The Difference One Choice Makes
25th July 2002
"This is us" said James, leading Narcissa into their private box in the large stadium which was being used for the 424th Quidditch World Cup Final between England and Bulgaria.
The large stadium was hidden in one of the valleys in the French Alps with Muggle Repelling charms being just one of the many security measures in place to prevent accidental detection.
Following James and Narcissa into the box which was located above the box reserved for the French Minister For Magic and the Commentary team, were Edward and Daphne, Euphemia and Colin Creevey followed by Ted and Andromeda Tonks, the Lupins and Druella Black who kept up her usual habit of attending every major event in the lives of each of her grandchildren.
Sirius and Amelia were sat in their own booth just above them, along with Jennifer and Eddie Carmichael who had been married for five months now as well as Eric Black and his fiance Lacey Lupin who were getting married in November.
Had Orion and Walburga Black still been alive to this day, they probably would have protested the union of their grandson and his half-blood fiance. But with illness claiming both of their lives last year, Eric was free from their pure-blood superiority influence and was now able to make his own decisions without their influence or interference.
Once the Potter's and their guests had taken their seats inside their private box, they looked out at the lively and packed stadium, seeing a sea of red, white and blue all around the stadium while the large scoreboard was writing out the names of each company sponsoring the World Cup including, Sleakeazy's Hair Potion, the Nimbus Racing Broom Company and Firewhiskey.
Sporting his England scarf and hat, James skimmed through the velvet-covered programmes given to every ticket holder, which detailed how England and Bulgaria reached the Final as well as the full teams for each country.
Seeing the names of his son and daughter-in-law in the programme, accompanied with a magical picture of the two with an arm around each other's shoulders while holding onto their Firebolt Supreme broomsticks with proud looks on their faces, filled James with pride that they were about to play for England in the Quidditch World Cup Final.
A picture that would surely be framed and proudly displayed for all to see when they got home, even if they were not victorious in the Final.
Above the picture in big bold letters that captured the attention of the reader, was a headline that read.
"ENGLAND'S POWER COUPLE"
At the bottom of the picture was a short but detailed story written by aspiring biographical writer Astoria Greengrass who was the younger sister of James's daughter-in-law Daphne Potter nee Greengrass.
Though it was short, the story gave a detailed account about how Harry and Katie had played for the Gryffindor Quidditch team in their school years as well as small summaries of their respective post-Hogwarts careers.
Half an hour later…
Sat next to each other, full of nerves and excitement, Harry and Katie were dressed in their white England National Team Quidditch Uniforms which were red and white in colour as they listened to the team talk being delivered to them by Team Captain and Beater Dawn Withey.
The entire England Squad were waiting in their tent in the Players section of the campsite, where they would fly to the stadium when it was time for the match to start.
Sitting alongside them, were Chasers Roger Davies and Avery Hawksworth, the latter of whom was the only player from the 1998 England World Cup squad (other than Dawn Withey herself) to be featured in this new, younger World Cup squad, owing to the disastrous performances of the England National Team in the last eight years.
Also sat with Davies and Hawksworth were Keeper Oliver Wood and Beater Tracey Davis, while the Reserve Members of the Squad were sat on the opposite side of the tent, carefully listening to Withey's instructions just in case they were substituted on in the match.
The England Reserves consisted of Ginny Weasley and Martin Baddock who played as Chasers, Leslie Smith who was the Reserve Seeker, Reserve Beater Robert Hilliard and Reserve Keeper Mathilda Gregory.
Giving her husband's hand a squeeze for good luck, Katie kept her full attention on her Captain as the team talk eventually slowed down to a halt.
Hearing the noises from the stadium in the distance, Dawn Withey beckoned for them all to stand up so they could make their way to the stadium.
Ten minutes later…
The stadium erupted in cheers as the England National Team flew over the top of the stadium, doing a full lap of the stadium.
The First-Team Players brought their brooms to a halt opposite the collection of private boxes while the Reserve Players flew down towards the ground to sit next to the England Coaches and Private Healers.
Large banners bearing the words of "LONG TIME NO SEE" began to be unfurled along the stands containing the England fans while white and red fireworks were shot into the sky from the pitch.
