The Difference One Choice Makes
26th June 1997
"Thanks for inviting me… and I suppose I should thank your parents for letting me come along" said Harry softly, holding his arm tightly around Katie's waist as she rested her head leisurely on his shoulder.
"You thanked them two times before we left Kings Cross Harry… I doubt a third thank you will do anything to further convince them of how much you appreciate them letting you tag along" said Katie sarcastically.
Sat in their small compartment on the magical Orient Express as it thundered across the French countryside just outside of Calais, Harry and Katie were relishing the views offered to them from outside of the compartment window.
The compartment itself resembled a small flat with a bunk bed built into the compartment wall, a small living room, combined with a kitchenette where they could enjoy some drinks along with a door leading to a small bathroom.
On the other side of their soundproof compartment wall were Katie's parents who had invited Harry to come and spend a week in Rome with themselves and Katie to celebrate her graduation from Hogwarts.
Travelling on the Orient Express instead of using the Floo Network or International Port Key's meant that the four of them could enjoy a wonderful journey on the magical train, which catered to every comfort imaginable, while they were expected to arrive in Rome in the morning.
Getting to share their own compartment was a welcome treat, given that they were both 16 and 17 years old respectively and did not want to share a family compartment with Katie's parents, allowing them to have some valuable alone time which was spent reminiscing on Katie's memories of Hogwarts as well as their plans for the future.
"I hope you brought that Dutch chocolate your Aunt Andromeda gave you" said Katie testily as she glanced up at him.
Harry smiled and pressed his head against hers.
"Can't you go five minutes without your sweet tooth threatening to turn you into a chocolate-hungry monster?" said Harry jokingly, making her playfully slap his chest in response.
"No need to be mean Mr Potter… after all, you never get in the way of girls and chocolate" said Katie teasingly.
Harry rolled his eyes.
"Well… I might have a box or two in my trunk… but those are for later, you wouldn't want to spoil your dinner would you, I imagine it will not be too long before we have to go to the dining car with your parents" said Harry softly.
Katie shrugged her shoulders and pressed herself into his body even more.
"Hopefully I get the chance to take you out to dinner in Rome a few times… just the two of us" said Harry softly.
Smiling as she lazily traced her initials on his shirt with one finger, Katie slid her head up to press a kiss to his lips as he turned to meet her.
"I look forward to it" said Katie softly before kissing him again.
Later that night…
"So… when is your try-out?" said Harry softly as he emerged from the bathroom, having finished brushing his teeth and changing into his pyjamas.
"The 19th… I should have my Newt results by then as well" said Katie softly as she climbed up onto the top bunk.
Having gotten into the bathroom before him, Katie had already changed for bed, donning a pair of her own pyjamas and removing her favoured ponytail from her hair.
After their cup-winning match against Ravenclaw back in April, Katie had impressed most of the scouts with her teamwork, flying ability and goal scoring.
Following the match, she had received invitations to try out for the Tutshill Tornadoes, Ballycastle Bats, Appleby Arrows, Wimbourne Wasps and Puddlemere United, all of whom were keen to get her on their teams.
Though she spent a good few minutes deciding on which offer to take, Katie knew exactly where she wanted to go from the moment she received their offer and happily accepted the invitation to come and try out for the Appleby Arrows without hesitation.
The first step towards accomplishing her dreams of being a Professional Chaser and following in her Uncle's footsteps of playing for and captaining the Appleby Arrows.
Making his way over to her as she sat with her legs dangling over the side, Harry took one of her hands and squeezed it as she leaned down to kiss him.
"Shame I can't see it… I don't get why they don't let people come and watch, it's only a try-out" said Harry softly.
"Perhaps it is a situation of privacy and confidentiality… so other teams do not get inside information about potential new recruits and such" said Katie.
"I guess so" said Harry shrugging his shoulders.
Katie smiled and gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze.
"I imagine it will be the same next year when you have your try-out" said Katie softly.
Harry leaned in and gave her another kiss.
