The Difference One Choice Makes
19th April 1996
Euphemia, Lacey, Ginny and Zacharias Smith took their seats with the rest of the Gryffindor's who did not look very enthusiastic about their chances of winning the Quidditch Cup this year even though they had won their previous two games this year.
Owing to Gryffindor playing Ravenclaw, Ginny's boyfriend Michael Corner was sat in the Ravenclaw stands, with himself and Ginny being in a rather tense mood with each other lately, letting the Quidditch rivalry get in between their relationship.
They sat there in silence as Lee introduced the match with a distinct lack of his usual enthusiasm, knowing that Gryffindor's chance to win the Quidditch Cup was very slim owing to Ron's awful keeping skills which seemed to be getting worse as time went on.
As soon as he finished his introduction, the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teams flew out onto the pitch resulting in cheers from the stands.
Like he did when he introduced the match Lee announced the teams with the same level of enthusiasm before Madam Hooch started the match.
The match started off well with Gryffindor managing to take an early thirty to zero lead thanks to a goal each from Angelina, Alicia and Katie but two goals from Jennifer brought Ravenclaw back into the match, with a familiar song bellowing from a large group of Slytherin's in the stands once the second goal was scored.
"WEASLEY CANNOT SAVE A THING, HE CANNOT BLOCK A SINGLE RING, THAT'S WHY WE ALL SING, WEASLEY IS OUR KING… WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN, HE ALWAYS LETS THE QUAFFLE IN, WEASLEY WILL MAKE SURE WE WIN, WEASLEY IS OUR KING!"
"You'll be needing a new Keeper next year by the look of things" said Zacharias amusedly.
Euphemia, Lacey and Ginny all glared at him, with Euphemia's glare serving as enough to make him shut up, obviously not wanting to anger his girlfriend too much.
Glancing up at where Harry was circling the pitch, looking out for the Snitch, Euphemia was praying along with every other Gryffindor that Harry was able to catch the Snitch and hopefully get enough points to win the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor.
The Quaffle soared past Ron another six times in quick succession bringing the score up to eighty to fifty in favour of Ravenclaw which dashed any hopes the Gryffindor's had even more.
Fifteen minutes later…
"Come on Ron, focus" muttered Ginny as she watched the Sixth Year Eddie Carmichael flying towards the Gryffindor Hoops on a solo run with only Ron to beat.
"He's got no confidence at all" said Zacharias with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"So much for a Gryffindor win" muttered Lacey.
Some of the Gryffindor's could not bear to watch as Carmichael threw the Quaffle hard towards the left hoop.
Then it happened.
Groans erupted from the Ravenclaw end while cheers erupted from the Gryffindor end.
To the shock of nearly everyone in the stadium that day, Ron had caught the Quaffle in both hands.
"AND WEASLEY'S SAVED THE SHOT FROM CARMICHAEL!" shouted Lee Jordan in shock with his enthusiasm slowly returning to him.
Ron looked at the Quaffle in shock for a moment before throwing it out to Katie who soared off up the pitch.
Exchanging passes with Alicia, Katie quickly made her way towards the Ravenclaw hoops with the Quaffle under her arm.
Trying something that they had been practising in their practice sessions, Katie flew around the back of the hoops tossing the Quaffle over the top of them, high above the Ravenclaw Keeper Sarah Fawcett's outstretched arms where Alicia caught it with both hands and threw it through the middle hoop, catching Fawcett off guard to make it one-hundred and twenty to sixty in favour of Ravenclaw.
"What's that you were saying about confidence Smith?" said Ginny.
Zacharias Smith snorted.
"It was just one save" said Zacharias flatly.
What was just one save turned into two, then three, then four and many more over the next fifteen minutes as Ron suddenly turned into a world-class Keeper saving nearly every shot from Ravenclaw while Gryffindor scored with each chance they got.
"Weasley is our King, Weasley is our King, he didn't let the Quaffle in, Weasley is our King!" roared the Gryffindor's, knowing that the game was slowly turning in their favour and the chance of winning the Quidditch Cup was looking increasingly more likely as the game went on.
The singing increased in volume as Ron swooped down to kick the Quaffle away from his left hoop after Jennifer had targeted it in her latest attack on the Gryffindor hoops.
"WEASLEY CAN SAVE ANYTHING, HE NEVER LEAVES A SINGLE RING, THAT'S WHY GRYFFINDOR'S ALL SING, WEASLEY IS OUR KING!"
Ten minutes later…
With the score now at one-hundred and ninety to one-hundred and forty in favour of Gryffindor, everyone in the stands had their attention focused solely on Harry and Cho who were flying side by side a few feet above the ground in their pursuit of the Snitch.