Chants of "ENGLAND, ENGLAND!" bellowed from a large part of the stadium before more cheers erupted as the Bulgarian National Team, clad in their blood-red uniforms shot towards the England Players, making them scatter to avoid their opponents.
Watching as a few of the Bulgarian players, including Seeker Viktor Krum, did a few flashy tricks on their broomsticks, Harry tried his hardest to steady his nerves and curb the excitement coursing through his body so he could focus on the match.
Once the Bulgarian Players had finished their lap of honour, Harry and his teammates flew down towards the centre of the pitch to take up their positions for the game to begin.
Once everyone was ready, the assigned referee Kathleen Hooper released the balls before mounting her broom to shoot off into the sky beginning the match.
Ascending high above the stadium so he could look out for the Snitch, Harry watched as Katie, Roger Davies and Avery Hawksworth worked the Quaffle between them with expert ease before Hawksworth scored the first goal of the game for England resulting in a celebratory barrage of red and white fireworks from the England supporters.
Clapping his hands for a moment, Harry returned his focus in searching for the elusive Snitch.
As Harry scoured the pitch for the Snitch for the next forty-five minutes, both teams were evenly matched in all parts of the pitch.
With the score now tied at 230 to 230, Harry finally got his chance when he saw a glint of gold hovering close to the stands in the night sky.
Shooting after it, Harry spotted Krum descending towards the Snitch out of the corner of his eye.
As the two Seekers shot towards the Snitch it suddenly changed direction and sped along the side of the stands.
Now shoulder to shoulder with Krum, the two chased after the Snitch as it sped along the stands with the excited roars of the spectator's mere feet away from them.
As the two Seekers shot past the private box where the Potter's and their guests were sitting, Druella had to grab hold of her hat to prevent it flying off of her head because of the slipstream created by the two players.
Leaning forwards on the railing in the box, the occupants of the box added their cheers to the crowd as Harry and Krum suddenly changed direction once again, shooting towards the centre of the pitch.
The atmosphere around the enormous stadium was electric as the two Seekers fought over the Snitch like cat and dog, knowing that whoever triumphed would secure World Cup success for their country.
Pushing the older Seeker's muscular right arm out of the way, Harry was using every trick he could think of to gain an advantage over Krum so he could get the Snitch and win the World Cup.
After what felt like minutes, while in reality, it was seconds, Harry finally gained the upper hand on his opponent and surged forward to claim the Snitch.
As he closed his hand around the glittering gold ball, Harry felt his heart explode with excitement before he raised his hand for the entire stadium to see that he had caught the Snitch and won the game for England.
With the most deafening cheers he had ever heard in his entire life, Harry joined his six teammates in a mid-air hug before they all shot down to where the England Substitutes and Coaching Staff had rushed out onto the pitch to meet them.
Though Harry would consider it a team effort as the reason why they won the World Cup, the amount of attention and congratulations he was receiving from his teammates told him that they were giving most of the credit for their victory to him.
After receiving his congratulations from most of his teammates, Harry was caught off guard and tumbled to the ground as Katie launched herself at him.
As they hit the ground with their lips locked, Harry was sure that such an intimate moment would have been captured on camera by any one of the dozen pitch-side photographers but he really did not care, with the excitement of winning the Quidditch World Cup outweighing any feelings he might have about seeing a picture of him kissing his wife on the front page of every gossip column in the country.
After several seconds, all of the England Quidditch players took to the skies, flying towards the box containing the French Minister For Magic and other important officials so they could receive their medals and the trophy.
Once all of the sulking Bulgarian players had received their runners-up medals, Harry joined the rest of his teammates in a line as they were each given a shiny gold medal on a silver ribbon commemorating their victory in the 2002 Quidditch World Cup Final.
As his medal was placed around his neck, Harry caught sight of Sirius, Amelia, Jennifer, Eddie Carmichael, Eric Black and Lacey Lupin looking directly at him, applauding him with a range of proud and happy emotions written all over their faces.
After receiving their medals, Harry took his place next to Katie as the two made their way to the front of the stands looking out at the stadium which was a sea of excitement and noise.
Raising the shiny gold Quidditch World Cup in her hands, Captain Dawn Withey roared with excitement along with the rest of her teammates, though their roars were drowned out by the sheer volume of thousands of spectators in attendance.
