A/N: Yeah, I know no one has heard from me in a while. Sorry about that, I'm struggling with a bout of writer's block, combined with my new job, which takes up a considerable amount of my day. So, please forgive me for not updating in a while, and please don't give up on me or my stories. : )
In her review, Aira asked a question that I had not thought about. She asked about the origin of the name Peter and whether it had anything to do with the "other" Peter in the HP world. To be honest, I had completely forgotten all about Peter Pettigrew when I came up with the name Peter Byrne, just because I always refer to PP in my mind as "Wormtail." I actually like the name Peter, and just thought it was a nice name to give this character I had in mind. The last name of Byrne comes from one of my favorite actors: Gabriel Byrne. So, no hidden meaning there. : )
I'm happy everyone seems to be enjoying this so far…sorry for making this chapter so short, but I wanted to hurry up and post something.
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"Get out of the way, please! Coming through! Daily Prophet here!" shouted a small man with a camera as he shoved his way through the throng of people inside Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"Oh, bugger off!" Ron snapped as the man tried to shove him out of the way. "That's my sister up there!"
And indeed she was up there, at the podium that was erected inside the store, looking very nervous as she stood between Mr. Simons, the president of the Firebolt Broom Company Ltd. and Kennilworthy Whisp, famous author of Quidditch Through the Ages and renown Quidditch expert.
"Welcome!" Mr. Simons began, in a booming voice as he beamed out at the crowd. "I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming today to see the unveiling of the first in a new line of Firebolts." He paused while everyone clapped. Harry looked over around Ron to where Peter stood next to his uncle. They were both in deep conversation, whispering to each other as they cast glances at the stage. Peter's Uncle, Michael Moran, turned out to be none other than the father of Deirdre Moran, the Chaser for Ireland, who stood next to Peter. She smiled briefly as Harry's eyes met hers.
Mr. Simons continued his speech. "I've got a few special guests here with me. Let me introduce you first to the famous author and Quidditch expert Kennilworthy Whisp." Mr. Whisp, a very burly fellow with a good-natured smile and pleasant face smiled and waved jauntily at the crowd. "And as a special guest, we have here with us a young Chaser from Hogwarts who has just been made Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. She will be giving our new Firebolt its first test run. May I present Miss Ginny Weasley!" Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Peter clapped loudly, with Harry making sure that his claps were the loudest. Ginny gave a smile and a wave, although it wasn't too hard to notice that she was uncomfortable with the attention that she was getting. Harry gave her a good luck wink, and was pleased to note that she had seen it when her cheeks turned a slight pink.
"This new line of Firebolts will each have certain enhancements specific to each position in Quidditch," Mr. Simons began. "This first model, the Chaser, has all the qualities of the Firebolt that has made it such a force to be reckoned with! However, the Chaser offers a few new tricks such as a charm that lets one fly without the need for hands, making it much easier to hold a Quaffle. It also sports five coats of liquid diamond polish! Nothing's going to harm this baby! We've enhanced the unbreakable braking spell, which is handy since we increased the maximum speed to three hundred miles an hour. The Firebolt Chaser, ladies and gentlemen, is now the fastest racing broom on earth!" Cheers, claps and yells filled the store, rattling the glass in the display cases and windows.
The Firebolt Chaser was brought out from its place in the window. Kennilworthy Whisp took it and handed it to Ginny. "Miss Weasley," Mr. Whisp said. "Would you do us the honors of being the first to fly a Firebolt Chaser?" Ginny's hands shook as she grasped the broom by the handle and nodded mutely. "As Miss Weasley is in the air, I will ask that she demonstrate a few of the Firebolt Chaser's new enhancements that Mr. Simons described for us. Are you ready to begin?"
