The Harpies Quidditch Stadium had been expanded two years ago. After six months of rebuilding, the capacity had been expanded to 53.800, adding over 17.000 seats. They were a big name now, with a big legacy and many responsibilities as league favourites. The fact that the deciding match of the season, Harpies vs. Tornadoes, was happening on their home court meant double the responsibility and excitement. This was visible in the extensive draperies lining the sides, depicting swooping harpies on the customary home-court red.

A good two-thirds of the venue was entirely red. Thousands of fans, milling about, buying food and finding their seats, the scattered chants mixing into a cacophony of excitement. Everyone there was gathered in anticipation. Mere minutes from now the teams would make their entry and fight for the League Cup with their lives. This was no exaggeration. When the Ballycastle Bats Chaser, Kyle Preston, got his neck broken against the east hoop of the opposing team, a replacement was called out and the match continued. It could be said that there was nothing the wizards and witches of the British Isles took more seriously than quidditch.

They had met up early in the VIP box. The Weasleys, everyone present save for Ron, were worrying and talking. It was impossible to get in a word edgewise with them once the excitement of the game started. Harry was seated right next to Hermione with Mathilda. Next to them were the newly fashioned Greengrass couples. Alpharius Greengrass had enough connections to get those tickets without fail and he was seated with his wife some distance away while Dennis and Ernie sat with their daughters.

"It's almost all us in here," Hermione said, looking around.

"You're exaggerating," Harry said, "but yeah it's really packed."

They'd gotten a tub of popcorn, a relatively new snack that the magical community had adopted with much enthusiasm.

"Shame Al can't be here," Mathilda said, taking a handful of popcorn out of the bucket.

"He drew the short straw for security," Harry answered. "Besides, it's not like he can sit with Ginny. He'll be there for celebration later."

"Unless they lose."

"They won't lose."

The announcer's voice picked up and the stadium went into action. On the Tornadoes side, a large banner unrolled with the team name and colours: 'TORNADOES — SWEEP THE LEAGUE'.

To the sound of drums, a large black cloud appeared over the western end, lightning crackling in its wake. The rumbling came closer and so did the dark nimbus. It swept over the northern stands, to the east, and around. Seven brooms were at the tip of it, clad in storm blue. They swirled around the pitch, stopping in the middle of it with the sight of a dispersing storm cloud and a whole gust of wind spread through the stadium, rustling the banners.

Cheers erupted and the chants began.

"Witches and wizards, the TUTSHILL TORNADOES!"

"Crazy how much work they put into it," Hermione said.

"I bet the Harpies will top it," Mathilda said, on the edge of her seat.

Minutes passed as the Tornadoes finished their lap of the pitch. "When are the Harpies coming?" Daphne said from their right. All over, similar whispers and murmurs came wondering where the Harpies were.

"Oh, hold on a second," the announcer said. "Can you see that? Up in the clouds. It's… it's a beam of sunlight, people!"

Trumpets blared and the harpies on the banners of the stadium changed to look up into the skies. A beam of sunlight parted the clouds and shone down onto the pitch. Harry stood up. "Bloody hell…" Ernie exclaimed.

A distant high pitched noise came up from the skies. Along the sunbeam that came down from above, there appeared seven dots. The noise, screaming, wailing, grew louder, grew deafening. His jaw dropped. There, in the air, announced by an ear-piercing scream came seven red-clad figures adorned with black wings. They came down so fast they left a vapour trail in the sky. Harpies, enough to fool anyone.

They stopped in the middle of the stadium with a loud bang, sending hats flying, bathed in golden sunlight. To the cheers of their fans, the Hollyhead Harpies scattered. Each one of them was followed by a wail and their enchanted black wings. The fans went mad, especially with how low the Harpies were swooping down to the crowd, giving each and one of them a good look at their favourite players looking more like the magical creature than human.

"INSANITY! DISBELIEF! Everyone cheer! The Harpies are… HERE!"

The railing trembled under Harry's hands and he too was caught up in the insanity of the crowd, shouting 'Go Harpies', and all manner of things, everyone in the VIP box joining in as well.

"This is mad!" Mathilda shouted, following up with a whoop.

Finally, after much clamouring, the Harpies went over to their side of the pitch and gave a heartfelt scream of their own. The magical wings disappeared in a shower of light and they squared off. Ginny was left Chaser, flanking Kiera. Lea was up in the sky, blatantly showing off her flying skills. Gwenog sporting her permanent death glare, flew up to the centre to meet with the Tornadoes Captain. There was animated talking for a bit with the ref and the other Harpies beater darted forwards to hold back Gwen who was about to get into a fist fight then and there.

