Hello everyone! I would like to introduce you all to my brand-new story. This is gonna be a what if story, mixed with AU. I will try to keep characters as close to canon as possible, but this is fanfiction. So alls fair!
I do not own Harry Potter. All rights are reserved for the proper owners. Please support the official release.
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Harry James Potter was a soft-spoken boy.
He is not one to boast, preen, or even talk about his accomplishments. Not that he had many, he figured. Surviving the apparent attempt on his life and the defeat of the Dark Wizard who killed his parents shouldn't really count. He was a baby. He didn't do anything.
Things have changed, and Harry did have something he could talk about now. Not that he would.
Harry had become the youngest seeker in a century! Or so Professor McGonagall had claimed. That is how Harry found himself with the Gryffindor quidditch Captain, Oliver Wood.
Oliver was tall, lean and well-built. Harry almost shook with nerves when he was introduced to the young man. Quickly his nerves subsided once Oliver introduced himself. He wasn't some hardass that some of Harry's old PE teachers were like. He was calm, relaxed, friendly, and patient with Harry as he walked through the quidditch rules and game.
Harry took a quick liking to the older student and listened earnestly as he spoke. Oliver quickly got on well with Harry and began to tell him all sorts of Quidditch stories from his previous years and his opinion of the professional quidditch league.
Professor McGonagall smiled as she watched the two before slipping away.
Harry only took one practice with Oliver to decide he wanted to play quidditch. For Oliver, he was salivating watching Harry fly. Oliver had spent years watching quidditch and hadn't seen anyone fly like Harry. The strategies and plays were forming before his eyes as the 11-year-old boy waited for him to decide if he wanted Harry on the team.
It was a quick decision that Oliver would never regret making.
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Harry's first practice with the team was today, and he was sweating bullets.
Oliver waited patiently for his new player outside the locker room, and for that, Harry was grateful. It took longer than Harry would like to admit to figure out how the uniform was supposed to go on, but he soon got it all on and presented himself to his Captain.
"There he is. There is the newest champion seeker!" Oliver proclaimed as he took in Harry's appearance wearing the Gryffindor uniform. Harry smiled nervously and shifted on his feet.
Oliver reached over and fastened a strap on Harry's uniform before giving the boy a smile, "You do look great, Harry, and trust me, the team will love you."
Harry smiled more confidently at the praise and quickly nodded as he shouldered the school broom he would use. With everyone ready, Oliver led Harry to the pitch for his first-ever practice.
Oliver made idle chat about quidditch as they made their way down. Harry tried to absorb as much as he could from the older boy, but his nerves spiked as the quidditch pitch drew nearer and nearer.
The way through the pitch was simple, and Harry memorized it. Before long, they were on the pitch and walking toward the rest of the assembled Gryffindor team.
Harry quickly recognized the Weasley twins, Fred and George, but they were the only ones Harry knew. The rest of the team, all girls, were unknown to him.
Oliver whistled loudly, and everyone turned their attention to the Captain and, by extension, Harry.
"Lads-"
"And ladies," one of the girls said.
"And ladies, right, you are Angelina. I want to introduce you all to our newest player. The youngest seeker in a century, the one and only Harry Potter!" Oliver exclaimed proudly and wrapped an arm around the boy as if showing him off to the team, causing Harry to flush and wave shyly.
Fred and George were quick to whistle and clap as they bounded over and started to shake Harry's hands.
"Congrats Harry,"
"We heard rumours it was you,"
"But Oliver here wouldn't tell us nigh a thing,"
"If he did, we would have planned some fireworks!"
"So we guess this will have to do," both twins said at the same time, and both of them grabbed Harry and lifted him on their shoulders, chanting 'youngest in a century' for all to hear.
Oliver whistled and clapped as the girls groaned and shook their heads.
Once safely on the ground again, the tallest of the girls, the same one who spoke up earlier during Harry's introduction, approached. "Angelina Johnson, it's a right pleasure to meet you, Harry," she said as she shook his hand.