"Hopefully I can impress one or two of the scouts when the time comes" said Harry.
Katie smiled.
"Come off it Harry… you're one of the best players I've ever played with, you'll have no problem impressing the scouts when they see you" said Katie supportively.
"Can I get a good luck kiss at least?" said Harry teasingly.
Katie smirked and took hold of his shoulder and neck before giving him a deep, passionate kiss.
"I love you" said Harry as she pulled away from him.
Katie smiled, knowing that he meant it just as much at this moment as he had the first time he had said those words on Valentines Day earlier this year.
"Love you too… now get some sleep, we have a long day tomorrow" said Katie before lifting her legs up onto the bed so she could finally get some sleep.
"Goodnight" said Harry, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before he got into the bottom bunk.
By the time he had made the return trip to Kings Cross on the Orient Express, Harry felt like the holiday in Rome was one of the best experiences of his life.
Wanting to make the most of their holiday, Harry and Katie spent as much time together as possible, both with her parents and by themselves, taking in all of the magnificent sights and experiences Rome had to offer.
With more than a dozen pictures to go along with the memories they created, the week-long holiday truly was a special occasion for the young couple, with both thinking about the possibility of a return trip later down the line.
6th August 1997
From her place in the front row of seats, Andromeda Tonks tried her hardest to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes at the sight of her only daughter getting married.
Had she not stepped in, the ceremony may not have been as grand as it was, with Andromeda insisting that if her daughter chose to follow the wishes of her future husband and mother-in-law to get married on the grounds of the Burrow, then Andromeda would have an equal part to the Weasley Matriarch in planning the wedding.
With the wedding ceremony taking place outside of the Burrow in the wonderful summer weather, a large white floral alter had been set up on a small marble platform while the Guests were seated in two columns of magnificent, white seats looking up at the alter.
Stood up at the altar dressed in posh dress robes with his long, ginger hair tied back behind his head in a ponytail was Bill Weasley while his Best Man Charlie Weasley was stood a short distance away from him on his right-hand side, along with his three of his old school friends serving as his groomsmen.
Several minutes passed before the music started to play from the back of the seated Guests and Nymphadora made her way down the aisle between the two columns on the arm of the very proud looking Ted Tonks.
While her all-white ensemble looked divine, her favourite bubblegum pink hair which had streaks of blue in it shone brightly under her veil as she tried her hardest not to stumble while holding onto her Father.
Following behind her was her light-blonde haired, old school friend Hestia Jones who had been named as Maid Of Honour along with Jennifer, Euphemia and Cassiopeia all of whom were dressed in pink knee-length dresses and had gracefully taken up the offer of being their Cousin's bridesmaids, even wearing Dora's favourite colour of bubblegum pink on their dresses.
Using her handkerchief to wipe the traces of tears from her eyes, she heard the unmistakable sound of her mother scoffing from the seat next to her.
"Do stop crying Andromeda" said Druella Black in a haughty, disapproving voice.
Glaring at her mother for a moment, Andromeda found herself wondering exactly why her mother had even bothered to attend the wedding of her eldest grandchild, having never been interested in anything Nymphadora did since the day she was born.
Though given the extravagant appearance her mother was portraying, Andromeda had the suspicion that her mother was only attending to keep up the appearance of a real family even though she greatly disapproved of the entire wedding, viewing the Weasley's and blood traitors.
In the other column of seats, Harry smirked as Dora proved that old habits die hard by stumbling slightly as she approached the marble platform before Narcissa glared at him and told him to behave which made Katie smirk at him.
Now a reserve Chaser for the Appleby Arrows following her successful try-out three weeks ago, Katie allowed herself to enjoy the enjoyment that today would bring her before her hard work as a Professional Quidditch Player would resume the day after tomorrow.
"You should listen to your mother Harry" said Katie teasingly.
"Shut up" said Harry jokingly as Ted started to lead Dora up onto the marble platform.
Once she was up on the platform and opposite her soon to be Husband, Dora managed a smile as Bill lifted the veil revealing her face to him.