"This will be good," Harry said with a broad smile.

The Tornadoes won the toss and to the sound of the ref's whistle, the match started. There was no time lost on either end. Seconds in, Gwen's killing bludger clipped one of the Tornadoes chasers in the shoulder, making him drop the quaffle. The passing flurry of the Harpies chasers made quick work of the Tornadoes defence and scored the first points of the match, with Kiera making the shot.

Pretty as a picture

And deadly as a scythe

Never has a wizard

Beat a Harpy in a fight

Harpies go, Harpies win, doing the Tornadoes in

Every self-respecting quidditch fan knew that chants and drinking was part of the experience of the spectator sport. Which is why they got there early, to have a few drinks and be sloshed enough to shout the Harpies songs at full volume. A goal by the tornadoes cut the chant into a loud 'boo' from the crowd.

Red's my fighting colour

Red's what makes me tick

For me there's no other

They hit harder than a brick

Harpies go, Harpies fight, the Tornadoes in a fright

A few minutes in, and a few exchanges further, Ginny scored her first point and a large banner unfurled underneath the VIP box, carried in by the supporters below. A gigantic picture of Ginny. It was the picture taken on the 2nd league win of the Harpies, grandly shown on the thirty meter long piece of cloth. Great cries came from the crowd: "Gin-Win! Gin-Win! Gin-Win…"

Ginny, already waiting for the next play, put up her hand in the air and showed two fingers, making the crowd go wild. She was calling a rush, the rush that had made her name in the league and as a favourite among the Harpies. As soon as play resumed, Kiera intercepted a pass with dazzling speed, and the three chasers sped forwards. A pass towards Ginny and she scored, making it look easy.

And a one, and a two, no more easy games for you!

And again.

And a two, and a three, sorry's what you're gonna be!

And again, she scored, against all odds, with all Tornadoes players incapable of doing anything.

And a three, and a four, that should even up the score!

Unfortunately, she didn't beat her all-time rush of fourteen straight points scored, stopping seven in, but the Harpies had a large lead. Their opponents got frustrated, but frustration doesn't have the same effect on professional players that it has on amateurs, so they did close the gap to a 30 point difference. Harry almost knocked over his bucket of popcorn in the process, screaming at the ref ignoring the pulling of a Tornadoes beater.

But between the shouting and cheering, there was a large smile on his face. With his arm around Hermione who was screaming just as loudly, with the spilt beer on the floor and his red shirt. Just a relaxing outing to the brutal quidditch match.

Around twenty minutes in, Gwen got elbowed in the nose and her measured response was to knock the chaser responsible straight off his broom. The game was stopped and after making sure the other player wasn't dead, Gwen was given a 10 minute time-out. It was a nail-biter, leaving no downtime and dousing every spectator in adrenaline.

With Gwen off the pitch, the snitch was spotted a few minutes later. Lea and the opposing seeker battled it out, only to lose sight of it near the eastern stands.

Thirty minutes in, the first break was announced, called by the Tornadoes. Harry fell backwards into his seat. "This is taking years off my life," he sighed.

"It really is so exciting, isn't it?" Hermione said, slapping his arm. "I really hope they bloody win. Really."

"They better…" Mathilda mumbled, holding on to a fistful of her hair.

"Something going on?" Harry asked, turning leery.

"No, nothing," she answered suspiciously. She cleared her throat and grimaced, mumbling something.

"What?"

"I just… put some money on the game."

Harry narrowed his eyes at her.

"Just —ed galleons."

"Stop mumbling."

"Just… six hundred galleons. I bet six hundred galleons for the Harpies to win."

Harry felt dizzy. "That's… that's almost a year of pay for an Auror," he whispered loudly.

"I knew you'd disapprove," she said defensively.

Harry sighed and sunk in his seat. "Yeah, they better win."

They got a few more beers, and enjoyed the tense atmosphere. Ten minutes later, the break ended and the players were back in the air. The Tornadoes supporters had taken the opportunity to start their chant encouraging Reggie Twinst, the Tornadoes seeker.

Reel 'em in! Reel 'em in!

Twinst responded by shooting a wave towards the stormy blue stands, swooping in gracefully. Lea, the Harpies seeker, hadn't stopped moving since the match had started. She was a seeker at heart, blissfully unaware of anything but her search for the snitch. Harry felt something in the air, a sort of tension rising through the stadium. Ironically, his enhanced sight made it much harder to see anything small and lifeless like the golden snitch. Maybe Oliver had been right about his career choices.