After two disappointing World Cups, England had finally achieved a victory few believed that they would ever achieve.
They were Quidditch World Champions for the first time in over forty years.
Later that night…
As the party celebrating England's victory over Bulgaria was in full swing with players, coaches, family members and invited guests alike partying with each other as if the world was about to end, Harry and Katie chugged their bottles of butterbeer as they walked through the camp arm in arm.
"Mr Potter!" a female voice called out to them.
Turning in the direction of the voice addressing them, Harry and Katie saw three reporters and two photographers making their way towards them, obviously having found some way to get past the bouncers who decided who attended the private party.
"Yes?" said Harry politely.
As they approached him, the reporters prepared their Quick-Quotes quills and notepads while the photographers readied their cameras.
"Mr Potter… any comments on the sudden retirement of Bulgarian Seeker Viktor Krum?" said the same female Reporter who had called out to him.
Taken aback by the question posed to him out of shock that Krum would suddenly retire after losing the match, Harry took several seconds to think about what he was going to say.
"I think it is a shame that he has chosen to retire so suddenly… but I wish him all the best of luck in the future?" said Harry.
"And how would you describe Viktor Krum as an opponent?" said one of the male Reporters.
Feeling Katie's arm encircle his waist, Harry did not need even half as much time to think about this answer as opposed to the answer he had given to the previous question.
"I would describe him as one of the greatest opponents I have ever faced… now if you would excuse us" said Harry.
As they moved to leave the reporters and photographers, one of the female photographers called out to him.
"Before you go Mr and Mrs Potter… a quick photograph for Quidditch Monthly?" said the Photographer in an eager voice.
Shrugging their shoulders in acceptance, Harry and Katie stood side by side in a tender, embracing pose for the photographs to be taken.
Once a few photographs had been taken, Harry and Katie finally returned to the party, grabbing a bottle of firewhiskey as they approached the loud music and dancing crowd, ready to continue the seemingly never-ending celebrations.
29th January 2005
Gently rocking her daughter's crib as she sipped her mug of tea, Daphne appreciated the peace and quiet given to her this afternoon even if it did mean she felt slightly lonely.
As she had been for the last hour, Daphne was sat on the brand new, plush leather settee in the large sitting room of Potter Manor as she enjoyed some quiet reading of one of her favourite novels.
With her daughter Alexandra Celeste Potter being born nearly two weeks ago, she and Edward had seldom had a full nights sleep without being woken up multiple times in the night by their daughter for a multitude of reasons.
Though Edward had been given an initial three and a half weeks off of work while Daphne had received two months off, this morning was the time when Edward finally had to go back to work, having been promoted nearly three years ago and now working with his colleagues on organising the British seats on the International Confederation of Wizards.
Though she wished that they could just have a few more days off together, Daphne understood that eventually, the two would have to go back to work no matter how much she wished that they had some more time off.
As she had finished her novel nearly ten minutes ago, with Alexandra having been asleep for nearly an hour and a half, Daphne found herself longing for some company.
Had Euphemia not been at work on this day, Daphne would have invited her sister-in-law over for some company or even her closest friend Tracey Harrison nee Davis but Tracey was away in Spain with her husband.
She also thought about floo calling Katie who was spending most of her time in the house, given that she was five months pregnant herself but Daphne decided against it, thinking that it would be better to invite her and Harry over once the latter was home from training this afternoon.
Of course, becoming parents at this point in their lives had not been Harry and Katie's original plan, given that they were riding the most successful point of their respective careers, with pregnancy forcing Katie to step away from training and matches until their child was born.
Though she had initially decided against inviting Katie over until later, Daphne let the need for some adult company take charge and made her way over to the floo in the foyer.
To her relief, Katie was more than happy to come over and keep her company for the afternoon.
Some company for the entire afternoon that eventually turned into Harry and Katie staying for dinner that evening.
18th June 2005
From their seats in the witness section of the Wizerngamot trial chambers, Ron sat in complete silence as he watched the chambers slowly fill up with the members of the Wizerngamot as well as the Minister For Magic Amelia Black and the Chief Warlock of the Wizerngamot Amos Diggory, who had ascended to Albus Dumbledore's former position after the beloved Headmaster's peaceful death from old age four years ago.