As the soon-to-be-married couple looked upon each other, a withered, elderly wizard stepped up onto the platform to act as the pastor for the wedding.
Watching as his eldest cousin tied the knot with her fiance, Harry would sneak an occasional glance at Katie who had her hands on her lap as she watched the wedding ceremony.
Thinking about what it would be like if the two of them were to get married eventually, Harry could swear that he saw Katie's eyes meet his on occasion with a nervous smile on her face as if she could read his thoughts.
Feeling a wave of nervous emotions wash over him at the idea of tying the knot with Katie, Harry forced himself to look away from Katie up at Bill and Dora as they listened to the Pastor speak.
Admitting it to herself, Katie had a rough idea of what was going through her boyfriend's mind, with similar thoughts of their future on her own mind.
Maybe it was the fact that they were young and in love that had them getting a little over-excited at something that they were not ready for just yet. Perhaps they would be ready for that step one day but not right now, right now they were perfectly happy just being boyfriend and girlfriend.
Looking back up at the altar once again, Katie decided that it was best to remove the thoughts of a potential marriage from her mind and return her attention to the ceremony as the bride and groom exchanged rings and vows with each other.
Half an hour later…
Harry and Katie sat down next to each other at their assigned table in the large tent which, thanks to Andromeda stepping in and putting her foot down as she had with the design for the wedding ceremony. The spacious interior had been made to look like an elegant ballroom complete with a large crystal chandelier and posh white cloth seats with matching tables while there was a large dance floor in the middle of the tent.
The wedding reception was just as spectacular, heart-warming and memorable as the wedding itself, with the magical catering company hired by Andromeda, pulling out all of the stops to put on delicious meals for all of the guests which were well worth the money they had spent.
As Andromeda watched Nymphadora and Bill share their first dance together as husband and wife she could not hold her emotions in check, feeling extremely happy that her quirky and outgoing daughter had found someone she truly cared about to spend her life with.
Though she knew that both of them were heavily focused on their careers at this moment in time as opposed to starting a family, Andromeda silently wished to be given a grandchild at some point in the near future.
As the first dance of the bride and groom slowly came to a halt, Andromeda felt a warmth inside of her as she watched Harry and Katie get to their feet to enjoy a close dance along with several other couples.
Turning her gaze away from her nephew for a moment, Andromeda smiled as she saw Ted sharing a dance with Euphemia who adored her Aunt and Uncle, spending many nights at their house during the summer holidays or the during term time before she was old enough to go to Hogwarts herself.
Looking away from her husband and niece she saw Edward and Cassiopeia sitting talking and laughing with each other, deciding to spend time with each other as they had no significant partners to bring to the wedding themselves.
Listening to their mother bang on and on to anyone who was within hearing range about how Edward and Cassiopeia should find respectable partners to settle down with annoyed Andromeda and Narcissa to no end, dropping several hints about introducing the two young adults to some of her friends who had children close to Edward and Cassiopeia in age.
1st August 1997
"If the two cannot see sense to find himself a respectable young lady to marry… then what would be so wrong if I had a few words with some of my friends?" said Druella, sipping her tea.
Entertaining her mother for tea at Potter Manor, Narcissa was feeling rather reluctant to discuss her eldest son's lack of a love life with her mother, who seemed insistent on him marrying and producing an heir as quickly as possible.
"He is only 19 Mother, I know you and Father were married by the time you were his age… but the world is a different place now" said Narcissa wearily.
Druella waved her youngest daughter's concerns away without a second thought.
"James was 19 when the two of you got married… and you were only 20 as well, I watched you two get married at a young age, why should I not wish for my grandson to do the same?" said Druella flatly, showing that there was no end in sight for her argument.
"James and I got married in a time when war was ravaging our world Mother… we had no idea if we would even survive the war so maybe we rushed things a little bit, that does not mean Edward has to do the same" said Narcissa in a bored tone, wishing to be presented with a way to excuse herself from the conversation.