Gwen looked pissed, for that matter, most of the Harpies did. Even the keeper, Sandra, was shouting across the field. Play resumed and they burst forth like fireworks. Ginny knocked the quaffle out of the player's arms towards Alice, the right chaser and with a final pass to Kiera, the Harpies scored. It was 210 to 200 in favour of the Harpies. Unless exhaustion started to kick in and they had to change players, this would be a seeker's game.

They were about 20 minutes past the second break when the two seekers started a mad chase.

On a leash! On a leash! On a leash!

The cheering grew thunderous as Lea took the lead.

On a leash! On a leash!

"Come on! Get it! Get the bloody snitch!" Mathilda shouted.

"I can see it!" the announcer proclaimed. "The snitch is only a few meters in front of the seekers with Lea Cawford in the lead!"

Twinst was trying to throw Lea off, cutting a corner and almost bumping into her.

"Lea is in trouble! She won't be able to — oof!"

Out of nowhere like a magic bullet, a bludger came battering into Twinst's leg. He frantically held onto his broom with what was clearly a broken shin. Gwen, hovering in the direction the bludger came from, had a sadistic grin on her face.

"She's going to get it!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Come on, a little closer," Harry said under his breath, gripping the railing.

The chant broke down to simplicity in the frantic chase: "LEE-A! LEE-A! LEE-A!"

She passed behind the Tornadoes chasers who were being pressed by the attacking Harpies and came around the bend with her arm raised above her, legs splayed in front of her in a victorious pose.

"Yes!" they all cried from the stands.

Holding the prize up, she made kissing motions with her free hand towards the crowd. They loved it. The announcer's voice disappeared under a mad rumbling howl.

The Harpies assembled side by side, holding each other and posing for the crowd. In the middle Lea held the proof of their victory. Just as it seemed this was the most noise any number of people could make, Ginny and Kiera who were at Lea's side, planted a long kiss on either of Lea's cheeks. They knew how to please, and as of today, the Harpies would be the hottest thing in the Wizarding World. With 3 league victories, who the bloody hell cared who Harry Potter was? Although, he had been married to a Harpy once. That was probably his greatest claim to fame now.

When their fourfold tour of the pitc ended, they landed and gave one last bow before disappearing into the player's exit. The chants lingered for a long time after they went inside to the VIP lounge, where the families and friends, as well as prominent figures drank to the Harpies' victory.

"It's their third win," Molly said, teary-eyed. "Oh, I know how much it meant to her, she'll be so happy."

"Three times champion in the family? I won't ever stop bragging about it," George added.

"She's gotten so bloody good," Angelina said, at his side. "I am so freaking jealous."

Harry looked around. Two men from the Azkaban Guard were stationed at the exits. The door opened and through came Alfred in his Auror robes, nodding towards them and talking with one of the Guards. He wouldn't normally be off until the crowd had left the stadium. He must have made some time. Good for him.

Everyone had drinks in their hand by the time the Harpies entered the room. Ginny grinned at seeing Alfred and he caught her in a running jump, laughing joyfully. "Did you see me?"

"Yeah, I saw you," he answered, looking completely dazzled. "You were bloody brilliant, Ginny. Just amazing."

Lea passed them as they kissed and made a rude gesture with her finger in an 'o'. "Getting lucky," she sang. Ginny laughed through her kiss.

They all went to their families and loved ones. Gwen's two brothers looking more like wrestlers than wizards took a punch to the arm and a hug. Kiera met her much older boyfriend and Sandra hugged her mother, who was a tiny woman about half the size of her daughter.

Lea went on to Harry and friends. He hadn't seen her mother around, who was usually the one who came see her matches. Harry used to be quite friendly with her, before the divorce of course. She and Ginny were close. He probably should have warned Hermione about her, but Lea predictably threw her arms around his neck and squeezed hard. Stepping back she showed him a snaggletoothed grin.

"Hiya!"

"Congratulations, Lea," Harry said.

She giggled with a hand in front of her mouth. "Thanks," she said. Turning towards Hermione, she exclaimed proudly: "I know who you are."

"You do?" Hermione replied with a confused smile of her own.

"You're Harry's new wife!" she said, tapping her nose.

Mathilda suppressed a giggle, drawing Lea's attention.

"Gosh you're tall! And pretty. Harry," she said, turning to him and taking Mathilda's hand. "Can I have her for a while?"

Harry laughed. "What do you say, Mathilda? Want to party with the Harpies?"

She started to shrug and slowly nodded, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Have fun, girls," Harry said with a smirk.

"What are they going to do to her?" Hermione asked with a horrified look.