From the moment Ginny hopped on the Firebolt, she was nothing more than a vague red blur. Quality Quidditch Supplies was an enormous store, nearly twice the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts, but Ginny sped from one corner to the other as if it were no more than the Dursley's broom cupboard on Privet Drive. Several times Mr. Whisp had to ask Ginny to slow down so that everyone could actually see her. She flew upside down, grabbed a Quaffle from one of the shelves and began throwing and catching it herself. The crowd ducked several times as she flew by, and although Harry wasn't sure, he could have sworn he felt a brief kiss pressed on his cheek when she flew by him in a red flash.
They clocked her at three hundred fifteen miles per hour. Mr. Simons was thrilled beyond belief. Mr. Whisp was impressed. Ron had started up a conversation with the rude Daily Prophet photographer about who had taught Ginny to fly.
"Well, her first broom was our oldest brother Bill's Shooting Star. We all learned to fly on it," Ron was telling the photographer who had his quill and parchment out and was rapidly taking notes.
Harry tried to push his way to the stage, a surprisingly difficult task because hundreds of people had now gathered around it. He even had to stand on his tiptoes to try to see if he could spot bright red hair. Ginny was shaking hands again with Mr. Whisp and Mr. Simons. Her hair was windblown and almost as bushy as Hermione's. Ginny's bright brown eyes were sparkling with excitement. Harry had never seen her more beautiful than she was right then, just after having flown the world's fastest racing broom. Peter and his uncle, along with Deirdre Moran had also joined them. Harry finally found a gap in the crowd and hurried towards the stairs.
"Just a minute shorty, where d'you think you're off to?" A large, muscular wizard with beady black eyes, a few missing front teeth, and long beard blocked his path.
"I'm with her," Harry said, nodding over at Ginny, who was still standing on the stage shaking hands with everyone and chatting breathlessly.
The man laughed, spraying Harry with spittle. "You with her? Yeah right, and I'm bloody Merlin. Get on, you or I'll have you thrown out."
"Harry! Harry, over here!" Ginny had spotted him and rushed over to him. Harry gave the man a nasty smirk as he shoved past him and joined the rest on the stage. Ron and Hermione were there as well, and Ron's mouth gaped wide open in astonishment at finally meeting Kennilworthy Whisp. Harry couldn't help but notice that Ginny, Peter, his uncle, and Deirdre Moran were all talking to Mr. Whisp and Mr. Simons like they were old school chums. There was a strange twinge in his chest.
"It's such an honor, Mr. Whisp," Ron said eagerly. Mr. Whip was a likable fellow, and smiled at Ron as they shook hands.
"Your sister tells me you were the one to teach her how to fly, Mr. Weasley and that you are one of the best Keepers Gryffindor has seen in years," Mr. Whisp replied while Ron grinned in embarrassment and Harry watched as Ron's face blended with his hair and made his whole head look like a overripe tomato.
"Ah, and Harry Potter! Nice to meet you too!" Harry felt himself flush as he met the world's foremost Quidditch expert. "Ginny told me you were the youngest Seeker at Hogwarts in over a century. You'll have to tell me more about that tonight."
"Yeah," Harry said, feeling his face heat up even more.
"Mr. Whisp has invited us all to dinner, Harry," Ginny explained.
"But first you both are needed in the back room, Ginny." Mr. Simons had been talking to the Daily Prophet photographer, who was now carrying his equipment to the rear of the store. "Just a few publicity photos, nothing serious. You don't mind do you?"
"I guess not," Ginny said, her brown eyes wide as Mr. Whisp lead her to the room where the photos were to be taken.
Harry could do nothing more than watch her go as Mr. Simons began to ask him questions about Ginny.
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A/N: Like I said this was short. I'll try to have the next part out soon, but I just wanted to hurry up and post something. The next chapter of "Dear Tom" should be out soon, I have some of it written already. And I've been thinking about the rewrite of "The Scar" too, so expect the next chapter of that out as well. J
"La Belle et La Bete" will have to wait a while, since I'm sort of lost as to where I want to go with the story.
Thanks for reading!