Refilling her tea, Druella narrowed her gaze at Narcissa.
"I had tea with Lord Greengrass last week… and like Edward, his eldest daughter Daphne has no interest in courtship and finding a suitable husband, I am sure he would be pleased to come to some sort of arrangement with you and James" said Druella sternly.
Remembering the blonde-haired Slytherin girl in Harry's year from when she taught at Hogwarts, Narcissa could not deny that an ambitious, studious girl like Daphne Greengrass would be a good match for her eldest son.
"She is still in school Mother… not to mention she is not much older than Harry, what makes you think Edward would even agree to this in the first place?" said Narcissa sternly.
Druella sipped her tea and straightened up.
"Edward will do what he needs to do for this family" said Druella.
Narcissa rolled her eyes.
"He is my son, not yours Mother… he does not need you meddling in his social life" said Narcissa.
"Think about what I said Narcissa… there is no harm in simply introducing the two or speaking to Lord Greengrass about this, if anything, this might prove to be a mutually beneficial arrangement for the both of them" said Druella sternly.
Sipping her own tea, Narcissa felt grateful that she had managed to get herself out of that particular conversation with relative ease.
Shaking the memory from her head, Narcissa who was sitting next to Andromeda, glanced over at her son and niece as they danced, with a nagging thought in the back of her mind telling her that maybe her mother had a point about merely introducing her eldest son to young single witches in a hope that he might find someone to share his life with.
"I think you're wanted Cissy" said Andromeda, nodding her head in the direction of the dance floor.
Following her sister's gaze, Narcissa saw James approaching them, having torn himself away from a conversation with Sirius and Remus to enjoy a dance with his wife.
Standing up and taking her husband's hand, Narcissa made a mental note to discuss her thoughts on introducing Edward to potential dates later on as he led her over to the dance floor which was a haven of excitement for all of the guests.
1st September 1997
Walking out of the Prefect's Carriage with a look of enormous pride written all over her face, the 17-year-old, buxom, reddish-blonde haired Susan Bones could not stop glancing at her Head Girl badge no matter how hard she tried.
Given her lack of a Prefect's badge in her fifth year, Susan had been stunned when the Head Girl badge dropped out of her Hogwarts letter during the summer, with her parent's treating her to a brand new owl named Orpheus as a reward.
Hearing her father talk about how proud he was of her, adding that not only was her Aunt Amelia a Head Girl in her seventh year. But also that her late Uncle Edgar was Head Boy in his final year at Hogwarts.
Given the amount of excitement she was feeling, Susan had proudly worn her Head Girl badge from the moment she emerged onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters, receiving words of congratulations from all of her friends and some of her fellow Hufflepuff's who were happy to see one of their own attain such a worthy position.
Upon entering the Prefect's Carriage not long after their departure from Kings Cross, Susan was even more surprised to see that Ron Weasley was sporting the Head Boy badge on his uniform, feeling just as shocked and stunned as her at his new position.
As they made sure the carriage was ready for the meeting, Ron told her that he had been rendered speechless when he received the badge with his school letter, along with a short letter from Dumbledore who praised him for improving not only his schoolwork but also his maturity and decision making which is why Dumbledore felt that he was the best choice for Head Boy.
Eventually, their conversation, discussing their mutual shock at being Head Boy and Girl was brought to a halt as the Prefect's started to make their way into the carriage, ready for the meeting.
16th April 1998
Taking a deep breath as he mounted his Firebolt when he reached the player's entrance to the Quidditch stadium, Harry could not believe that this would be his last ever school Quidditch match, with the reality of such a thing not setting in just yet.
It was ironic then, that his last ever school match was to be played against Slytherin just like his first-ever match back in his first year which felt like a lifetime ago.
As he shot out of the player's entrance into the stadium followed by the rest of his team, Harry managed a smile when he heard the roars and cheers ringing around his ears.
As per usual, Harry saw his parent's, older brother and other family members sitting in one of the towers applauding and cheering for him.