The words 'body shots' instantly sprang up in Harry's mind and he was grateful he didn't say that out loud. "Well, whatever it is it won't be anything that can't be fixed by a hangover potion."

Ginny, now finished getting carried and doted on by her brothers and parents, came over to them. She gave both of them a one-armed hug. "Enjoy the match?"

Hermione smiled and nodded.

"We bloody well did," Harry said.

"And you're not coming?" said Ginny, looking back to the Harpies.

"No, that's all right. Have a good night, and make sure Mathilda doesn't get into too much trouble. Lea already claimed her as a drinking partner."

"Congratulations, Ginny," Hermione said with surprising honesty.

"Thanks," she said. With a beaming smile, she hooked her arm into Alfred's and went to join the rowdy bunch of quidditch stars.

They didn't stay for much longer. Ginny would celebrate with family the next day and Alfred finished up his business with security. They went home, Harry refusing a party invitation for the first time in a long while.

Upon apparition, Hermione took off her comfortable black shoes and plopped down into the couch with a sigh. Harry did much the same, feeling the built-up exhaustion of work and other activities catch up with him.

"Ron never wanted to attend, so I had no idea what Harpy after-parties were like. Is it really that wild?"

"There's a reason her brothers don't attend either, to answer your question," Harry said.

He had his arm behind her, but she didn't seem to come closer at first. Harry peered at her through small eyes and frowned at the pout starting to form on her lips. "What's the matter?"

It looked like something finally snapped inside her mind. "Oh, I see how it was! Just hordes of women throwing themselves at you! Wild orgies with the Harpies. God, that little slut being all over you, what was that all about?"

Harry had to bite back an 'I wish'. Perhaps he was more drunk than he thought.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked. "It's really not as bad as you think."

She didn't speak, maintaining her scowl. Harry reached for her hand and rubbed her ring finger.

"So you don't miss it at all? You wouldn't rather be there than here?"

"I'm bloody here, aren't I?" He pulled her closer and she let him. "Lea's not a bad sort, just a little boisterous. She also never tried anything, even drunk."

"Well okay then, Mr. Popular."

"Which would make you Mrs. Popular. I'm knackered, by the way."

Harry slept like a log. By the time he was up, Hermione was sitting in the salon with Crookshanks in her lap, a smile on her face. He mechanically waved his wand to make a cup of coffee and read the Prophet's account of yesterday's match. He shook his head looking at the date. Already more than a year since he'd woken up from his curse coma. Soon he'd be leaving for Hogwarts to help out with the DADA curriculum. He was looking forward to it.

He looked up at the sound of a quill scribbling on parchment. Hermione was jotting something down with a letter in her hand. "Correspondence from the Council?" Harry asked, sitting down next to her.

Hermione hummed to confirm it and wrote down some more things in the journal before her.

"I swear I'll never be able to work that bloody cipher of yours," Harry said, looking down at the nonsensical scribbles on the letter.

"I could explain it in depth, it's not as tricky once you get the hang of it," she said, continuing to jot down notes as she talked. "I'm really getting more understanding of how the kiln in Oril's hideout might work. Constructs need a semblance of form to work, a believable form. So unless Oril was an accomplished artist, he couldn't have gotten it to work. I've been thinking that might have been who his secretkeeper was."

"So it needs to look pretty to work?"

"It needs to be believed to be real. There was this case of a magical painter doing a portrait of his mother, a mother he never knew, but he had a picture in his head he'd been convinced of. It worked perfectly, however later on he uncovered old family pictures and she looked nothing like it. People need to believe it's a real person, I guess."

Harry hummed in response, thinking of the strange contraption. "I still have no idea how we'd make use of it."

"If we do, we'd need an artist. And if Oril's situation is anything to go by, locking one up wasn't very conducive to the creative process."

He needed the rest, so much of Saturday and Sunday was spent in the terrorific cosiness of home. By the time he resumed work on Monday, Harry was feeling a lot better about the pile of leads stacking on his desk. He took a handful and went over to the Section Captain's office, which was open. Mathilda was chewing on the end of a quill with a mess of parchment on her desk. She waved at him without looking up.

Making a note in the margin of a file, she flicked her wand to close and lock the door.

"Well, tell me all about it," Harry said with a smirk. "D'you have fun at least?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and pointed the quill his direction. "How does a navel shot translate into trying to take my trousers off in public? If you were there, I'd have used you as a meat shield between me and Gwenog. You could have warned me!"

"So you did have fun?"

She tossed a paperweight at him, which he caught deftly in his hand. She called him over and turned over a piece of parchment for him to see. It was a missing persons report for one Blaise Zabini. Harry frowned and tossed the iron Auror-symbol paperweight in his hand. "Yeah, that was us. Forgot to tell you."