The entire stadium went silent as time seemed to slow itself down for several moments.
Hands scrambled and scratched at each other, with Harry and Cho fighting each other for the Snitch as their brooms rocketed across the pitch.
Within seconds the winner was decided as Harry pulled his broom up with one hand with the Snitch clasped tightly in his other hand.
"POTTER'S GOT THE SNITCH… GRYFFINDOR WIN!" shouted Lee with more enthusiasm and excitement in single that moment than he had shown in the entire match.
Euphemia and Lacey jumped to their feet giving each other a hug as deafening cheers erupted from the Gryffindor stands.
The entire Gryffindor Quidditch team came together in the centre of the pitch for a mid-air hug before flying off towards the teacher's tower.
Jumping up and down in celebration, Neville turned to Hermione pulling her into him and kissing her passionately.
The two broke apart after several seconds before adding their cheers and applause to the noise.
Everyone in the Gryffindor stands looked up at the teacher's tower in an excited silence before cheering once again as Angelina lifted the Quidditch Cup in both hands.
Chants of "GO GO GRYFFINDOR!" and "WEASLEY IS OUR KING!" were deafening as Angelina was sobbing with happiness into Fred's shoulder who was holding onto his girlfriend with a look of great pride and excitement on his face, feeling very proud of his younger brother Ron.
By the time the Gryffindor players returned to the pitch with Professor Mcgonagall and Lee Jordan in tow, the entirety of their house had rushed out to meet them lifting one player into particular on their shoulders.
Holding the Quidditch Cup in his excited hands, Ron was carried off of the pitch by his fellow Gryffindor's while Harry chose that moment to fulfil the promise he made to Katie back when they first got together back in September.
She was slightly surprised when he pulled her into him giving her a deep kiss for the entire school to see and react accordingly to.
When they finally broke apart, soaking up all of the cheers and laughter from the stands, they joined the rest of the Gryffindor's walking back up to the castle arm in arm, adding their own voices to the large number of students singing the Gryffindor version of "Weasley is our King!" at the top of their voices.
Later that evening…
Harry picked up another bottle of butterbeer in the madness that was the Gryffindor Common Room which was still celebrating its win at nearly one in the morning.
With his arm around Katie, the two found themselves next to Professor Mcgonagall who was usually strict with what times the celebrations should be halted was still celebrating with them with tears of joy in her eyes.
"I've gotten accustomed to seeing the Quidditch Cup in my office you two… and next year I expect it to occupy my office again" said Professor Mcgonagall, voice dripping with approval and pride.
Katie pulled Harry into her side.
"We'll do our best Professor" said Katie, sipping from her own bottle of butterbeer.
"Of course… choosing a Captain out of the two of you will be a challenge in itself, I suppose I better make my mind up soon" said Professor Mcgonagall before she swept away from them.
Once she was gone Katie turned to Harry, sipping her butterbeer as she looked up at him.
"Good luck to whichever one of us makes Captain I guess" said Katie softly.
Harry sipped his own butterbeer as she looped her arm around his waist.
"No matter which one of us gets it… it doesn't change much, we've still got each other's backs" said Harry.
"You mean whichever one of us doesn't get it becomes Co-Captain right?" said Katie teasingly.
Harry smirked and tightened his hold on her shoulders.
"In a manner of speaking yes" said Harry with a chuckle.
Katie took a large swig of her butterbeer.
"Honestly though Harry… I'd rather you get the Captain's badge, I'll be taking my Newt's next year so I'd rather not have the extra duties of being a Quidditch Captain on top of everything else" said Katie in a soft but serious voice.
"Are you sure?" said Harry.
Pressing her head into his chest for a few moments Katie nodded.
"You're the best player I've ever played with Harry… if anyone deserves that Captain's badge it's you" said Katie softly.
The two stood there in peaceful, personal silence, oblivious to the background noise around them, watching as a crying Angelina went around every one of her teammates thanking them for their hard work in helping her win the Quidditch Cup as Captain.
"I'm going to miss them… Angie, Lis, Fred, George… I'll miss playing with all four of them" said Katie softly as they watched Angelina pull a nervous Ron into a hug and give him a kiss on the cheek.
Harry nodded.
"Me too… but in a way, I suppose it will be nice to see some new talent on the team" said Harry.
At that moment, Angelina who had shed her Gryffindor Quidditch robes replacing them with a red and gold Gryffindor jumper and jeans finally made her way over to them, wrapping Harry in a hug.
