Disclaimer: It would be so cool if all of this was mine, but JK Rowling is the owner of everything Harry Potter.

Chapter 9- Dragons and Lions

The next week passed by without anything happening, and Harry's first England Quidditch practice was quickly drawing nearer. One morning a huge barn owl brought a large package in the mail. It immediately attracted the attention of the whole room. The owl was flying in the direction of the Gryffindor table and Harry was wondering along with everyone else at whom it belonged to. He was very surprised when the owl landed right in front of him, dropping the package onto the table and a letter in Harry's lap. Harry immediately grabbed the letter and ripped it open. It read:

Dear Harry,

I am very excited about coming to Hogwarts this Saturday to practice with you. I think we will have a very productive practice. There are many new plays I would like you to try, and I think it will be good for the whole team to practice together.

Enclosed in this box is a set of practice robes as well as our game robes. These are given to you free of charge, but if they are lost or torn, it will be coming from your bank account.

Practice will be from nine to one. Please do not be late. Can't wait to meet you!

Juan Housing
Manager

"Blimey, Harry! Nine to one, that's four hours!" Ron said, reading the letter over Harry's shoulder. "Do you think I can come and watch?"

"Sure. I don't think Housing will mind."

"What's in the package, Harry?" Ginny asked him.

"My Quidditch robes for England."

"Oohh, can I see them?" Ginny asked eagerly. Many girls behind Harry shrieked when they heard what was in the package and immediately began whispering and talking excitedly.

"Yeah, mate. Let's see them." Ron said, trying to hide the anxiousness in his voice.

Harry opened the brown box and pulled out two sets of brilliant robes. They were red and gold just like Gryffindor, but instead of a lion on the front, there was a dragon. The robes seemed to glisten as Harry held them up for everyone to see. On the back written was POTTER, and just below it the number 7. Everyone stared in awe at the magnificent robes. The practice robes were gold all over with red trimming and writing, but the game one's were red with gold trimming and writing. They were very much like his normal Gryffindor robes except that they seemed to be made out of a much better and expensive fabric.

"Oh, Harry." Hermione whispered. "Those are amazing."

"Wow." Was all Ron could say.

Harry couldn't speak either. He couldn't believe that those robes were actually his. He just sat there looking at them for a few moments before he heard a very unpleasant and most unwelcome voice.

"What's that you got there, Potter?" Draco Malfoy sneered from behind his back. "Thought it would make you look cool if you ordered some International Quidditch Robes?"

Harry and Ron both jumped up to face Malfoy, anger boiling in both of their eyes.

Ron was the first to speak. "Sod off, Malfoy. Just because you aren't good enough to play for England doesn't mean Harry can't."

Malfoy was enraged. How dare the blood traitor talk to him like that?

Professor McGonagall quickly neared the Gryffindor table, coming between Harry and Malfoy. "What is going on here?" She asked.

"Nothing at all, Professor. I was just showing Malfoy my new Quidditch robes." Harry told her, holding up the robes.

"Of course, Harry. My, it is exciting to have one of our own students playing for an International team. Gryffindor is very lucky to have you as their captain." She said, a smile curling on her lips. She was very fond of Gryffindor house, and took great pride that they held the Quidditch cup for the past five years.

"Thank you, Professor." Harry nodded at her and she went pack up to the staff table. Malfoy glared at Harry as he headed out of the Great Hall to put up his new robes, and many heads turned in his direction, whispers following him out of the hall.

Saturday approached and Harry couldn't have been more excited. Over the past week many people had been badgering Harry to see his Quidditch robes or asking if they could come to watch his practice. He had put up with it all week and was ready to let it all out through a much-needed fly on his Firebolt. When nine o' clock came around, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville made their way out to the quidditch pitch. Harry had only allowed a select few to watch his practice. Harry said good-bye to the others as they went up into the stands, and he left to go onto the field. When he got there he was met by seven other men, most looked at least older than twenty. A taller, older looking man not wearing the practice robes, walked up to Harry, smiling widely.

"Harry, dear boy, it's good that you could make it!" He stuck out his hand and Harry reached for it. The man had a large mouth with quite a few crooked and missing teeth. He was very tall and looked as if he had once been a very fit man but put on some weight. His skin was very tan, and his hair was a dark, dirty blonde. Harry knew this had to be Juan Housing, the manager. "Alright, let's meet the team, shall we?"

Harry looked over at the rest of the team, all much taller and more muscular than he. He had to admit that he was a little intimidated. Crossing the line with these guys was probably not a very good idea. Juan Housing interrupted his train of thought, however, bringing him back to reality. "This is the captain, and lead chaser Derek Bond which," He pointed to the biggest of the players. Derek had dark skin and a serious face. Harry nodded to him and he grunted a 'hello' back. "And the other chasers are Patricia Dimpleton and Androne Milsky." A girl and a boy from the end of the line both nodded in his direction. Harry looked at them. Patricia was very pretty with soft blue eyes and deep red hair. She was skinny, yet you could see that she had some muscle about her. The other man, Androne, was quite the opposite. He was very pale and bulky with brown eyes and black hair. Next Harry was introduced to the keeper, Luke Harrison, and beaters, Mandarin and Peter Scone.