"All right," she sighed, putting the parchment on top of a pile.

"Does it bother you?" Harry asked, putting the paperweight back on top of the stack.

She sniffed and took another file from her desk. "Ride or die, right?"

#

He almost felt like a school-going kid again. He had his packed lunch, made by Kreacher. He had his trunk with a change of clothes just in case. And he had his planning book that Hermione had put together, which in all honesty would probably be collecting dust in his desk. He had his own way of doing things and they didn't include a day-to-day plan for his coursework. It was still early, since he didn't want to go through the trouble of pushing through a crowd of agitated students. After a long look at Big Red, he entered the teacher's wagon and went inside.

It was nearly empty, key word being nearly. In a compartment on the left end was a woman, playing with a string of wooden beads. She almost looked sad about sitting on the train.

Harry went to the compartment window, switching his bag to his right hand and tapped with a knuckle on the pane. She turned with a start and it took a few seconds before a shy smile invited him to slide open the door.

"I didn't expect anyone else to be here, but do you mind if I sit?"

"No, I don't," she said with a more honest smile. "Sorry, I didn't know if someone else was coming either. I'm new to Hogwarts."

"Harry," he said extending a hand.

There was the faintest recognition on her face as she took it. "Merissa. Frengis. I'm teaching divination."

Harry's eyes widened just a tad. This was Carlize's plant, or so he thought. She didn't seem to be the cloak and dagger type at all. "Congratulations, I guess."

"Thank you."

Her smoky voice matched her appearance perfectly. Her black wavy hair was adorned with the same jewellery hanging on her ears, beads of blue and white, giving a foreign look to her already olive complexion. In Harry's eyes a definite step up from Trelawney.

He took out the first year coursework which he had already heavily edited with his fountain pen and continued his rough crossing out of useless material. With a few glances, he'd already dismissed several paragraphs.

"I'll be doing some guest lectures with Dan Winston," Harry said. "Something about the students paying more attention when my name is mentioned."

"You've done this before?" she asked.

"Three years ago. It's fun once in a while. You're already running behind on Trelawney though. She'd already predicted my death a few times thirty minutes into my teaching assignment."

She laughed and instantly apologised for her outburst. "Sorry."

"Well, it's true, but it's okay to laugh."

The first students boarded about an hour after they arrived. They got to talking pretty easily. Merissa Frengis had been all over before coming to Hogwarts. First in Durmstrang and her five later years in Ilvermorny. She'd been around in a dozen countries practising her trade. She was young, charming and easy to talk to. Everything Trelawney wasn't. Harry started to dread the fact she was involved with Carlize at all. But if past relations were any indication, it might not even be willingly.

He'd barely touched the third year syllabus when they arrived in Hogsmeade. Hagrid was waiting for them as they stepped out and broadly smiled at them. "Harry — Ah! Professor Potter, I mean, and professor Frengis. Good ter see ya!"

Hagrid shook her hand, making it look impossibly small and gave Harry a hug. "Yer can go ahead of the students while I take the first years," he said, then turning to Harry. "Professor McGonagall wanted ter see ya before the feast. Not sure what it is but she seemed a bit bothered."

"Thanks, Hagrid," Harry said. "See you at the feast."

They boarded a carriage ahead of the others and arrived at Hogwarts Castle. It still looked just as magical after all these years, especially so in the early starlight. McGonagall was waiting for them on the steps. "Welcome, Professors," she said, motioning towards the Hall. "Harry, might I have a word with you?"

Harry nodded and followed her into the sorting hallway. She sighed heavily and rubbed her eyes behind her spectacles. "I'm afraid I got some bad news this morning. Upsetting news, I might add. A letter from Professor Winston saying he would not be able to teach this year."

The frustration was clear in her eyes as she continued. "As I gathered, the man ran off with a mistress to Italy," she said in a sharp voice.

"You want me to stand in for him until you find a replacement?" Harry said, quickly getting to the point.

"Would you?"

Harry sighed, but found the offer quite appealing. After all, it wasn't like he was being offered a job. But it would be interesting to be a proper teacher instead of a side attraction. "I'm sure I can manage," he said, "as long as I keep my floo privileges."

She grabbed him by the shoulders, her eyes twinkling with gratitude. "Harry, you're a real life-saver. Thank you."

#

AN: For the record, I always appreciate comments/reviews, as long as you read it. I think I've said it before relating to this story, but going forward it'll be more relevant than ever: Nothing is ever as simple as it seems.