Now at 25-years-old, Ron was lean but stocky from years of hard work and training with the Auror's and unlike the clothes he had to wear in his youth, the Ministry-standard robes he was wearing had been a birthday present from his wife of two years Janet Weasley nee Spinnet three months ago.
Thanks to the dedication and hard work of himself, Neville, Josh Sloper, Susan Coote nee Bones and Senior Auror Thomas Robards over the last four months, the five defendants who were being put on trial today would finally be brought to justice and confined to Azkaban where they belonged.
Also joining them in the witness section were Jennifer Carmichael and Rose Clearwater who had also been asked to come and testify against the defendants, though they had been ordered to sit separately from the Auror's so they could not influence each other's testimony.
Sat in the section designated for other guests was the now 24-year-old Euphemia Creevey dressed in a professional skirt, blouse and tights, with a quill and notepad resting on her crossed legs, having been assigned to cover today's trial for the Daily Prophet.
Once the last of the Wizerngamot members had taken their seats, the 52-year-old, greying-brown haired Chief Warlock Amos Diggory stood up, looking down at the two Auror's Melissa Cartwright and John Dawlish stood by the entrance to the chambers.
"Bring in the defendants" said Amos Diggory.
Ron and the others waited patiently as their two fellow Auror's left the courtroom to collect the five defendants from the holding cells down the corridor.
Several minutes passed before Melissa Cartwright and John Dawlish finally led the five defendants into the courtroom, with all of them looking pale and gaunt, wearing filthy prison rags, magic negating handcuffs and chains binding them together.
Lucan Malfoy, his wife Pansy Malfoy nee Parkinson, Felix Lestrange, Vincent Crabbe Jr and Gregory Goyle Jr.
Upon seeing the five former Slytherin's, Ron thought back to what his wife had told him before he left for work this morning.
"Part of me feels excited at the thought of that ferret-faced prick Malfoy getting a one-way ticket to Azkaban… just so I can mock him for being locked up in that hellhole until he dies… but we have worked really hard these last three months to make him pay for his crimes" said Ron as he made Janet a plate of scrambled eggs and toast.
Having not long got out of bed, Janet who was still dressed in her dressing gown and pyjamas with morning bed-hair was pacing around the kitchen of their cottage in York with their six-month-old son Hugo Weasley balanced on her hip.
"I know you guys worked really hard on this Ron… but don't turn this sad situation into some sort of revenge saga between you and Malfoy, you're better than that" said Janet in a slightly tired voice, suggesting that she did not get as much sleep as she would have liked last night.
"I won't, what he and those other pricks did to those women was awful… but I cannot deny that I will feel a great thrill when I watch him get sentenced to life imprisonment" said Ron placing the plate of scrambled eggs and toast he had made for her on the table.
Settling Hugo into his high chair, Janet sat down at the table and started to eat her breakfast, letting Ron make some food for their son without her help or interference.
"Just don't get distracted by the bigger picture Ron" said Janet wearily as she spread some marmalade on her toast.
Ron leaned across the table and pressed a quick peck to her lips.
"I won't… I promise" said Ron before he sat down opposite her to enjoy his own breakfast, needing his strength for the day ahead.
Breaking away from his pleasant thoughts, Ron watched with an emotionless face as the five defendants had their chains removed before being forced into the five chairs in the centre of the courtroom so the trial could begin.
Once all of the defendants were in their chairs, Amos Diggory banged his gavel hard.
"Vincent Crabbe Junior, Gregory Goyle Junior, Felix Lestrange, Lucan Malfoy, Pansy Malfoy… you stand accused of multiple counts of torture, rape, emotional and physical abuse with the intent to cause serious injury or death… how do you plead?" said Amos Diggory in a cold, calculating voice
One by one, each of the five pleaded "Not guilty" to all of the charges before descending into shouting and pleading their innocence.
Banging his gavel once again, Amos Diggory called for silence before listing each individual charge, revealing that the five former Slytherin's were being put on trial for imprisoning six muggle-born women between the ages of 19 and 32 in Malfoy Manor, subjecting them to heinous torture, rape and assault which would affect the victims for years to come.
