From the Daily Prophet of 3 August, 2000
One of the boys
Potter says no to special treatment
By Mike Thalia
PUDDLEMERE, England -- After a lifetime of fighting Dark magic and saving the world, many witches and wizards believe Harry Potter has earned a bit of special treatment. He isn't one of them.
The Boy Who Lived gave his first formal news conference since joining the Puddlemere United Quidditch Club after the team's practice Wednesday and he made his position clear. In spite of his newfound superstar status, he wants to be held to the same standard as all of his team-mates.
"I know everyone thinks I'm special. I've been hearing that since I was 11 years old," the first-year professional Seeker, now 20, said. "But when you get on a broom, it's only talent that matters. Well, talent along with teamwork and some luck.
"Either way, I like to think I'm fairly decent up there. Hardly special, but competent. I haven't embarrassed myself these last two days, so maybe there is a place for me here. But if I don't make it, I don't make it. I can live with that. The last thing I want is to be given a job because of who I am, to take it away from someone else who's earned it. That wouldn't be right. This is a Quidditch team and the best players should make it."
Puddlemere manager Glenn Watson was impressed with his star's comments and seemed willing to comply.
"That was a very mature thing for Harry to say," Watson told reporters. "I think he knows that winning is the only thing the fans are going to accept come September and he doesn't want to stand in the way of that. And neither do I. Puddlemere is going send out the best side it can. Hopefully, that side will be strong enough to reach the top of the table, no matter who's on it."
But the difficulty of Potter's request was obvious only an hour before the interviews. As the Boy Who Lived left the Nimbus Arena pitch at the end of United's second training session of the summer, a crowd of 1,684 gave him a standing ovation. That was a day after about 2,000 spectators turned out to see the team open camp.
Puddlemere's first week of training, when players are evaluated and sensitive tactics are almost never on display, has long been open to the public. Rarely have more than 100 fans attended in previous years and the reason for the dramatic increase is obvious.
"Would I be here if it wasn't for Harry Potter? Of course not," said Will Sherman, a 16-year-old supporter who attended Wednesday's practice wearing a full set of Puddlemere robes. "He's the reason we're all here."
Yet, Potter's stance was undeterred when he was asked about the throngs coming to see him play.
"I know a lot of people are interested in what I'm doing simply because I'm Harry Potter," he said. "That's flattering, I suppose, but it's also not fair to my team-mates. I've never done anything on the Quidditch pitch to earn the kind of attention I'm getting, but there are great players out there who have: Sam (Diop), Gregg (Knapp), Oliver (Wood), Joe (Smith), Siobhan (Moran), Hernando (Chavez), Gareth (Weston) and quite a few others.
"It's not that I don't appreciate the support. It's nice. But I should have to earn it like everybody else. I don't want to have anything given to me because of things I've done elsewhere, least of all a place on this team."
Puddlemere owner Meredith Mason, who sat in the top box for the latter part of the training session, admitted Potter's celebrity puts her club in an awkward position.
"Professional Quidditch measures success in two ways -- in victories and in Galleons," the matronly millionaire said. "Anybody could tell you that Harry Potter -- that boy we've been reading about in the Daily Prophet for all these years -- is good for this club financially. He has many fans, myself included. However, as long as I am in charge, this club's first concern will be going for the championship. I want to assemble the best side possible, not put just anyone on the pitch."
But one simple fact should make Watson's job of picking a squad easier. The witches and wizards at Nimbus Arena on Wednesday could easily tell Potter isn't just anyone on the pitch. For the second straight day, the Boy Who Lived was among the most outstanding fliers in the Puddlemere's practice session.
The team's outdoor work began at 7:30 a.m. and was meant to test endurance. For a shade over two hours, the 53 players zipped around the pitch at high speed in a close-quarters group just a few feet off the ground. The Chasers tossed Quaffles and the Seekers dodged in and out of the fray, leading to three bone-jarring crashes -- two involving 18-year-old Swedish Seeker Karl Svenssen.
Potter made it through the marathon flight without incident, though he did find the drill draining, saying, "That was hard work. It's challenging to keep track of what all those other players are doing because normally a Seeker is only really concerned with the Snitch and the other Seeker."
"Quidditch is a physically demanding game," said Watson of the drill. "We needed to know how well the lads will hold up during a long period of tough flying. That's what they're going see in a match."
After a short break, the squad was back in the air for a series of additional flying drills. First were sprints (two-person races around the pitch), in which Potter was second fastest only behind rival Seeker Diop. A slalom course followed, with Potter again posting the second best time (behind Chavez). Practice concluded with the Seekers and Chasers following a narrow course the length of the pitch as the Beaters struck simulated Bludgers at them from both sides.
Though the five-hour session lacked the spectacular seven-Seeker Snitch search that culminated the first day's drills, the big crowd was still enthralled. The cheers for Potter were steady and boisterous, especially when he deftly rolled between two Bludgers during the final drill.
"That was so cool!" Rachael Flowers, 12, exclaimed when asked about the move.
The supporters weren't the only ones who were impressed with the Boy Who Lived's display.
"Only Harry could wonder if he deserves a place on the squad after a day like that," said Knapp, Puddlemere's outspoken reserve Seeker. "He should be talking about whether or not he belongs in the first seven because surely he's going to make the first team. He handles his broom as well as anyone on this club."
"Harry flew very well today," Watson added. "We're very pleased with the skill and poise he's shown so far."
Even Potter was guardedly pleased with his performance.
"There were a lot of chances to make mistakes today, especially during the team flight this morning," he said. "I managed to avoid most of them and that's about all I can ask for."
Potter will be hoping to improve his chances of earning a job with more mistake-free flying this morning. United's third training session is tentatively scheduled to kick off from the Nimbus Arena pitch at 8.
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Mike Thalia covers Puddlemere United for the Daily Prophet. Owl him at thedpreportingyahoo.com
A/N: Were this a real sports training camp, a story of some sort (undoubtedly most involving the star player) would come out daily. However, in the interest of moving the overall story along, my day-to-day coverage will end here.
My humble thanks to my reviewers (especially those of you who take the time to tell me what you think just about every chapter) for putting up with the slow pace. The first love-life related chapter and actual matches are soon to come.