Making him even happier was the sight of Katie sitting in the tower with his family, managing to get the afternoon off from her rigorous training so she could come and watch his last ever school Quidditch match.
Half an hour later…
Bringing his Firebolt to a halt with a look of anger on his face, Harry could not believe what had just happened.
One moment he had been closing on the Snitch, ready to catch it and win the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor and the next thing he knew, Eric Black was streaking away from him with the Snitch held high in his hand as his fellow Slytherin's cheered and roared at their success.
Being caught off guard and beaten to the Snitch like that made Harry feel angry and disappointed with himself, knowing that he should have been paying more attention to where the Slytherin Seeker was.
After a few seconds, however, the anger faded into feelings of acceptance and Harry steadied himself on his broom before applauding the victory of Gryffindor's rival house even though it came at their expense.
With his teammates joining him in the respectful applause, showing their good sportsmanship, Harry watched as Eric Black lifted the Quidditch Cup high above his head to cheers from his teammates and housemates.
Twenty-five minutes later…
Emerging from the tent with his uniform in his bag and his Firebolt over his shoulder, Harry was almost caught off guard when an unfamiliar voice called out to him.
"Mr Potter!"
Harry turned around to see two middle-aged men and a younger witch in her late thirties approaching him.
"Yes" said Harry politely.
Stopping in front of him, one of the men shook Harry's hand before clearing his throat.
"Mr Potter… I am Harper Elbridge and I represent Puddlemere United Quidditch Team, a player with your natural ability would be a huge asset to our team" said the Scout identified as Harper Elbridge proudly.
Stepping in front of his rival scout, the next man introduced himself as Michael Baddock, saying he wanted Harry to come and try out for the Wimbourne Wasps, assuring Harry that he would have a better career with the Wimbourne Wasps instead of Puddlemere United.
The woman was called Ellemae Woodstock and she told him that he should come and try out for the Falmouth Falcons, saying that they were looking for a successor to their long time Seeker Jackson Macdougal who was set to retire after next season.
Hearing the offer from his Father's favourite Quidditch team was exactly the sort of offer that Harry wanted to hear and he happily accepted.
With that, Ms Woodstock pulled him to one side, taking him back into the player's tent so she could further expand on her invitation for his try-out which would take place on the 24th of July, giving him time to enjoy his summer and await his Newt results before he would have his try-out.
23rd June 1998
Walking along the path towards Hogsmeade station, ready to make the return trip from Hogwarts to Kings Cross for the final time, Jennifer thought back on all of the memories she had created during her seven years at Hogwarts.
All of the friends she had made, the fun times she had enjoyed playing Quidditch for the Ravenclaw team and the friendships she had forged with her teammates like Cho Chang who would often write to Jennifer, telling her all about her exciting life playing Quidditch for her favourite team the Tutshill Tornadoes.
As she walked along the path with her best friend Melissa Karasu, the two girls were eagerly chatting about their planned two week holiday in Spain with Mandy Brocklehurst, Lisa Turpin, Eileen and Rose Snape, Hermione and Janet Spinnet.
Though it may have been nice to have a graduation holiday with the boys, Jennifer had whole-heartedly agreed with the rest of the girls about just having a holiday to themselves, letting them soak up the sun, sip cocktails and gossip without the boys there.
For Jennifer and Rose Snape, it would be a welcome break before their Newt results would arrive so they could start the rigorous Healer Training at St Mungo's which is a job Jennifer had wanted for as long as she could remember.
With Melissa Karasu applying for the Auror Training Program, Jennifer knew that she was also excited about their upcoming holiday, knowing that it may be the last holiday she would have for a while before the long and tiring training program would begin.
As they dragged their trunks up onto the platform where the Hogwarts Express was waiting for them, Jennifer turned her head and took one last look up at Hogwarts in the distance before boarding the train, ready to begin the next part of her life.
A/N: Only one chapter for the seventh year as I did not have much to write about for this year. There will be more post-Hogwarts chapters featuring scenes from multiple characters exploring their post-Hogwarts lives.