Making sure to take detailed notes as her boss expected her to do, Euphemia fought hard to keep herself calm and composed as she was forced to listen to a detailed account of the actions Lucan and Pansy Malfoy, Felix Lestrange, Crabbe and Goyle subjected these poor women to over a period of seven long months.
As she watched Lucan Malfoy have Veritaserum forced down his throat, Euphemia caught sight of the now 23-year-old Corvus Malfoy who was looking down at his older brother with an emotionless look on his face, as though his brother was a complete stranger to him.
Now under the influence of Veritaserum, Lucan Malfoy was forced to state his full name, age and blood status before giving a truthful and somewhat graphic account of each and every crime he had been charged with.
After Lucan Malfoy had been rigorously questioned under the influence of Veritaserum, his frightened, pale-looking wife Pansy went next, giving an equally graphic account of the horrible events, though she was not directly involved in some of the crimes her husband had been charged with.
Trying not to vomit or explode with rage as she was forced to listen to the entire ordeal, Euphemia managed to distract herself by focusing all of her attention on her notepad as she scribbled away.
After all five of the defendants had been questioned with Veritaserum, Ron, Neville, Josh, Susan and Robards were all made to testify about how they raided Malfoy Manor and discovered the six victims in the cellar of the manor, some of whom were close to death and required healing right then and there before they were sent to St Mungo's.
Also called to testify before the Wizerngamot were Jennifer and Rose who were the primary healers assigned to treat and care for the six young women. The two healers subjected the courtroom to horror and disgust as they described both the mental and physical damage the victims had sustained, finishing their testimony that it may take years before some of the victims make full recoveries.
After all of the testimony had been heard, nearly everyone in the courtroom cheered and spat hateful insults at the five as they were each sentenced to life imprisonment in the High-Security Wing of Azkaban with no chance that they would ever be released.
Upon finding out that they were going to die in the famously horrifying magical prison, Lucan and Pansy Malfoy broke down crying and screaming hysterically as they were forcibly removed from the courtroom to start the next horrifying chapter in their lives.
Only this one would have a very permanent ending many years from now.
Later that afternoon…
Placing his large coat on the coat rack by the door of their large Tudor-like townhouse in Kensington, Neville breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that justice had been done and five horrible people had been sent to Azkaban where they belonged.
As he took his shoes off, approaching footsteps made him look up to see his wife Hermione Longbottom walking out of the large lounge into the hallway to meet him.
"They got life then?" said Hermione testily.
Neville sighed and nodded.
"The Malfoy's broke down crying as they were sentenced… where's Rose?" said Neville walking towards her.
The person he had been referring to was their eight-month-old daughter Rose Alice Longbottom.
Though the two adult's had long demanding jobs at the Ministry with Neville as an Auror while Hermione still worked in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, the two still made as much time for their daughter as they could.
Fortunately, Hermione had managed to get today off so she could spend the day looking after her daughter while they waited for Neville to get back home from work for some family time.
Hermione gestured towards the lounge with her head.
"She's in her playpen… and Astoria has invited over for dinner tonight, said we could do with a break from being responsible parents for one night" said Hermione.
Finally tying the knot in October 2002, Frank Jr and Astoria Longbottom were what you would call a successful dream couple, with Frank Jr working for the Hit-Wizards while Astoria was now a successful and well sought after biographical writer, famous for publishing biographies on Albus Dumbledore, Tiberius Ogden as well as other famous witches and wizards.
Living on their small estate in the Shropshire countryside, Frank Jr and Astoria had fallen in love with their old farmhouse from the moment they laid eyes on it and bought it without a second thought.
"And what do we do about Rose?" said Neville.
Hermione smiled and gently stroked his arm.
"All arranged… my mum and dad said she can stay at theirs tonight" said Hermione softly.
Pulling her close, Neville pressed his forehead against hers.
"You're amazing, you know that Hermione" said Neville kindly.
Pressing a few gentle kisses to his lips, Hermione trailed her hand down his arm as she spun away from him, heading back towards the lounge.
"You never change Mr Longbottom" said Hermione softly.
"Neither do you Mrs Longbottom" said Neville, giving her a firm slap to her arse which made her spin around and smirk at him with a slightly devious look in her eyes.