Lost Opportunities
AN:
Someone said that the chapters were too short to enjoy a while back...
this one is rather long (compared to the other chapters anyway).
Although I have to warn you. Long chapters for this fic isn't likely.
I'm not good at writing prolongued angst yet.
I don't know how some people do it!
Anyway I don't own Harry Potter, but you knew that already didn't you?
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"Ronald Weasley! How could you do that to me? I wrote to mum in hysterics! You disappeared after a day of acting like a zombie! For all I knew You-Know-Who put the Imperious Curse on you and forced you to walk to your death! And I couldn't go to Harry or Hermione to find out where you might have gone because they were gone too! You had to drag them along on your adventure, that I'm sure was your idea because Harry and Hermione usually have a reason for flying off and since you disappeared on the first day of classes there was no possible reason for your disappearance! And do you know that when I finally got a letter back from mum she said 'Don't worry, your brother is safe.' WELL LET ME ASSURE YOU! You are not safe NOW! I should give Laurence your position permanently because once I'm done with you, you will be in the hospital wing for a month!" Ginny Weasley yelled at her brother in front of the Quidditch team, Madam Hooch (who was to supervise every Quidditch practice do to increased Death Eater activity), and Hermione who had decided to rejoin the school's population in the company of her two best friends. She and Harry had come to a polite truce, somewhat essential on Harry's part if he wanted to catch up with his homework and appear normal.
Ron cringed realizing that a crowd of people would not make his sister hold in her anger, "Come on Ginny. You couldn't have been that worried! You're just mad because you had to put the Quidditch team together by yourself."
Hermione sighed and shook her head knowing that was the wrong thing to say to the worked up redhead.
"Of course I was worried you git! My big brother has an annoying tendency to disappear sometime during the school year just to come back with either him or one of his two best friends seriously injured!" Ginny exclaimed waving her broom for emphasis.
"Its not like that…" Ron said miserably.
"NOT LIKE THAT?" Ginny asked dangerously. "Shall we name all of the times one of your trio was hurt??? Norbert, Giant Chess Set, You-Know-Who, Basilisk, Riddle, a Grim-like dog, dementors, THE LAKE, Umbridge, Slytherins, ministry, BRAINS, Deatheaters, You-Know-Who AGAIN!!!"
"Okay, okay," Ron said holding out his hands in defeat. "I get your point. The entire Quidditch team gets your point. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if half the school didn't get your point you were making it so loudly!"
Madam Hooch, who was sitting next to Hermione on the stands, finally decided to intervene by stating calmly, "While I may be on the pitch for the entire day, you only have an hour and a half left before Ravenclaw's team has claim on the pitch. Don't you think you should be practicing? Especially since you still have to train your new chasers?"
"That's right," said a fifth year girl Harry didn't know. "You can yell at your brother later. And when you're done, we'll yell at him for making us put up with your worrying for the past couple of weeks."
"That's right, and besides, isn't Harry supposed to be our captain?" piped up a small second year boy.
"Yeah, and your replacement," replied the girl who was trying to persuade Ginny.
"Oh fine," Ginny huffed. "I'd rather embarrass the git in the middle of the Great Hall anyway."
"All right folks, up in the air," Harry announced before Ginny and Ron could get going at each other again. It had been a long time since he was able to feel the freedom of soaring through the air and he was anxious to feel the rush of going after the snitch again. Figuring that directing a Quidditch match couldn't be much different from teaching the students in Dumbledore's Army he said, "I want to see what you can do. So Ginny, split them up equally please. I don't know them."
"Right-o captain!" Ginny said saluting and turned to the team.
"She spent a lot of time with Tonks this summer," Ron explained apologetically. "They kept giggling about something or other."
They all kicked off and started to play a four-on-four game, Ginny had picked an extra chaser in case she was needed as seeker since the substitute seeker was prone to illness.