"I'll miss both of you, I'll come and watch your games next year when I can of course… but you have to promise to write to me, both of you" said Angelina, letting go of Harry before giving Katie a hug which was returned by the Chaser.
"We will… good luck Angie" said Katie softly, exchanging a kiss on the cheek with the older girl.
"Good luck" said Harry.
"Thanks… and everything just got a lot better" said Angelina with excitement in her last words.
"What's happened?" said Katie curiously.
Angelina smiled and shook her head.
"You'll find out in five minutes or so" said Angelina before leaving them to return to her boyfriend Fred who dramatically swept her into his arms making her laugh.
"I saw the scouts making plenty of notes during the game… do you think she was asked to come and try out for one of the teams in the summer?" said Katie, turning back to Harry.
"I don't know… is that what she wants to do… go professional?" said Harry.
Katie shrugged her shoulders.
"No idea… we've never talked about it, I know Lis is planning to start her Healer training at St Mungo's this summer, she said she'd like to work here in the Hospital Wing one day" said Katie.
"I hope she gets the chance… you still want to go professional?" said Harry.
Katie nodded.
"Yeah… I'd like to play for the Appleby Arrows… my Uncle played for them for years before he retired and took up coaching" said Katie, excitement brimming in her voice.
Like her Maternal Uncle Richard Wolpert, Katie wanted to pursue a career in professional Quidditch and follow in his footsteps by playing for the Appleby Arrows.
"You still thinking about going pro too?" said Katie.
"Yeah… I spent a week at a Falmouth Falcon's youth training camp during the summer… and my dad would love it if I went to play for Falmouth, they are his favourite team" said Harry.
Katie smirked and kissed him deeply before moving in front of him.
"Making a bold prediction… you and I are going to play for England one day you know" said Katie amusedly.
Harry smirked and tapped his butterbeer bottle against hers making a toast.
"And we'll win the World Cup with England" said Harry before giving her another kiss.
She smirked against his lips before the sound of Angelina calling for everyone's attention made them turn to face their Captain who was standing on the girl's dormitory staircase so she could see everyone.
"I've had a great time playing Quidditch for the mighty lions… and before I came back up here after dinner, one of the representatives from the Nimbus Racing Broom Company asked me to come and become a prototype tester for their broomsticks after I get my Newt's" said Angelina, with pride and excitement in her voice before cheers broke out from around the Common Room.
She waited for the applause and cheers to quieten down before turning to look at Ron who was holding onto a bottle of butterbeer with a nervous look on his face.
"I would like to say a massive thank you to Professor Mcgonagall for giving me the position of Quidditch Captain… and to my teammates who worked hard to win the Quidditch Cup this year… including you Ron" said Angelina proudly.
Ron's ears turned red with embarrassment.
"He might have struggled at first… and threatened to quit the team so many times, but I knew he had it in him to be a great Keeper… and he didn't disappoint us in the end… that's why we all sing, Weasley is our King" said Angelina proudly.
Ron felt even more embarrassed as the entire Common Room broke out singing "Weasley is our King!", recognising the Keeper who defied all expectations to help them win the Quidditch Cup.
Angelina was not the only seventh-year to make an announcement to the crowd, with Fred and George announcing that, after receiving some investment funding from members of the Magical Community, they were able to open up their own joke shop called "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" in Diagon Alley. They invited the students to come to their new premises at Number 96 Diagon Alley during the summer, promising to give discounts to students who promised to use their products on the School Caretaker Argus Filch, with Professor Mcgonagall surprising everyone by refusing to punish the Twins for trying to incite their fellow students to subject Mr Filch to their joke products.
Just as Harry remembered from winning the Quidditch Cup in his third year, Professor Mcgonagall also let them celebrate their victory until nearly three in the morning, when she finally told them to go to bed.
3rd May 1996
For most of that weekend, the fifth year Gryffindor's found themselves in Gryffindor Tower reading through the various leaflets and pamphlets left for them by Professor Mcgonagall in regards to different careers which further stressed the importance of their upcoming Owl examinations.
On the notice board, there was a scrap of parchment with neat handwriting, easily recognisable as Professor Mcgonagall's reading.
CAREERS ADVICE
All fifth-years are required to attend a short meeting with their Head of House next week to discuss their future careers. Times of the individual appointments are listed below.
Below this text, were the dates and times of each student's individual career appointment with Professor Mcgonagall.
"I wouldn't fancy being a Healer" said Ron, who was sat on one of the settees, immersed in a pamphlet that bore the crossed bone-and-wand emblem of St Mungo's on the front.
Looking through the pamphlet for a moment his eyes widened in slight surprise.