"It's nice to meet you too-," Harry began before Angelina was pushed out of the way, and another of the girls took her place and leaned in close to study him closely.
Harry blushed slightly at the scrutinizing gaze and looked around anywhere but at the girl. When she was done, she slowly held out her hand, "Alicia Spinnet, you look nervous, Potter," she said as she quirked a brow at him.
Harry gaped slightly, only sounds emerging from him as he tried to think of something. Luckily Alicia was pushed aside by Angelina, who quickly smiled at the boy and assured him that Alicia was just messing with him. Alicia promptly pushed back, and soon the two girls were having a shoving match.
Harry watched in mild confusion before his attention turned to the last of the girls and the final teammate he had yet to meet.
Unlike the other two girls, who had dark skin, she had very light skin. Her hair was a shade of golden blonde, and her eyes were a piercing brown. In fact, they were so piercing Harry swore she was glaring at him.
She was glaring at him.
Harry shuddered and took a step back instinctively at the sight. He noticed the girl frown briefly, her eyes softening before once again turning into a scowl. Harry gulped and took a step forward, his Gryffindor courage nudging him, "Hello, my name is Harry."
The girl didn't offer her hand, but she did respond, "Katie. Katie Bell."
Harry frowned and lowered his hand with an awkward chuckle. Everyone on the pitch was watching the two with intrigue, and the twins, ever the sort to cause trouble, had to open their mouths.
"You know Harry," Fred began.
"Katie, here is our other rookie," George said.
"And funny thing really, now that I think about it,"
"She was the youngest seeker in the last century,"
"For about half an hour, don't you think, George?"
"I'd say more about 20 minutes myself, Fred,"
"That is until you showed up!" They said together with beaming, shit-eating grins.
The twins were quickly shushed by an irate Angelina and Alicia, thus beginning an argument. Oliver was looking between the two groups, obviously lost on what to say as he wrestled for control of the team. Harry had taken another step back and was starting to get the distinct impression Katie didn't like him. Katie, meanwhile, had turned from the group arguing, and her hands shook in tight fists. Her head might have turned from the group, but her eyes hadn't left Harry.
Harry felt she really didn't like him.
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The first practice had gone well, Harry thought. Besides the whole, having a teammate who wants to destroy his guts, it went rather well. If anyone on the team had doubts about Harry, they were quickly squashed when Oliver released a practice snitch.
The twins were ecstatic, and Angelina and Alicia were pumped and excited to see what else he could do. Oliver salivated more and more. Only one person made no comment, and he well expected that.
That didn't make it any easier, though.
Ever since that practice, Harry bumped into Katie constantly. Outside classrooms, walking the halls, dinner time, in the common room. It didn't matter where. He was destined to run into her and to piss her off, even more, it seemed. It didn't matter that she was a year ahead of him. Fate was weird like that, it seemed.
Ignoring the dragon in the room, that was the building tension between the two rookies. Harry was getting along perfectly with the rest of the team.
Oliver had seemingly taken the boy under his wing and showed him the school and numerous tips he had learned during his time there. The Weasley twins seemed to pop out of nowhere and stuck around to hang out with him and Ron quite frequently, much to the annoyance of the younger brother.
When Angelina learned that Harry had just learnt about magic, she began to take the time to give him tips on how to study and good books to use. Alicia was the same, except in a more extreme sense. Popping up during any free time and dragging the boy away from Ron and Hermione to study, claiming he had lots to catch up on.
Well, Harry was grateful. He did take the time to hide from Alicia at times. "You can only study so much!" he exclaimed to Ron and Hermione, the former agreeing well, the latter disagreed.
Thanks to the work studying, Harry had risen in his grades quickly through the first months at Hogwarts. That meant Oliver could plan more practices, and more practice meant more time to learn the ropes, So in the team's eyes and Harry's, it was a win-win. Most of the team, anyway.