Great, more twins. Harry thought. At least these two aren't identical. I will be able to tell them apart.

"O.K, Harry. I will let Derek take it from here." Juan Housing told him, backing away from the field. Harry nodded and turned to Derek for instructions.

"Alright, Team. Let's get started. Up in the air, 5 laps around the pitch then form two lines to begin warm up drills. Go!" Harry immediately jumped onto his Firebolt and zoomed up into the air. It felt great to be back on his broom again. It had been a little less than a year since Harry had flown, and he couldn't have been happier to have that familiar feeling of rushing wind around him. He flew the highest and the fastest out of all the team members, finishing his laps first. Once everyone else flew to the center to meet him, they got in two lines, each facing the other. Harry was the odd man out, and left without a partner. Derek noticed this and decided to go ahead and get Harry started on his work out. "Harry, I want you to practice the Wronskie Feint until you have it perfect. If you manage that in this practice, then work on spiraling in and out of it. The spiral will give you more momentum, which will allow you to pull out of it at a much faster rate. Got it?"

Harry just nodded and went of to the side of the pitch near Ron and the others to practice. The Wronskie Feint was quite easy and he mastered that within 15 minutes. The spiraling, however, was much more difficult. As hard as he tried, Harry could not spiral all the way to the ground, changing to a normal dive 10 feet above the ground. By the time he managed the spiral in completely, Derek was calling the team for a water break. Much to Harry's surprise, two hours had already passed and only two hours remained. It was just enough time to learn the spiral out.

Harry was the first to return from the break, flying back to his previous place in the sky. He tried non-stop for a full 45 minutes, finally controlling his dive well enough to spiral slightly out of it. Just about that time, Derek was calling the team to the middle of the field. For the last hour Harry was to practice catching the snitch from various distances while the chasers tried to score on the keeper and the beaters tried to knock the chasers off their brooms.

Harry managed to catch the snitch 15 times by the end of practice, and Derek was practically jumping up and down with enthusiasm. Harry was much better than their original seeker, and he thought that they might actually have a shot at winning the cup. He was in such a good mood that he spared them a lecture and let them leave the pitch a little early.

"Bye, Potter." Androne called.

"See you later, Harry." Patricia said, waving to him and smiling.

Mandarin and Peter both came and slapped him on the back and Luke Harrison punched his arm in a friendly fashion.

"See you in two weeks, Potter. You better be there! Good practice, by the way." Derek said, hiding the excitement in his voice.

"Thanks, see you soon." Harry responded. He was grinning widely.

As he walked out of the changing room, Ginny and Hermione both jumped upon him and embraced him in a hug.

"You did so well, Harry!" Squealed Hermione. "I really think you can win the cup this year!" She let go, but Ginny still held on tight.

"I'm so proud of you, Harry. That was amazing!" She said. Harry was a little taken aback but got over it quickly and patted her on the back.

"Thank you." At that moment Ron showed up looking awkwardly at Harry hugging his little sister. Harry noticed that he seemed enraged at first, but quickly clamed down, his face contorted in thought.

"Good Job, Mate." Ron came over at hit him hard on the back, and at the same time, Neville did the same on the other side. Harry released Ginny, and turned to his best mate. He smiled at him and they shook hands in a brotherly fashion. After clapping Neville on the shoulder, Harry turned and led the group back to the castle. They didn't notice the photographers in the bushes getting pictures of his every move.

The next morning at breakfast Harry entered the Great Hall and everyone fell silent. They watched him as he sat down in between Ron and Hermione, across from a very frantic looking Ginny.

"What's wrong? Why is everyone looking at me?" He asked, very confused.

"Look at this." Hermione handed him a piece of parchment that he knew was the Daily Prophet. On the front page of the sports section was:

'Harry Potter: England Seeker and Weasley Hero
After careful investigation, reliable sources have confirmed the identity of England's replacement seeker. It is none other than sixteen-year-old Harry Potter. He is the youngest seeker to ever play in a world cup match. The match against the Wimbourne Wasps will take place on December 20th at 5:30 in the evening. For the first time since Ludo Bagman was on the team, the Wasps have made it to the finals. Will they be able to take out England's superb chasers, magnificent beaters, invincible keeper, and star seeker? We will have to see.

Many look up to Harry Potter as a leader, but there is one who sees him as more. To Ginny Weasley Harry is not just another famous Quidditch star, he is her hero. She has looked up to him since the time she first saw him. After the exclusive practice on Saturday, Harry and Ginny were to be found tight in each other's embrace, both smiling sweetly. Is this just a friendly gesture? Highly unlikely. It is believed that Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley's relationship is very secretive, yet proof shows that they are publicly displaying their affection towards one another.'

Harry threw done the paper in disgust. What right did they have to pry into his personal matters? And that hug was not a public display of affection! It was simply a sisterly hug, wasn't it? Did Ginny seriously mean more to him than he thought? Sure, her kiss was way better than Cho's, and she was very pretty, but did Harry really like her?