"Blimey… they don't ask for much do they, only Exceeds Expectations in Potions, DADA, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology and Healer Training if you took it at Owl level" said Ron with slight surprise.
"It's a very responsible job though" said Janet flatly, who was sat at the opposite end of the settee to him, immersed in a leaflet for the Department Of Magical Sports and Games.
"You don't seem to need a great deal of qualifications to liaise with Muggles… just an Owl in Muggle Studies" said Hermione, who was reading through each one of the pamphlets or leaflets available to them.
The rest of afternoon for the fifth-years was spent looking at the information provided with them to help them work out which careers they wanted to pursue after school.
5th May 1996
"Please sit down Mr Longbottom" said Professor Mcgonagall sternly, gesturing her hand at the empty seat opposite her desk.
Having been called in for his scheduled careers appointment with Professor Mcgonagall, Neville, who was feeling slightly nervous took the seat assigned to him, looking at the neatly organized collection of leaflets and pamphlets on Professor Mcgonagall's desk as he waited for her to begin their meeting.
Several seconds of silence passed before Professor Mcgonagall looked up from her work with her hands clasped together and her usual stern look on her face.
"Well Mr Longbottom… have you studied the information provided to you?" said Professor Mcgonagall.
Neville nodded.
"And what career path are you thinking of taking?" said Professor Mcgonagall.
Neville swallowed nervously.
"I was… I was thinking about becoming an Auror" said Neville with a hint of nervousness in his voice.
Professor Mcgonagall gave him an approving nod.
"Following in your Father's footsteps I see… well you will need top grades for that, applicants are required to have a minimum of five Newt's with nothing below an Exceeds Expectations grade" said Professor Mcgonagall, picking up a dark blue leaflet and opening it.
"After school you would be required to undergo more studying and a series of character and aptitude tests at the Auror Office… It's a difficult career path Longbottom and they only take the best… in fact, I don't think many have been taken in the last three years" continued Professor Mcgonagall, handing the leaflet to Neville so he could read it for himself.
She opened one of the drawers on her desk, pulling a cream-coloured folder out of it, opening it and leafing through the parchment sheets inside of it.
"I expect you'll want to know which subjects you need to take?" said Professor Mcgonagall.
"Yes… Defence Against the Dark Arts is one of them I suppose?" said Neville.
"Naturally… I would also advise Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms and Potions… now as for your current grades" said Professor Mcgonagall.
Neville held his breath, feeling his nerves grow.
"Your Defence Against the Dark Arts marks have been quite high under all of your Professors, with Professor Moody giving you top marks in most of your work… Professor Sprout says the same of your Herbology work, you are averaging an Exceeds Expectations in Charms so keep up the good work there… as for Potions and Transfiguration, you are averaging Acceptable grades in both subjects so you will need to put in some hard work before the exams since neither myself nor Professor Snape accept students who achieve anything below Exceeds Expectations into our Newt classes… understood?" said Professor Mcgonagall sternly.
"Yes Professor" said Neville.
Professor Mcgonagall put the folder back in the drawer before returning her full attention to him.
"My advice to you would be to work on bringing your Transfiguration and Potions work up to the standard required before the exams… is there anything else you need Mr Longbottom?" said Professor Mcgonagall.
Neville shook his head.
"Very well then… you know what you need to do, you can go now" said Professor Mcgonagall, getting her office ready for the next career appointment.
Twenty minutes later…
"And what career path are you considering Miss Black?" said Professor Flitwick, looking through his drawer to find her folder.
Jennifer, who was sitting opposite him, straightened up in her chair.
"I was thinking about becoming a Healer Professor" said Jennifer politely.
Professor Flitwick nodded with a small smile.
"I thought you might consider that career path… well Healer Greysmith has you down for Outstanding grades in her lessons, of course, to take the subject at Newt level you need an Exceeds Expectations on your Owl exam, the same goes for Potions, Herbology, Charms, Transfiguration and DADA… at Newt level you need at least Exceeds Expectations on all of these subjects to start your Healer Training at St Mungo's after school" said Professor Flitwick.
He opened the folder containing her grades and notes from her teachers and started leafing through it.
He went on to tell her that her marks for all of her classes were really good and to keep up the good work and studying in preparation for her Owl exams and it was up to her whether she wanted to just pursue the required subjects for her chosen career path or take additional subjects at Newt level if she wanted to earn more qualifications.
Later that afternoon…
"And what career path are you considering Mr Potter?" said Professor Mcgonagall.
Harry took a deep breath and straightened up.
"I was thinking about pursuing professional Quidditch after school Professor" said Harry.