The first thing Oliver did with the extra time due to Harry being free was to plan at least three weekly practices. Two are vigorous and intense, and the last is a cool-down session where the team discusses plays and strategy.
The first two weeks were tough and gruelling. Oliver made it known he wanted to win, and he was going to make sure his team was well-prepared to help him do that. Harry had learned everything he could about the school broom he was riding. The top speed, agility, acceleration and handling. He had it all down pat.
Harry, however, was unsatisfied, same with Oliver. The Tinderblast he was using, well decent, was nowhere near competitive enough to keep up with the others on the team. Let alone the other house seekers. So when McGonagall had surprised the young boy with the Nimbus 2000, the team, especially Oliver, was ecstatic.
That all was in the first month of being on the team.
Harry had never felt so... at peace before. He felt welcome when he was with the team, excluding Katie. Even then, she hadn't demanded he be kicked off the team. She just chose to ignore him.
It was all surreal to him. He went from having no friends to meeting Ron, his first-ever friend. Than Hermione, and now everyone on the quidditch team! When Harry wasn't with Ron or Hermione, he was with someone from the team.
Whether it be moments where they saw him alone. Or a sadness beneath his eyes and a smile that seemed all too forced sometimes. Sometimes it was how he jumped when surprised or flinched when patted on the back. The team felt something was wrong.
It was almost like an unspoken agreement between the team. Harry needed someone.
Oliver had noticed the lack of food Harry would eat and would gladly sit next to the boy and fill his plate with extra food. When asked why, he would shrug and say that if Harry was gonna be as tall as him one day, he needed to eat.
Angelina and Alicia noticed the distant look in Harry's eyes when he walked with his friends. He almost seemed lonely. Learning that Harry was new to the Wizarding world was an excellent way to get the young boy to spend time with them. They would gladly answer any questions and explain anything he had trouble understanding.
The twins were known for being goofy and aloof, but they were still older brothers. They could sometimes tell something was wrong when they talked to Harry. Asking Ron about Harry almost seemed futile. The youngest Weasley boy would get defensive and exclaim that whatever Harry told him was told in confidence. If they wanted to know, they just had to ask him themselves.
So the twins took to including him in some of their pranks. Starting small and working up to more elaborate, the Weasley twins and Harry soon began to gain a newfound reputation. One that seemed oddly familiar.
The twins didn't get any answers from Ron, but they did learn something from him. Harry had told him something, and that meant something was wrong.
After practices, Oliver would send Harry to shower first, claiming he was exempt from putting the equipment away as the newest rookie. Katie would huff at this but still stuck around without a complaint. Once alone, the team would discuss what they learned about Harry.
Katie would listen to the discussion but add nothing to it as she had nothing to add. After another couple of weeks of listening to the team talk, she finally spoke up.
"Why are you all doting on him? He is fine," Katie said as she finished putting away some extra quaffles.
She was expecting a rebuke or perhaps an explanation, but she wasn't prepared for the glares she received.
"Maybe if you actually talked with him instead of being stuck up, you'd know what we mean," Alicia hissed at her as the rest of the team, including the twins, nodded in agreement.
Katie stomped off and ignored the sting in her eyes.
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"Potter!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and slowly floated down as Katie arrived late to practice.
"Y-Yeah, what is it, Ka-" Harry began quietly.
"You didn't earn that spot!" She yelled, cutting him off, and silencing everyone on the pitch.
Harry gaped with an open mouth, no words coming to him as he looked at the furious girl. Angelina, the twins and Alicia quickly came to his defence. Citing how with the way he flew, he deserved the spot.
"He didn't try out! I don't care if he is a great flyer or the best ever! He did not earn that spot!" Katie exclaimed with an edge to her tone that put Harry off.
"Hey, Professor McGonagall vouched for him, alright! I saw him try out one-on-one, just him and me. He earned it, Bell," Oliver barked out, and everyone went rigid as he landed his broom and waved for Harry to come down.
