EVoNet Forward
Chapter 21
The Sport of Gods
Terry Potter grinned as he looked out and into the huge stadium full of fans. He stood next to his best friend Ronald Weasley. Terry played Seeker while Ron was Keeper for the Chudley Cannons, and they were pleasantly dressed in orange robes and waiting to be called out. This stadium was new and belonged to a new team calling themselves the Dragon Slaves, so it was a delightful bit of fun to keep their minds off Harry related things, though, according to Hermione, Terry was glad Rose went to live with Harry, and looking to his friend, Ron, Terry was sure she was probably right, Hermione was very clever like that.
Anyway, Terry could barely wait to get out and show this new team who the boss was and found it to be great that a new Quidditch team asked them to be their first ever opponents. Though, Terry felt a little sorry for their poor choice in first ever match, but it was likely for the publicity, which made sense. Ever since Terry started playing for the Cannons they rarely lost, so losing to some noobs wasn't going to happen. The Cannons were top of the league whereas the Dragon Slaves weren't even listed yet if they ever will be.
Looking out into the stadium, Terry yet again couldn't believe how big it was, or how odd it looked. Whoever owned the Dragon Slaves must have been swimming in spare cash. Normally stadiums like this were primarily made with wood, so seeing metal supports and brick and mortar structures like this was quite impressive – and finding a place to put it in secret? Some teams had to share stadiums or build and dismantle stadiums like they did for World Cup matches in the UK as they didn't have the space for such a huge stadium. However, the sheer numbers of people was incredible. Terry was not sure there were that many people at the last World Cup Final, so he was sure the Quidditch League Federation would want to use this stadium next time as it would be cheaper than what World Cups usually cost. It put him on edge a little.
"This is awesome man," Ron jumped him out of his thoughts. Terry looked to his friend as he too peered out of the large shed set up just out of the way at ground level but was wondering where the other shed was. They couldn't see it so must not have line of sight on their opponents. "I mean look at this, our team is the greatest on Earth! We can't be beaten with you and ME on the team!" he said as if he were the best player and held the team together or something ridiculous like that, but Terry had learnt to not say anything, or he would never hear the end of it.
"Don't jinx us Weasley!" one of the three female Chasers said with a growl of annoyance, practically snarling at him and it was Terry who jumped and gulped.
Terry had a suspicion that the three women knew Harry… were they at school together? – no, he realised – maybe – he didn't know, but he realised a moment after that thought why they found out about the Rose business – and was glad they didn't seem to be that hateful to him. It was worse than the girls knowing Harry, Terry realised. They knew Ginny and Luna as Ginny was a sports reporter, and she often brought Luna with her to quidditch matches. The Chasers didn't like Ron much to begin with, but girls liked to talk, and since the other week with Harry and being transported to Antarctica (bloody bastard – though, he really liked those Penguins) the women had been more hateful. Even their coach looked like he wanted to fire Ron, but that might not go down well with the fans – but then with the correct spin, Terry was afraid his friend might be done for – well, no – he was sure Hermione said that Terry didn't care what happened to Ron; that he digs his own grave and Terry should climb in with him, and Terry silently nodded while thinking of that.
"We don't want to lose the first game of the season," the young woman continued snidely. "Especially not against a brand-new and untested team. We don't even know what they're ridding! So you best not lose us this match, Weasley or you'll be through!"
Ron only snorted while looking smug and glaring at her as he really didn't get it. "Like they could have anything better than the Firebolt Omega…! We have the fastest broom in the world. Naught to one hundred in eight seconds with a top speed of two hundred!" he said smugly like he managed to secure the sponsorship when it was actually the chasers who managed to get that deal as they modelled for the brooms wearing some fairly tight quidditch robes for some advertisement posters for the new broom, and if not for them they would still be riding their vanilla Firebolts.
The chaser was spared answering in the anger and spite Terry could see coming when they were interrupted by a young female voice booming out over the stadium with a light French accent calling for everyone's attention.
"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen!" she cheered out to squealing crowds. "I am Gabrielle Delacour, and I am your host for today's match up in the game we call Quidditch. It's the Chudley Cannons verses the Dragon Slaves from here at the newly built Moonlight Coliseum!" she roared cheerfully with a voice that seemed to come from everywhere.
Terry was almost as shocked by the announcer as Ron as they hadn't heard that name in quite a few years, and here she was. Ron's sister-in-law commentating at a Quidditch match. They hadn't heard from her, her sister, or Ron's brother Bill since the wedding day as there was a small disagreement that had been happening sometime before Harry's banishment and after. They were kind of on Harry's side in the argument, and three of Ron's other brothers left too. Fred and George had a shop in Diagon Alley and though, Terry knew from Hermione that they spoke with their dad and Ginny; they were not talking with their mum or Ron, and one of their other brothers, Percy because he was a ministry stooge. Then Charlie had sided with Bill too, and luckily for him he lived in Romania, so he didn't have to deal with his mother like Fred and George did occasionally as she 'tried' to force them to let her in.
