, I would simply have to name Potter captain next year,'

    Katie looked disappointed for a second, but then smiled, and clapped Harry on the back. 'There you go, Harry,' she said, grinning. 'All your hard work has paid off. Congratulations,'

    'Yes, Potter,' said Madam Hooch. 'Congratulations. Now, you have to train the new blood,'

    'Are you sure you're okay with this?' asked Harry, turning to Katie.

    'I'm fine,' she said, her eyes shining. 'Besides, I only wanted to be captain for the title. At least it's not my responsibility to teach the new ones,'

    Harry grinned. 'Listen up, everyone,' said Madam Hooch. 'I'd like to introduce you to your new Quidditch captain: Harry Potter!'

    There were claps and whistles all around. 'Well, Potter, good luck,' said Madam Hooch, walking away.

    'Okay, we have … Colin Creevey,' said Harry, consulting the list of people Madam Hooch had given him. 'Mount your broom. Katie is going to be an opposing Chaser trying to get the Quaffle into the hoops. Let's see how you stop her,'

    Colin didn't do very well. He flew directly at Katie, but his broom was shaky. When he reached out to grab the Quaffle, he almost lost his balance, and retracted his hand so that he could hold the broom with both hands, giving Katie the perfect opportunity to shoot the Quaffle into the hoop. Next, Harry instructed Katie to give the ball to Colin. He wanted to see how good Colin's aim was by making him throw the Quaffle into the hoops from a fair distance. It didn't go well. He fumbled and almost dropped the red ball when Katie tossed it to him, and he missed the hoops completely.

    'I was nervous,' he whined when he got down. 'Everyone was watching me,'

    Harry sighed. 'Colin, what do you expect people are going to be doing when the matches are on? I'm sorry, but I don't think it would work,'

    And it continued this way for the next two hours. Harry had to tell two first years that they could only join the Quidditch team during their second year, had to bring down a third year who had suddenly become petrified with fear when she was twenty feet in the air, and had to tell some students who were trying out for Beaters that the Beaters position would be auditioned for tomorrow. In the end, Harry had decided on Seamus and a fourth year girl named Annette Coral for the two positions.

    He was surprised to see Neville hanging around, and remembered that Neville had been reading Quidditch Through the Ages the previous day. 'Hey Neville,' he welcomed. 'Did you want to try out for Chaser? We could try you out now, I guess …'

    Neville blushed furiously. 'Um, no. Actually, I wanted to try and become t—the commentator?' he asked more than said.

    'Oh!' Harry was struck by realization.  'So that's why you were reading Quidditch Through the Ages!'

    'Right,' nodded Neville. 'I wanted to learn all the fouls and maneuvers that the players do,'

    'Well, I think you have the wrong place,' said Harry. 'I think you need to meet with Professor McGonagall and the other Head of Houses. After all, I'm sure students from other houses are being considered,'

    'Right,' Neville nodded. 'Thanks, Harry,'

    Seamus came up to Harry then, wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders, and kissed him on the cheek. 'I can't believe I made the team!'

    'Yes, well, you deserved it,' said Harry. Neville didn't seem to think that the kiss was out of the ordinary. Perhaps he thought that Seamus kissed him out of gratitude. Come to think of it, that was probably true.

    'Anyway, I think I'll owl me mam,' continued Seamus. 'See you, Harry. You too, Neville,'

    'Bye,' said Harry and Neville together. Seamus waved and walked away. Shortly after his departure, Ron and Ginny came up to them. 'I like this Annette Coral,' said Ginny. 'She seems nice,'

    'Yes, and she's talented too,' Harry nodded. 'I couldn't believe some of the horrors that tried out today,'

    Ron giggled. 'Especially that big guy who looked like he wanted to shove your Firebolt up your arse when you rejected him,'

    'Or that girl who tried to flirt her way onto the team,' added Ginny. She grabbed Harry's left arm and caressed his bicep. '"Oh my, what nice muscles you have …' she mimicked. '"Have you always known you wanted to defeat You-Know-Who?" Honestly! I couldn't believe that she was a Gryffindor!'

    'She didn't say that,' chided Ron.

    'No. Saying something like that would have been too intelligent for her,' Ginny shot back, releasing Harry's arm. 'I can't believe you actually gave her a tryout,' she said to Harry.