"Alright, this has gone on long enough! So I am assuming this has been what's been biting you in the arse?" he asked, looking at Katie. When he received a slow nod in return, he turned to Harry.
Harry, meanwhile, had barely heard anything Oliver said. His eyes instead watching and studying the girl in front of him. Harry was embarrassed to admit he had watched her since that first practice. And the difference between then and now was easy to see. Before she radiated confidence, her back was straight, her eyes shining, and her lips turned in a smirk when she flew. Lately, however, none of that was present on the youngest chaser.
Now she looked put out, almost like her core was shaken and her confidence had taken a hit. Why though? Harry had done nothing to show her up. He hadn't done anything to make her take her ire out on him. After all, he didn't mean to take the youngest rookie spot from her. Who really cared about... that.
Harry realized what was going on at that moment.
"What if I proved it to you right now?"
"What?" Oliver and Katie exclaimed at the same time.
Harry bit the inside of his cheek before forcing himself to say, "I feel this isn't so much about me taking the title of the youngest seeker, is it?"
Oliver turned to Katie, who only gave a firm shake of her head.
"So if this is because of me taking the seeker position from you, I am more than willing to prove I deserve to be here. Besides, you are an amazing chaser, so what's the problem?" Harry asked with a shrug. He quickly wished he could take back his words when Katie's eye began to twitch.
"The problem is that I beat out six other players, all older than me, for the number one seeker position. Only to be told days later, long before my first practice, I was replaced and moved to a chaser spot. By someone who had never even ridden a broom before!" Katie hissed, her words dripping with venom. "How would you feel if that happened to you?"
"Hey, I didn't ask for the seeker position!" Harry fired back, his temper flaring, "I didn't even ask to be put on the team! But you know what, I don't plan on leaving it either! So let's settle this right now."
The team looked back and forth between the two rookies, and Oliver nodded his consent to the idea Harry offered and faced Katie.
Katie licked her lips and shifted her weight as she thought, her teeth catching her bottom lip as she slowly nodded.
The twins had the same broom, so they gave one each to Harry and Katie so they would have no advantage over the other. Katie and Harry lined up on opposite ends of the pitch, and Oliver announced they would hunt for the snitch. Whoever caught it first would become the seeker for the team.
Harry gripped the handle of the Cleansweep tightly, and he gazed across the pitch at the older girl. He had a plan. It was a gamble, and he wasn't entirely sure he could win. If the first part even succeeded, there was no guarantee the team would much care for him after the second part. But, if it worked, Harry was optimistic that he would have nipped this whole issue in the bud.
But none of it would matter if Katie beat him here right now.
Oliver pointed to each rookie, and upon receiving a thumbs up in return, the snitch was released. The battle for the seeker position was on.
Harry had no idea what to expect from Katie. Oliver had told Harry numerous strategies and plays other seekers liked to employ. But he had never told him how Katie played. That was the most dangerous part.
With a smirk, Katie burst forward with all Fred's Cleansweep's acceleration. The snitch was hovering meters above the ground where Oliver had released it, and it was waiting. Katie got closer and closer before it shot into the air and took off.
Harry launched himself right then, using the same acceleration Katie had to take immediate chase of the snitch. Katie braked hard, gripped the broom, and drove straight up, giving chase.
Harry had the advantage of being shorter and lighter than Katie. Still, she could cut through the wind more efficiently by being taller and a bit heavier.
Harry was on the snitch's heels, but Katie was closing in quickly, much to Harry's utter shock. From the angle Harry had, he should have been well and truly ahead of her. Harry risked a glance at the girl pulling up beside him, and his eyes widened as she lay flat on her stomach, almost with her hand outreached but with her fingers flat so she was cutting the air.
With her hair billowing out behind her, she looked like golden fire as she passed him.
Harry quickly lowered himself to copy her when she took the lead from him, and soon the two were neck a neck. The snitch had been going in easy circles around the pitch as if testing the two rookies in pursuit. If snitches could smile, it would be showing its fangs as it took a sudden dive right into the stands.