"Let's first start!" Gabrielle continued as the crowd screamed, applauded, and went wild with excitement. "The Chudley Cannons!" she cried out to some more cheers as she called out each of their names, they flew out with a quick loop of the stadium. They didn't pay much attention to anything but their entrance routine until they landed in the centre of the pitch looking lost.
"This place looks smarter than I thought!" Terry said nervously as he could hear booing already. "They seem to have some fans and they've never played before!"
None of his team could respond before Gabrielle interrupted. "They're ridding Firebolt Omega brooms that rely on natural mana to stay airborne!" she said happily. "Those sleek little brooms may someday become a collector's item..."
Those words made all the Cannons look confused before they looked up and around. Gabrielle was standing on a huge red rimmed chunky platform disc that was transparent and floating forty meters in the air over the pitch with these little black things pointing lenses at her as they flew around. These 'cameras' were also around the Cannons. However, it was the huge and eerily familiar screens that floated above and around the stadium that made their mouths drop open.
"The adorable chasers managed to get a delightful sponsorship!" Gabrielle continued gesturing the largest holographic screen behind her and in the one in front of her, which made the three Cannon chasers blush as they were on screen with thin Firebolt Omega robes in white clinging to their bodies with tall witches hats with firebolt logo while they huddled sexily together each holding one of the new brooms with 'Firebolt Omega' and the Firebolts logo above them. The background looked like the sky and the picture moved slightly with a wind effect. There were other screens floating around almost as large with either live footage of the Cannons or the Firebolt ad.
"That is so embarrassing!" one of the chasers said while pouting.
"Wow," another said looking amazed she smiled and waved as men and women cheered. "We look good… look they love us."
"Oh my goddess," the last said in stunned awe as the crowd had booed before but were cheering them, maybe not in quidditch, but certainly in their modelling 'talent'. "Look at this, thousands of men and women cheering us."
"O… Oh god no…!" Terry whimpered pitifully as he ignored the women as he realised what was going on, and he didn't know what else he could say to what was happening. "He wouldn't… he couldn't… this is going too far!"
"Now introducing for the first time ever…!" Gabrielle called out as she had a metal device leading from her ears and wrapping around her throat and along her cheeks with little mics, and a wicked grin aimed down through her platform as the chasers had finished basking in their new sexy witch attention; they remembered they had to worry about this quidditch match, plus their ad disappeared, and it would be a few weeks before they discovered they had a huge fan club forming. "I give you, the Dragon Slaves, sponsored by Nergal…!" the crowd went even wilder as the music exploded over the stadium with big drums and guitars blazing throughout as the stadiums main screens brough up that logo and rimming the stadium holograms of Nergal's logo flick-booked with the Dragon Slave logo of a black serpentine dragon with six wings tearing through chains, and each time it looked slightly different with black and purple sparks, more chained, and more free, Terry quivered as he remembered Harry's wands ability.
Huge strobe lights of many different colours blazed to life; the world even seemed to darken to give the lights better effect, as the music screamed to the world in rage. Gabrielle didn't name each of the Dragon Slaves as they whizzed out of a huge circle high up in the stadium to one side as a door with Nergal logo hologram filling it opened like an iris.
The Dragon Slaves were a blur of motion they were moving so fast as they shot out, down and around, high into the sky. However, after some crazy stunts where some guy jumped off his 'broom' and dived fifty feet before his broom caught him, they came down to the centre platform of the pitch as the music faded out where a ref in white and black stood waiting.
The Slaves landed and the Cannons could now get a good look at them. They were all wearing slim-line padded latex that hugged their bodies perfectly with a jacket type protection over their chests and backs. They were coloured ash grey with that dragon logo on the right of their chests, and the centre of their backs with their names emblazon in dark silver above, and the Nergal logo on their stomachs.
They were wearing black boots and gloves, and slim-line, sleek helmets in black but with dragon print in grey with black tinted lenses over the eyes. However, their 'brooms' weren't wooden, or even looked like a broom. They were a sleek deep black with two handles at the front. It looked like two long pieces side by side with two foot pedals too, and a slim 'seat'.
However, it was obvious they had controls and sleek dials in the handles, and the foot pedals looked to move in most directions. As the Slaves landed the Cannons could see they practically lay on the 'broom' rather than sit on it, and they had some kind of holographic displays over the handles.
"Holy shit…!" Terry couldn't help but say as the new team just looked at them without taking off their helmets, and though his first thought was that they looked ridiculously awesome he said something different. "Y… you can't play with t-them…" he stuttered out but was interrupted by Gabrielle doing her job.
"I present to you all, the Dragon Slaves ridding the Mitsubishi Striker Zero Series Prototype SkySleds!" she called out to a cheering and overly excited crowd. "The SkySled is an EVoNet concept coming out of the closet and debuting here today as a joint project from the car manufacturer and Nergal!" she said as some Mitsubishi ads were playing on some of the screens with huge posters with beautiful women – one or two in bikinis and looking extremely sexy, and some with hunky looking men.
The crowd was roaring even louder, screaming, and loving every minute of the show. "I also want to bring you a few new rules to those people not in the know. Normally the match would end the moment the snitch is caught. However, Nergal thought that was too easy or could potentially go on forever, so to make things more exciting we are adding a time limit of three halves of sixty minutes!