    'I couldn't turn her away. If she was good, it wouldn't matter if she were a complete idiot,' said Harry. He shivered. 'Thank goodness she could barely get off the ground, though. Imagine having to deal with that until graduation,'

    'What about you?' asked Ginny, her attention on Neville now, 'I don't remember you trying out?'

    'As if I could,' said Neville, but it wasn't in a defeated tone. 'I'm going to try out for commentator instead,'

    'Hmm. You know, I almost tried out for that before Fred and George got kicked off the team,' said Ginny.

    'Oi, can we cut the talk?' asked Ron. 'I'm starving. I hope there's something good for dinner,'

    Harry suddenly remembered about his dream last night. 'I'll have to catch up with you,' he said. 'I need to talk to Professor Dumbledore first,'

    'What about?' asked Ron. 'Not another dream about You-Know-Who is it?'

    'Can't be,' said Ginny dubiously. 'You've been practicing Occlumency, haven't you, Harry?'

    'No,' he said.  'It's nothing but a load of rubbish. Even Dumbledore said that I don't need it, and …' he trailed off, and his three friends turned to see what he was staring at. Percy was coming up to them, fury etched on his face.

    'Fifty points from Gryffindor for your cheek yesterday, Potter,' said Percy tightly. 'And detention with Mr. Filch this Friday at six p.m.,' he turned to Ron. 'So! Mum and Dad came to see me the other day. How dare you read my letters?'

    'Oh, so you still consider us your family then?' asked Ron, feigning surprise.

    'Ten points from Gryffindor,' snapped Percy. 'And a further ten points for reading my things!'

    Ron gaped. 'You can't do that!'

    'I,' said Percy pompously, 'am a teacher. I am fully entitled to subtract points from the houses,'

    'Not on a personal vendetta, you don't!' cried Ginny. Percy stared death glares at her, and Harry half-expected him to take away a further ten points because she talked to him. However, he just wheeled around, and walked back to the school.

    'Git,' said Ron.

    'At least he only took twenty points from you,' said Harry. 'I expected him to take off a hundred for your joke and reading his letter,'

    'Family discount,' said Ron darkly.

    'What's going on?' asked Ginny confusedly. Neville was looking a bit curious too. 'Why is he so upset about you reading his letter?'

    'Because brother dear is getting married,' said Ron dryly. 'And I owled Mum and Dad and now he's all indignant. If you ask me, he's lucky they didn't drag him all the way home by the ear,'

    'I don't believe him!' exclaimed Ginny. 'When was he planning on telling us?'

    'Probably never, if he had his way,' said Ron.

    'I don't think he realizes that this is Fudge's way of demoting him,' said Ginny vehemently.

    'What do you mean?' asked Harry, Ron and Neville.

    Ginny stared at them. 'You don't know?' she asked. 'Think about it; Percy gets promoted so that he can spy on us and the Or—uh … the house—' she eyed Neville apprehensively, '—and now that we proved to Fudge that You-Know-Who has returned, and in an instant, Percy's been moved from his office in the Ministry to an office in Hogwarts. Fudge is obviously trying to get rid of him and find someone better,'

    Harry ad never thought about it this way, and had to admit that it made perfect sense. 'You know, that's really brilliant,' he said to Ginny. 'Fudge is trying to let go of Percy without really letting him know about it. He's not planning to come back and teach us anymore, is he?'

    'I would be surprised to see him here, unless it involved Ministry business,' said Ginny wisely.

    'Then again, he might not be allowed to go anywhere on Ministry business soon, eh?' said Neville coyly.

    They made their way up to the Great Hall, Ginny raging about Percy's intentions of getting married, and saw Seamus and Annette talking excitedly to their friends. 'Hey, Harry!' said Colin, seeing him. 'I thought that I could try out for Beater practice tomorrow,'

    'Er, right,' said Harry, taking his seat next to Hermione. 'Sure,'

    'Dennis wants to try out too,' Colin continued. 'Wouldn't it be great Harry? Two brothers taking the place of Fred and George. I bet—' he continued talking, and Harry rolled his eyes.

    'I hear that the Slytherins and the Ravenclaws already have their teams,' said Hermione.