Harry rose high above the team and watched them play from that perspective. At first he wasn't paying too close attention to what they were doing, he was too caught up in feeling the wind blow by his face and the feeling of utter freedom he had in the air. He felt peaceful. He shook himself from his reverie and reminded himself he had to act normal, and being normal meant he had to watch the team and make suggestions. He watched the chasers for a couple of minutes, there was a boy that was nearly as good as Ginny with dark hair. It hit him that his father was a Chaser and enjoyed flying. Hadn't McGollangal said that his father was a great flyer? And Harry had cost his father his life. Which meant he couldn't enjoy flying anymore.
Harry gulped uncomfortably and forced himself to watch the small boy who was to be the reserve seeker. He flew boldly for a second year, much like his willingness to speak out to those older than him and with more seniority on the team. He would make a good seeker. In fact he reminded Harry of someone he had seen playing. Then it hit him. He was like Cedric. Another person who couldn't enjoy flying anymore.
'Shit,' Harry thought bitterly as he decided to work on different seeker moves. 'So much for a release in flying. Too many people can't enjoy flying anymore because of me. I can't enjoy it when I took it away from them.'
Harry started praying for the Ravenclaws to come so he could get out of the air without seeming out of character. Finally there was five minutes to go in the practice but the second year had yet to catch the snitch so Harry was concentrating on finding it so they could hand all of the balls over to the Ravenclaw team. He spotted the snitch rather quickly ten feet from the ground at one of the goals. He dived towards the ball to catch it.
'It would be easy,' he thought suddenly. 'I could crash into the ground and it would be considered an accident… but no damn it. Hooch is watching. Its not as if the snitch is only foot away from the ground, she'd see me catch the snitch and would have time to be able to slow me like Dumbledore did when the Dementors came onto the pitch. Damn damn damn.'
Harry caught the snitch and signaled for his team to come down. He said the things that he would come up with a plan for the next practice from what he had learned and changed, and finally going to the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione at his side, still silently cursing that his opportunity was lost.
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AN: please review! This chapter was nearly twice as long as the last!
AN:
Someone said that the chapters were too short to enjoy a while back...
this one is rather long (compared to the other chapters anyway).
Although I have to warn you. Long chapters for this fic isn't likely.
I'm not good at writing prolongued angst yet.
I don't know how some people do it!
Anyway I don't own Harry Potter, but you knew that already didn't you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
V
"Ronald Weasley! How could you do that to me? I wrote to mum in hysterics! You disappeared after a day of acting like a zombie! For all I knew You-Know-Who put the Imperious Curse on you and forced you to walk to your death! And I couldn't go to Harry or Hermione to find out where you might have gone because they were gone too! You had to drag them along on your adventure, that I'm sure was your idea because Harry and Hermione usually have a reason for flying off and since you disappeared on the first day of classes there was no possible reason for your disappearance! And do you know that when I finally got a letter back from mum she said 'Don't worry, your brother is safe.' WELL LET ME ASSURE YOU! You are not safe NOW! I should give Laurence your position permanently because once I'm done with you, you will be in the hospital wing for a month!" Ginny Weasley yelled at her brother in front of the Quidditch team, Madam Hooch (who was to supervise every Quidditch practice do to increased Death Eater activity), and Hermione who had decided to rejoin the school's population in the company of her two best friends. She and Harry had come to a polite truce, somewhat essential on Harry's part if he wanted to catch up with his homework and appear normal.
Ron cringed realizing that a crowd of people would not make his sister hold in her anger, "Come on Ginny. You couldn't have been that worried! You're just mad because you had to put the Quidditch team together by yourself."
Hermione sighed and shook her head knowing that was the wrong thing to say to the worked up redhead.
"Of course I was worried you git! My big brother has an annoying tendency to disappear sometime during the school year just to come back with either him or one of his two best friends seriously injured!" Ginny exclaimed waving her broom for emphasis.
"Its not like that…" Ron said miserably.