A small smile flashed across Professor Mcgonagall's face at the memory of Gryffindor's latest triumph with the Quidditch Cup.
"A tough choice Potter… the scouts will only take you on if they are impressed by your abilities, good grades are also important to them as well… it shows them that you are willing to work hard and commit yourself as a player" said Professor Mcgonagall proudly.
"As for your backup plan in case you cannot become a Professional Quidditch Player… what career path would you consider?" said Professor Mcgonagall.
Harry sighed.
"Perhaps a career in the Ministry Of Magic… in the Department of Magical Sports and Games" said Harry politely.
Taking his folder out of her drawer, Professor Mcgonagall opened it, reading through it while glancing back at him a few times.
"The Department of Magical Sports and Games usually like their applicants to have around five or six Newt's with at least Exceeds Expectations grades, there are no specific requirements as to what subjects you need to take at Newt level… so it would be whatever you feel comfortable studying" said Professor Mcgonagall sternly, using her free hand to give him the leaflet about the Department of Magical Sports and Games to read.
Harry remained silent, making sure he was paying attention as she looked over the different parchment sheets in his folder.
"Your grades in subjects range from Acceptable to Outstanding, so what subjects would you consider taking at Newt level?" said Professor Mcgonagall.
Harry composed himself.
"DADA, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Care Of Magical Creatures and probably Arithmancy" said Harry.
Professor Mcgonagall straightened up.
"And what about Potions?" said Professor Mcgonagall testily.
Harry sighed.
"I don't know about Potions… I've never really enjoyed it at Owl level" said Harry with a sigh.
Professor Mcgonagall straightened up.
"Perhaps you ought to consider it during the summer… you may not think it now but you can gain a lot of useful insight and knowledge from Potions" said Professor Mcgonagall.
The rest of their meeting consisted of Professor Mcgonagall giving Harry an update on his grades in each of his lessons before advising him on what subjects to focus his studying on before finishing their meeting.
17th May 1996
"Miss Black" said Professor Flitwick handing a piece of parchment to Jennifer who was sat on one of the settees next to Talbot Desford and Melissa Karasu.
Jennifer looked down at her parchment and started to read it as Professor Flitwick continued handing the parchment sheets out to the rest of the fifth years and seventh years gathered in the common room.
O.W.L TIMETABLE
Jennifer Anna Black
Monday 25th May 1996
Charms (Theory) – 9.30 AM – 11.30 AM – Great Hall
Charms (Practical) – 1 PM – 3 PM – Great Hall
Tuesday 26th May 1996
Transfiguration (Theory) – 9.30 AM – 11.30 AM – Great Hall
Transfiguration (Practical) – 2 PM – 4 PM – Great Hall
Wednesday 27th May 1996
Herbology (Theory) – 9.30 AM – 11.30 AM – Great Hall
Herbology (Practical) – 2 PM – 4 PM – Greenhouse Six
Thursday 28th May 1996
Defence Against The Dark Arts (Theory) – 9.30 AM – 11.30 AM – Great Hall
Defence Against The Dark Arts (Practical) – 2 PM – 4 PM – Great Hall
Monday 1st June 1996
Potions (Theory) – 9.30 AM – 11.30 AM – Great Hall
Potions (Practical) – 1 PM – 3 PM – Classroom Six
Tuesday 2nd June 1996
Healer Training (Theory) – 9.30 AM – 11.30 AM – Great Hall
Healer Training (Practical) – 2 PM – 4 PM – Classroom Eight
Wednesday3rd June 1996
Ancient Runes (Theory) – 2 PM – 4 PM – Great Hall
Astronomy (Practical) – 11 PM – 1 AM – Astronomy Tower
Thursday 4th June 1996
History Of Magic (Theory) – 2 PM – 4 PM – Great Hall
All students must be at their designated examination before the start time. You will not be permitted entry under any circumstances if you are late and will automatically receive ZERO marks for said examination.
Jennifer finished reading her timetable as Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.
"I hope you have all been studying hard in preparation for your exams… these exams will determine your future so I again implore you to work your utmost hardest in each one of them… you are proud Ravenclaws, now go and prove it" said Flitwick.
The students all remained silent as they listened to him.
"I must warn you that any attempts at gaining an unfair advantage or cheating during the exams will not be tolerated and will be punishable by the failure of the exam if you are caught… which you will be if you attempt to do so, is that understood?" said Flitwick sternly.
Most of the students nodded their heads and made noises of agreement.
"Then I will leave you by saying good luck" said Flitwick before he turned and left the Common Room, leaving them to themselves.