He looked up at her from across the table, and saw the flush and embarrassment all over her face. He couldn't help but notice how cute she was when she blushed. But he shook that thought out of his mind as she looked up at him, her soft brown eyes pressing deep into his emerald ones. Harry was entranced for a few moments while he stared into her eyes. He knew then that he did care for Ginny, he cared for her a lot. Shaking himself out of his trance, he squeezed her hand slightly, motioning for her to follow.

Ron began to get up as well, but with a sharp stomp on his foot from Hermione he sat back down, realizing that Harry wanted to talk to Ginny alone. Harry dragged Ginny from the hall, grabbing her hand and leading her through the many students who had stood to get a better look at them. He led her all the way to the Room of Requirements in silence. Ginny said nothing either and made no attempt to break free from his grasp. She had liked Harry for a very long time, and she had thought that he liked her as well. She would be even more embarrassed if he didn't. As soon as they entered the room, Harry sat her down on a couch that happened to be there, and turned to face her.

"Harry-" She tried noticing his trouble in finding the words to say, but he interrupted her.

"No, Ginny, listen to me. I don't know how they got that picture or where they came up with that story, but I'm sorry that they did that. The price to pay for being me is that I have no privacy. They had no right to do that. I understand if you don't want to be around me any more. I know that must have been embarrassing."

"Harry, it's no big deal. I've been more embarrassed than that before. Of course I want to be around you. Why wouldn't I?"

"Well...er...I'm not really sure, but I would understand if you didn't."

Ginny laughed out loud. Harry noticed how pretty she looked when she smiled. It made his stomach flip. "Actually, I thought that was a very good picture." She said, a serious expression coming on her face.

"Uh, me too. You looked really nice in it." Harry almost slapped himself after he said this. It sounded so childish.

Ginny stood up and began moving closer to Harry. She looked very sweet, almost like an angel, Harry thought. He reached out to give her a hug, but she surprisingly reached for his face and pressed her lips upon his. He just stood there at first, not knowing what to say. Ginny stepped back from him looking fearful.

"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." But Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. He kissed her this time, and warmth spread all over him. It was the best thing he had ever felt. She kissed him back with more passion, placing her hands on the back of his neck, playing with his hair. She wrapped the ends of his hair around her finger, as he kissed her deeply. After about two minutes, which felt more like two hours, Harry pulled his head back looking at her. She had never looked so beautiful and he was lost in her eyes. Ginny was the one that broke the silence, however.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you thinking?"

"That you have the most amazing eyes that I have ever seen, and that you are absolutely stunning." Ginny smiled at his answer and leaned in, placing her head on his chest.

"Thank you, Harry."

"For what?"

"Everything. Saving me, being there for me, making me feel like I'm special. You really know how to treat a girl."

"Your welcome."

"So what does this make us now? A couple?"

"If that's what you want."

Ginny tilted her head up and placed a kiss on his lips.

"I'll take that as a yes, then?"

"Definitely."

"Alright, everyone, welcome to Gryffindor Quidditch try outs. Ron Weasley and myself will be this year's captains. If you have any questions, feel free to come to us. Now, whoever is trying out for chaser please step forward." Ginny, Seamus, Dean, Katie, Colin, and Euan Abercrombie. "O.K, I need each of you to mount your brooms, and fly in front of one of those hoops. We are going to work on accuracy." Ginny was excellent. She had great flying skills, and didn't miss a single shot. Seamus on the other hand, couldn't hit a hippogriff if it were six feet in front of him. Katie was, of course a sure spot on the team, but it the real question was between Dean and Colin, Euan was not even an option. Dean was a wonderful shooter, but Colin could fly extremely well.

Next the beaters came forward. Not many people came to try out for beater, just three people. Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper, the previous beaters, and a third year named Natalie McDonald. Andrew was not very good, he seemed to have decreased in skill since last year, but Jack Sloper did exceptionally well. The biggest surprise, however, was Natalie. She was awesome. Harry couldn't help thinking that this year's team was going to be unstoppable.

"Well, I think that about sums everything up, so you can go on and head back to the common room. The team should be posted sometime tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest. Thanks, everyone." Harry waved at them, but called Ron back.

Ron agreed with Harry that the beaters should be Jack and Natalie. They both knew that Ginny and Katie would be on the team, but they had to choose between Dean and Colin.
In the end, they decided on Colin because both Ginny and Katie had excellent aim, so they could use a chaser that could fly well.

Harry was very excited about the team and couldn't wait to get to practice. He had a feeling that this team might rival Wood's famous team in skill. He definitely thought that they had the cup in the bag, but wasn't going to say so in case he was wrong.

A/N: Hey everyone! Please keep reviewing! I am really hoping to get some reviews on this chapter because I don't particularly like it and I need some feed back. I'm sorry I have been taking a while to update. I have been a counselor at a camp for the past three weeks, and I haven't had much time to write. School will be starting soon, so I hope I can get into a routine in which I can write more often. Please don't expect the next chapter for a couple weeks. I am a little hectic right now before school starts, trying to get everything ready. But the more reviews I get the faster I will update! Thanks to everyone!