Katie and Harry pushed down with their chests and were nosediving toward the stands. Harry's arms and chest began to burn, and he began to breathe a bit harder. He glanced at Katie and sputtered when she was fine and almost seemed to will herself to go faster. Harry grits his teeth and pushes his chest down, ignoring the burning in his muscles.
The duo flew through a stand gap and raced among the wooden beams. The snitch dove between beams and the seekers behind gave chase, keeping close to each other as they could without hitting anything. It began to weave in and out in an S between the beams. Harry cut quickly in front of Katie, making the girl growl, and he had the front position as the two followed the path as it got narrow.
The team outside the stands could only watch and listen as the two rookies battled it out.
Katie pressed into Harry's slipstream and was almost on top of him with how close they were to each other. The front of her broom was pressed into his back, and they seemed to move as if conjoined. With room running out under the stands, the snitch burst through a small gap, leaving the seekers behind. Harry rolled his eyes at the cheek of the snitch and began to brake but quickly found no speed was lost.
He turned back and found Katie pushing him forward, a glint in her eye and a smirk curling her lips as she shouted, "What's wrong, Potter!? Ready to give up?"
"In your dreams, Bell!" He shouted back, faced forward, laid as flat on the broom as he could, and sped up.
Katie began to slow, and her smirk fell as she watched Harry drive straight for the gap in which the snitch flew out. Before she could call out to stop, he burst through the opening, some wood splintering away as he shot through like a cannonball.
The team gasped as Harry broke through the stands, and the twins began to cheer as they saw Harry raise a fist and keep the chase up. Katie followed through the gap slower than Harry, and she could only stare in awe before shooting off after him.
With the added momentum from not slowing down, Harry quickly closed in and reached out for the snitch. The snitch was ready for him and promptly shot to the side and up, causing Harry to overshoot and miss the mark. Harry braked hard and came to a stop, his chest heaving as he couldn't believe he had missed. The snitch was still floating in the air, seemingly mocking the boy.
Katie, however, was not stopping or slowing down. She raced towards the snitch, and Harry watched in interest to see what she would do. There wasn't any way the snitch would let her catch it so easily, not after deking Harry out like he was a pylon to McDavid.
Katie didn't flinch as she got closer and closer to the snitch; she didn't even put a hand out to catch it. The snitch dove to the side quickly, as Harry and everyone expected it to, but Katie didn't stop or slow down.
She put a single hand on her broom and, with as much strength as she could, lifted her legs up as she began to handstand on the broom. She brought her legs down in a stomp, and the broom started to tumble as if struck. Katie held on with one hand as she flipped and turned in the air and, once facing the other direction, dove back onto the broom.
The snitch had no time to move with the speed Katie came in at, and she clasped her hand around the little ball of gold.
The team below stood in shocked silence, and Harry could only feel his jaw drop. Once the silence turned to cheers from the others below, Harry realized he had been beaten. Part one had failed, so part two was useless. He lost.
He felt numb, truth be told, as he slowly glided towards the ground where the team was cheering and asking Katie all sorts of questions. Oliver was the only one to notice the boy touch down and quietly moved from the team over to him.
Harry didn't want to cry; he really didn't. But when Oliver opened up his arm and hugged him, some tears fell against his will. Oliver slowly led the boy away from the team for some privacy and knelt down, so they were at eye level.
"Hey, there isn't a need to cry, Harry. You aren't getting kicked off the team," Oliver assured and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"But... I lost. I can't do what Katie did," Harry murmured and roughly rubbed at his eyes, angry that he was showing any emotion at all.
Oliver opened his mouth to say something but stopped, and he gently nodded for Harry to turn around. Harry rubbed his eyes, slowly turned and frowned as Katie stood awkwardly with the team behind her. Harry expected she was going to gloat and proudly proclaim she was right.
But instead, the girl rushed forward and gave him a bone-crushing hug.