    'Yes, well, they didn't lose as many players as we did,' said Ron. 'Beater tryouts are tomorrow,'

    As he had dropped Care of Magical Creatures, he had a free period after breakfast on Tuesday. Ron, meanwhile, had decided to take up Muggle Studies and was dreading it. In Herbology, they were taught about the Mercury Fly-Traps, and they had moved on Liquid Metamorphism, the study of turning objects into water, which was just as hard as Marble Transformations. In the end, Hermione had managed to turn her apple into a puddle of water for approximately two seconds before it transformed back into its former state.

    In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Percy taught them about Nymphs, little elf-like creatures that lived near streams that had powers to rival some wizards, Carnals, Grims and Thestrals. Percy didn't allow talking, but at least he taught some things that they didn't know, with the exception of Carnals, which Professor Lupin had already taught them.

    Harry had the period after lunch free, and some people went to Divination. Ron and Hermione had Muggle Studies, so Harry just went up to the Gryffindor common room. There were no other students. Most of them were outside, but Harry was eager to get in some practice of Marble Transformations and Liquid Metamorphism. Just as he was saying 'Marmor!' for the third time, the portrait opened, and Seamus walked in, and went straight up to him and sat next to Harry.

    'Hey,' he said.

    'Hi Seamus,' said Harry, feeling a blush creep up his face. 'What's up?'

    Seamus shrugged. 'Nothing much. Trying out the Marble Transformations?'

    'Yes. I'm really behind,' Harry sighed. 'Marmor!'

    Nothing. 'Don't worry about it,' Seamus consoled. 'No one has it yet. It's really tough,'

    'I know,' Harry nodded. 'Even Hermione can't do it,'

    Seamus nodded, and the two of them were launched in silence once again. 'So, will you take a break then?' Seamus asked finally. 'All work and no play makes Harry a dull boy,'

    Harry laughed. 'I can't believe you just said that,'

    Seamus grinned. 'Well, you get my point.' There was silence again. 'Can I kiss you?'

    Harry felt a jolt in his stomach, and couldn't hide a smile. The thought of kissing Seamus excited him. 'Yes,' he said. Seamus leaned forward and captured Harry's lips in his own. After a minute or so, Harry felt Seamus's tongue probing his lips, and he opened them. He felt Seamus's tongue enter his mouth and explore every crevice and he kissed back. He moaned into Seamus's kiss, as it deepened, and as he and Seamus both got bolder with each other. 'Fuck,' Harry swore when they broke apart to catch their breath. 'Oh, God,'

    'I love the way you swear,' said Seamus. They locked lips again, and Harry felt Seamus's hand trail down. It stopped at his chest, and Seamus stroked his erect left nipple, then went further down and tugged on the zipper of his pants under his robe. Harry let him. Within a moment, his hard cock flew out. Seamus broke away from the kiss, and spit into his right hand. Then he gripped Harry's cock, and slowly started to stroke, the spit acting as lubrication. Harry, who had never felt anyone's hand but his own, gasped in pleasure.

    His hand quickening just a little bit, Seamus kissed Harry again. 'Oh, Harry,' he whispered, before attacking the boy's mouth with his tongue again.

    'Mmph,' Harry moaned, his hand rubbing Seamus's strong back. He felt a drop of pre-cum ooze out of the head out of his cock before it was swept away by Seamus's hand, serving as more lube. Orgasm was close, and Harry thanked God that he was sitting down, because if he had been standing up, he surely would have fallen. More cum poured out of his cock. 'Seamus …' Harry whispered. 'I'm … I'm …'

    'Cum for me,' Seamus said softly. 'Cum for me, Harry,' and then he went down and wrapped his lips around Harry's nipple. Having his clothes on prevented full pleasure, but it was enough. Harry came. Moaning, he shot his wad on Seamus's hand, and hit Seamus—who was licking his nipple—in the chin. He shot five times. When Seamus pulled away, he licked the cum off his hand. 'Tasty,' he commented.

    Harry watched him licking his cum again, and then leaned forward. He didn't kiss Seamus, but licked off his own cum from the Irish's chin. When it was all gone, Harry had to admit that it did taste good. He and Seamus kissed once more, sharing the taste of Harry's seed between them.

*

    That evening, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Katie, Seamus and Annette were gathered at the Quidditch Pitch with the hopeful students all vying to be the new Beaters. The first to go were Colin, followed by Dennis. They were to try to hit as many Bludgers as possible, but they weren't the best.

