From the Daily Prophet of 8 August, 2000

Most-eligible hero

Potter sweeps Witch Weekly voting

By Erato Steele

LONDON -- Britain's witches stand united this week in a way we haven't in decades. In an almost singular voice, we are set to proclaim to the world, "We want Harry Potter!"

The Daily Prophet can exclusively report the Boy Who Lived has been selected Britain's most-eligible bachelor in Witch Weekly's yearly poll, which is set for release today in this week's issue. To those of us who have followed the tabloid's annual voting, Potter's selection comes as no surprise. It's the margin that's extraordinary.

The national hero and aspiring Quidditch star received an overwhelming 84.2 percent of the nearly 12,500 ballots cast, a majority that's been surpassed only twice in the poll's 257 year history and hasn't been approached in the last half century.

"Witches have always had something of an obsession with Mr. Potter," said Witch Weekly managing editor Daphne Hartshorn, who is in charge of the magazine's popular annual "Sexy Sorcerers" issue. "That's understandable, considering everything he's done. But this year, he's become more than just the reclusive young hero and I think a lot of witches have definitely noticed."

"I voted for him," said Melody McGinn, 25, of Wandsworth. "I've known he was a hero ever since I was a little girl but I didn't realise how attractive he is until this summer when I started seeing his picture in the paper every day."

Potter did not return owls seeking comment. However, his agents, Fred and George Weasley, indicated their client's pleasure with the honour.

"How could Harry not be delighted to know he's got thousands upon thousands of witches drooling over him?" Fred Weasley said before his brother refused further questions.

The Boy Who Lived, 20, is hardly a new name to the most-eligible voting. He's been a regular in the top five since he returned to the wizarding world at age 10 in 1991. Potter even finished first in the poll two years ago, when the balloting was held soon after he vanquished He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and was awarded an unprecedented special appointment to the Ministry of Magic's Auror Division.

But Potter, who topped 45 percent in the poll for first time, was finally able to make us forget about his younger challengers this time around. Star Puddlemere United Keeper Oliver Wood, resurgent author Gilderoy Lockhart and Gladrags model Roger Davies, all of whom had averaged double digits in the previous two votes, combined for just over 7 percent despite finishing third, fourth and fifth. Only Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, a staple in the poll for more than 90 years, did not see a major decline in support, drawing a majority of the centenarian vote and 7.6 percent of the total.

The Boy Who Lived's charge into witches' hearts was certainly aided by the engagement of Quidditch heartthrob David Adams, last year's most-eligible bachelor, to singer Victoria Pepper. But Potter's growing notoriety is an even bigger reason for his overwhelming victory.

"He was the world's most famous wizard to begin with and in the last few months he's become a professional athlete, a commercial spokesman and a power player in the Ministry of Magic," Hartshorn said. "It's been a long time -- centuries maybe -- since there's been a man with so many claims to fame. It's no wonder he's so desirable."

Indeed, recent events have done much to bolster Potter's persona. It has been widely reported he has sufficient support in the Wizengamot to gain wizarding Britain's highest office even though the sitting Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, forced him to resign from the Ministry after a highly publicized spat in May. Though he has thus far spurned politics, the celebrated destroyer of Dark wizards quickly took advantage of his unemployment, agreeing to play for the Puddlemere United Quidditch Club. The Seeker has been the game's star on and off the pitch all summer, excelling in the opening week of the training and boosting sales of advance tickets to Puddlemere matches at stadiums across the country. Potter's even been a hit in advertising, helping pitch the booming joke-industry giant, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

Still, celebrity alone isn't enough to win this contest.

"He is so hot!" exclaimed Raina Southgate, a giggly 13-year-old who spent Monday shopping with her friends on Diagon Alley. "We all think so."

"I just love the way hair always sticks up," added Emma Dobbs, 17, who spent four years alongside Potter at Hogwarts. "It makes me want to run my hands all through it. And his green eyes, oh … they're perfect. I see him now and I wish I'd asked him out when we were still in school together."

Hopes aside, only a few witches have ever managed to catch Potter's fancy. His first romantic relationship came in 1993 with Hermione Granger, then a Gryffindor in his year at Hogwarts and now the Wizengamot's youngest member, who reportedly left him spurned and heartbroken. Though Potter and Granger remain friends, it seems likely the disastrous end to their relationship -- Granger dumped him for Quidditch World Cup hero Viktor Krum -- is a major reason Britain's most-eligible bachelor is still a bachelor. Since the break-up, the Boy Who Lived has been involved only sporadically: with Parvati (Patil) LeBlanc later in his fourth year at Hogwarts, Cho Chang the following winter and Susan Bones in his sixth year. He is not believed to have seen anyone since leaving school in 1998.

Of Potter's former girlfriends, only LeBlanc agreed to the Daily Prophet's request for an interview.

"Harry and I went to the Yule Ball together in our fourth year," said the 20-year-old, now happily married and living in Orleans, France. "He's a wonderful person and I was honoured when he asked me, but it was clear fairly quickly that it wasn't going to work out between us. If I'm honest, I don't think he was ever that interested in me."

The failures in his past love life aren't going to deter the throngs of witches swooning after the Boy Who Lived now though.

"He could have gone out with Dolores Umbridge for all I care," said McGinn, referring to the notoriously underhanded and unpopular Wizengamot member. "I could deal with a whole lot of baggage if it meant being with such a successful -- and cute -- wizard."

With interest like that it's no wonder so many witches cast their ballots for Harry Potter. We all share the dream of the best wizardkind has to offer -- our very own most-eligible hero.

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Erato Steele is the Daily Prophet's gossip columnist. Her weekly column, Charmed Hearts, runs in Tuesday's editions. Owl her at thedpreporting(at)yahoo(dot)com.

A/N: There you have it, the long-awaited first look at Harry's love life (Comments? Flames?). Now that that's out of the way, you can look for Puddlemere vs. Lourdes in Article 17.

Many, many thanks to all of you who take the time to review. And, of course, Chi, Nancy and R.G. are the best for tolerating me enough to beta this monstrosity.

My fanfiction readers should note that the stats for this story in the summary block are not showing up correctly. It's reading as if there is one more chapter posted than there really is. I've e-mailed the site about getting it fixed but have not heard back. So, at least for the short term, if it says the story is 17 chapters there are actually only 16 posted.