Harry froze and went rigid as Katie held onto him tightly. What was going on? Why was she hugging him? Didn't she hate him?
"You utter idiot, do you know how dangerous that was!?" When she pulled away from him and looked him up and down, Katie exclaimed. "You are bleeding, Harry!" She cried, and only then did Harry notice the back of his head was surprisingly warm... and wet.
He rubbed the back of his head slowly, and when he pulled his hand away, it came back red. Then everything went black.
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When Harry eventually began to come to, he heard hushed voices that got louder and louder. Once fully awake, he could make out the whispers of what sounded like the quidditch team, his friends, and some Professors.
He opened his eyes and blinked slowly as the bright light, wherever he was, shone down on him. He guessed the infirmary and was proven right when the twins noticed his stirring, and eventually, his bedside was crowded.
He could only blink and groan as Hermione demanded to know what he was thinking. Ron was shouting over her in an attempt to know details about the chase. The twins were doing that weird talking thing they do. Angelina and Alicia were asking rapid-fire questions if he was okay. Oliver asked if he was gonna be okay for practice on Friday.
It all was a bit too much, and Harry's throat was so dry he couldn't speak out. Luckily someone was paying attention.
"WILL YOU ALL SHUT IT!"
Everyone at his bedside jumped and stepped back to reveal a huffing Katie and Madam Pomfrey. Pomfrey chided Katie for using her outside voice, causing the girl to blush and look away in embarrassment. With the way now clear, Pomfrey offered Harry some water, which he gratefully accepted and chugged down the cup.
Pomfrey explained Harry's diagnosis, a simple concussion, a cut, and some intense muscle strain from pushing his body too much, but nothing permanent. But she chided the boy on doing what he did, exclaiming that if the wood he ran through had been stronger, he could have done far worse to himself. She then ordered that he not perform anything straining for at least a week, much to the disappointment of Oliver.
Once Pomfrey was done, she stepped back, and Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore stepped up, and Harry winced at the stern glare on the older Witch's face.
"Well, Mr. Potter, I have to say, I was not expecting you to end up here so soon with an injury, let alone a quidditch one at that! So I must demand to know what was going through that head of yours!" McGonagall exclaimed as she stared down at the boy.
Harry began to explain but was quickly cut off by Katie.
"I'm sorry, Professor, I am to blame."
McGonagall turned her stern gaze to the girl, "And tell me, Ms. Bell, how is that so?"
"I was jealous of Harry. I was upset and frustrated that he got the seeker spot I worked for without a trial like everyone else did, and I took it out on him this past month. It all came to a head today, and I called Harry out," Katie explained as she looked down, "Harry said he would prove that he deserved to be on the team as a seeker. So we had a competition, and it got out of hand. I never wanted Harry to get hurt. I am sorry, professor," Katie sniffed before turning to Harry.
"I am really sorry, Harry. I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you. I... I was immature and cruel."
Before Harry could respond, Hermione jumped in, "Is that the only reason? Or are you just upset that Harry is a Potter?"
"Ms. Granger!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, and everyone in the room gaped at the wild-haired brunette.
Harry frowned and turned to Katie, who was looking down and away. She didn't elaborate before she quickly muttered an apology and ran from the room. No one chased after her, and no one offered an explanation of what Hermione meant. Harry was more confused than anything.
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That night at dinner in the Great Hall, Harry couldn't help but take note that everyone was staring at him. More so than usual.
He leaned over to Ron and gently elbowed him to get his attention, "Why is everyone looking at me?"
"They heard about the practice and are wondering if you are still a seeker," Ron whispered back before gorging himself on two chicken legs at once.
Harry frowned and leaned back as grease dripped all over his friend. Was he still a seeker? Katie had cleanly won the impromptu test between them, but nothing had come from it so far. Oliver said he wasn't kicking him off the team. Would Harry take her spot as a chaser? The idea was interesting, but he would prefer to remain a seeker.