"NOT LIKE THAT?" Ginny asked dangerously. "Shall we name all of the times one of your trio was hurt??? Norbert, Giant Chess Set, You-Know-Who, Basilisk, Riddle, a Grim-like dog, dementors, THE LAKE, Umbridge, Slytherins, ministry, BRAINS, Deatheaters, You-Know-Who AGAIN!!!"
"Okay, okay," Ron said holding out his hands in defeat. "I get your point. The entire Quidditch team gets your point. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if half the school didn't get your point you were making it so loudly!"
Madam Hooch, who was sitting next to Hermione on the stands, finally decided to intervene by stating calmly, "While I may be on the pitch for the entire day, you only have an hour and a half left before Ravenclaw's team has claim on the pitch. Don't you think you should be practicing? Especially since you still have to train your new chasers?"
"That's right," said a fifth year girl Harry didn't know. "You can yell at your brother later. And when you're done, we'll yell at him for making us put up with your worrying for the past couple of weeks."
"That's right, and besides, isn't Harry supposed to be our captain?" piped up a small second year boy.
"Yeah, and your replacement," replied the girl who was trying to persuade Ginny.
"Oh fine," Ginny huffed. "I'd rather embarrass the git in the middle of the Great Hall anyway."
"All right folks, up in the air," Harry announced before Ginny and Ron could get going at each other again. It had been a long time since he was able to feel the freedom of soaring through the air and he was anxious to feel the rush of going after the snitch again. Figuring that directing a Quidditch match couldn't be much different from teaching the students in Dumbledore's Army he said, "I want to see what you can do. So Ginny, split them up equally please. I don't know them."
"Right-o captain!" Ginny said saluting and turned to the team.
"She spent a lot of time with Tonks this summer," Ron explained apologetically. "They kept giggling about something or other."
They all kicked off and started to play a four-on-four game, Ginny had picked an extra chaser in case she was needed as seeker since the substitute seeker was prone to illness.
Harry rose high above the team and watched them play from that perspective. At first he wasn't paying too close attention to what they were doing, he was too caught up in feeling the wind blow by his face and the feeling of utter freedom he had in the air. He felt peaceful. He shook himself from his reverie and reminded himself he had to act normal, and being normal meant he had to watch the team and make suggestions. He watched the chasers for a couple of minutes, there was a boy that was nearly as good as Ginny with dark hair. It hit him that his father was a Chaser and enjoyed flying. Hadn't McGollangal said that his father was a great flyer? And Harry had cost his father his life. Which meant he couldn't enjoy flying anymore.
Harry gulped uncomfortably and forced himself to watch the small boy who was to be the reserve seeker. He flew boldly for a second year, much like his willingness to speak out to those older than him and with more seniority on the team. He would make a good seeker. In fact he reminded Harry of someone he had seen playing. Then it hit him. He was like Cedric. Another person who couldn't enjoy flying anymore.
'Shit,' Harry thought bitterly as he decided to work on different seeker moves. 'So much for a release in flying. Too many people can't enjoy flying anymore because of me. I can't enjoy it when I took it away from them.'
Harry started praying for the Ravenclaws to come so he could get out of the air without seeming out of character. Finally there was five minutes to go in the practice but the second year had yet to catch the snitch so Harry was concentrating on finding it so they could hand all of the balls over to the Ravenclaw team. He spotted the snitch rather quickly ten feet from the ground at one of the goals. He dived towards the ball to catch it.
'It would be easy,' he thought suddenly. 'I could crash into the ground and it would be considered an accident… but no damn it. Hooch is watching. Its not as if the snitch is only foot away from the ground, she'd see me catch the snitch and would have time to be able to slow me like Dumbledore did when the Dementors came onto the pitch. Damn damn damn.'
Harry caught the snitch and signaled for his team to come down. He said the things that he would come up with a plan for the next practice from what he had learned and changed, and finally going to the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione at his side, still silently cursing that his opportunity was lost.
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|
V
AN: please review! This chapter was nearly twice as long as the last!