    Harry had to tell six people over and over that they had to meet Professor McGonagall if they were trying out for commentator. 'Hey, Harry,' said Katie. 'I think we have a potential,'

    'Really? Who?' inquired Harry.

    'Hi,' said a girl who Harry had never met before. She had long blond hair and looked strangely familiar. 'I'm Ambrosia Spinnet. My sister Alicia was a Chaser on the team,'

    'Oh, hi,' said Harry, realizing that she reminded him of Alicia Spinnet, his former fellow Quidditch player. 'You want to be a Beater?'

    'Well, I wanted to be a Chaser, but I had detention yesterday from Professor Weasley,' she scowled. 'So I'm trying out for Beater instead,'

    'Well …' Beaters needed to be hefty as they could easily be unseated by Bludgers, and Harry had yet to see a female Beater. He was unsure if Ambrosia had the size necessary.

    'Don't worry,' said Katie as though she read Harry's mind. 'I've seen the way Amber—'

    'Ambrosia,' she corrected.

    '—Ambrosia,' she amended, 'plays. She's a good Beater. She aims well, and she can hit,'

    'Alright,' Harry nodded. 'Mount your broom. Ginny will follow you,'

    The two of them flew into the air, and Harry released the Bludgers, which headed straight for them. Ambrosia was able to soar and hit all the Bludgers, even the ones that weren't headed for her. When Ginny accidentally hit one to her, she was able to swerve out of the way. She wasn't Fred and George, but Harry could tell that with a bit of training, she would be as good as they were.

    Finally, Harry had his people. The new line up was Seamus, Ron, Ginny, Katie, Annette, Ambrosia and himself. Harry had decided that a boy named Lorne Horatio had potential as a Beater too, and named her and Ambrosia as the new Beaters. 'It would be good to have backups, however,' he said. He named Ginny as Lorne's replacement, as the replacement before her had already graduated. Ginny, who had been stressed last year as she had been Harry's replacement, was very happy about this

    'What about me, Harry?' chirped Colin.

    Harry sighed. Colin wasn't going to give up. 'Sorry, Colin, but the rest of the replacements are still in school,'

    Colin was disappointed, but Harry couldn't be more relieved. 'Okay, we have our new team,' he announced. 'I'd like to thank everyone who came out to try for the positions. You were all … er …' he caught Colin's eye. 'Good,' he lied.

*

    That Friday, there was a party in Gryffindor Tower after the sixth-years came back from their Astronomy class. Harry didn't know why he was even bothering to take Astronomy, but didn't drop it either. It had provided a good excuse, however, for him to get out of detention with Filch early. If he hadn't had Astronomy at nine, he was willing to bet Filch would have kept him until midnight. The Gryffindors were in a very good mood, and the players were hugged and patted and congratulated over and over.

    Harry caught Seamus's eye, and realized that he wanted to kiss him again, but managed to restrain himself. He didn't know how well the other Gryffindors would take it if they found out that the famous Harry Potter liked kissing another boy. 'Hey, Harry!' called one of the Gryffindors. 'Congratulations as captain!'

    'Thanks!' Harry called back, the name of the student escaping him. Lorne, who was third year, had gotten a real popularity boost and was seen talking and laughing with several fifth years. Ginny, Annette and Ambrosia were currently bonding by talking and joking with each other.

    He felt someone grip his arm, and turned around, expecting to see Seamus or Ron. Instead, he looked straight into the eyes of Sirius. Harry's throat went dry. No, he thought wildly. No, it was impossible. Sirius was dead. He had imagined seeing him before, but now Sirius was touching him. It wasn't possible…

    He tried to say Sirius's name, but he couldn't form the words. 'Harry!'

    Harry turned to see Seamus behind him, grinning and holding two bottles of Butterbeer. 'Hey, why are you just standing there? Join the party!' Seamus roared, thrusting him one of the bottles. He obviously couldn't see Sirius. Seamus didn't know that Sirius was innocent, nor did he know that he was dead, and would have started screaming immediately at the sight of him. And Harry knew that ghosts were visible. What did that make Sirius.

    'Erm, thanks,' he said hoarsely. He felt Sirius releasing his arm, and in a moment, he was no longer there. Harry kept staring at the space where Sirius stood just a moment before, not knowing what to make of it.


A/N: I hope you liked it. Read and Review, please?