However, he didn't have long to think about the matter. His train of thought was interrupted as Dumbledore stood suddenly and called for everyone's attention.
"I am sorry for the intrusion of your meal! This shall take only a moment," Dumbledore explained as the doors to the Great Hall opened. "I would like to introduce you to Auror Whitehorse and his student Auror, Ms. Nymphadora Tonks!"
A hushed murmur fell over the student body as the Auror, and his student walked down the row towards the staff table. Harry watched with keen interest as the Auror passed by. The man was tall, really tall. His shoulders were wide and broad, and the gait in his step commanded authority and respect. A long single scar crossed the man's face from the top right to the bottom left. The scar hid the beginning of a man who had worked for years. His jaw was sharp, his hair was cut short and neat, and he looked like a soldier Harry used to see on the telly.
Harry vowed to never get on the man's bad side. Something about the man made Harry's hair stand on edge.
The fire behind Auror Whitehorse's grey eyes did it, he reckoned.
Luckily for Harry and everyone else who was intimidated by the Auror. Hist student was less threatening looking. Standing well below the man's shoulders and being less than double his weight, student Auror Tonks looked like a child compared to the man.
She had hair that was rapidly changing shape and colour, making more whispers arise from the students. Everything about her seemed to change, from her face down to her arms and chest (Not that Harry meant to look there). Only one thing remained the same: the beaming smile on her face as she seemed to skip after the man.
"Auror Whitehorse has kindly volunteered his time to substitute for Professor Quirrell, who has taken some time off due to an emergency at home. I am sure we will be thankful and welcome him with open arms! Thank you, please continue your supper," Dumbledore explained before waving for everyone to continue eating.
Harry watched as the Auror and his student introduced themselves to the staff before taking a spot at the table. Harry was so enthralled with watching the Auror that he didn't even acknowledge Ron elbowing him in the ribs until he did it particularly hard.
"What, Ron!" Harry hissed as he gently massaged his rib.
"I said, do you know who that is!?" Ron whispered as he glanced at the staff table.
"No, why?" Harry asked, as Hermione and a couple other Gryffindors seemed to be listening in as well.
"That is the only Auror to come anywhere close to matching Auror Alastor Moody in arrests and records! According to dad, the guy is apparently a real legend around the Ministry!" Ron exclaimed in a hushed voice.
"Thee Mad eye Moody!?" A Gryffindor down the row asked in shock.
"There is no way!" Another said.
Ron rolled his eyes, "That is just what I have heard. The guy doesn't stick around, so none of his records are public! Dad believes he is a foreigner."
The Gryffindors around them began to chat animatedly about the possibilities. Hermione rolled her eyes and proclaimed those just rumours, most likely, and nothing else. Ron argued back and proudly relished everyone asking him questions and paying attention to him. Harry was just happy the attention wasn't on him.
In fact, Harry was so happy he decided to skip right to dessert.
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After dinner that night, Harry pulled Hermione and Ron aside. He questioned her about what she meant in the hospital wing. Ron looked to the bushy-haired Witch, who looked to the bespeckled boy in bewilderment. "You don't know?"
"Hermione, I wouldn't be asking if I did," Harry sighed, slightly fed up with the day. Concussions hurt.
Hermione rolled her eyes, muttering something about not reading, and pulled the two boys with her. She was silent as the boys questioned where they were going, but she refused to elaborate. If she was going to be forced to answer their questions, she needed proof.
They only stopped when they reached the section of the school that housed numerous awards and trophies. In particular, one case that housed numerous quidditch awards.
"See for yourself," Hermione said, and the boys gasped out loud.
Within the case were numerous awards and trophies for the Gryffindor quidditch team. Below them were countless individual awards. Surprisingly to both boys, Harry's father, James Potter, was the recipient of multiple of them. All within the chaser category. To the right was the seeker category. And much like the chaser section, only one name littered the awards. And that one name rang out to the boys.
Samantha Bell.