"However, not only that but we are adding in a transparent ball we call the Missile! It is programmed to prevent its targets scoring, catching the snitch, saving, and avoiding or hitting the blunder. It doesn't matter who you are. This ball will attack you! However, because Nergal likes to be even, there are two!"
She said that when two large transparent multi-coloured balls the size of beach balls shot up from the ground and streaked through the air. This made the Cannons who weren't likely to complain about rule changes sigh in relief as they were so much easier to see than they thought.
"The Missiles are fare game!" Gabrielle continued. "You can have your beaters attempt to stop them or make them go after someone else… just be warned that they might not like that and keep attacking you! Each team will also have throughout the whole match start to finish only three time-outs! In the case of a draw by the end of the match we will go into overtime which will become a sudden death round, so first to score a goal or catch the snitch wins."
The crowd was still going wild with cheers as the two 'Missiles' floated in the air beautifully before two ball cannons peaked up from the ground either end of the stadium and blast up two whizzing red balls that zoomed around making weird noises. Then the little golden ball with wings of light followed. The Cannons could only stare in awe as the ref held the red game ball, ready to place it.
"Wait; this isn't right!" Ron suddenly interrupted as the ref stepped forward. However, he paused looking to the ginger top in question while the three chasers glared at Ron in annoyance as they wanted to get to the match. "They're not even ridding brooms or wearing robes. They should be disqualified."
"Don't be silly Ronald," the Dragon Slave with the captain C, (the one who earlier jumped off his sled) on his uniform spoke laughingly as he pulled his helmet off smirking widely. "You'll just make an idiot of yourself in front of hundreds of millions of people!" he said laughingly as he gave the Cannons chasers a wink and they folded, but the Crowd went ridiculously wild as Gabrielle introduced him.
"Harry Evans! Ladies and gentlemen!"
"Hey Harry," one of the seekers said with a grin. "I love what you've done with the stadium… just wow, go easy on us… please?"
"Nobody is going easy on you!" one of Harry's two female chaser said coolly and Harry only rolled his eyes and looked amused.
"Evans!" Ron hissed out in rage and shock as he only spared his chaser a cold glare, but even the Dragon Slaves two female chasers clenched their fists and looked ready to thump in one in solidarity with their fellow chaser. "W-what…? How dare you!"
Harry smirked widely as he gestured for the girls to calm. "Oh… too chicken to face me on the Quidditch pitch, Ronald!?"
"Never!" he growled out angrily. "But this isn't Quidditch. You can't just change the rules!"
Harry just shrugged as he put his helmet back on. "The new rules don't benefit my team any more than yours. They're to bring more excitement into the game but walk away if you want. I don't care. You'll just forfeit and drop a few levels in the league!" he said shrugging. "Oh, and before you think they won't drop your score – the league needs money – sponsors, and say, Mitsubishi and other muggle companies wanted to sponsor them for fair representation of their sponsored teams – new teams or maybe present teams – in the game – what would the commission say to a team that cries like a little baby?" he asked as he and his team launched into the air to wait, and the bludgers and missiles stayed away from them as the match hadn't started yet.
"I'm not quitting!" Terry said glaring at Ron. "Anyway, the missile thing seems pretty cool, and the time limit and half time doesn't mean we're collapsing after the game. But most importantly! I will not forfeit a game to the magic traitor." He then shrugged and launched into the sky with a reluctant Ron after him, but the remaining five looking each other shrugged and slowly followed them into the air.
"Wow, Harry still smoking hot!" one of the Cannon chasers said with a grin. "I think I was in year five when he was year seven. He was in Hufflepuff with me, kissed me once after I gave him a message from Terry's handler."
"Damn, you're so lucky," the second chaser said. "I was in Gryffindor, year six, so… you know, Gryffindor, so I didn't get to see much of him when he wasn't putting that Weasel and Terry in their place's."
"Is it wrong that I would do some bikini ads to get one of those SkySled things?" the last Cannon chasers asked out of nowhere as they hovered opposite the Dragon Slaves and sure, Harry Evans was hunky and hot and all that, but those SkySleds were sexy.
"Heck. I would too."
She, her fellow chasers and one of the beaters started as the other beater spoke with a laugh while they all turned to him in exasperation, but even his fellow beater shrugged and nodded as those sleds looked amazing. They pretended Ronald Weasley wasn't scowling at them in rage while Terry hung his head and tried not to look too shamed.
Sirius didn't know how the hell he got conned into sitting in the booth James bought for the Order of the Phoenix to watch Terry's first match of the season when he had tickets for the VIP balcony, and he felt sorry for Kalam still being stuck with the Potter's, and he had looked annoyed or frustrated until he saw the Dragon Slaves and then Kalam was drooling a little as the fourteen year old was man enough to love awesome high-tech brooms like anyone else. Then Kalam had snuck off for a moment and tried to buy a drink at the bar that they didn't sell as it was magical world, so she offered him a coke – a drink he had never tried before, but she was reasonable enough to let him try a sip she put in a glass. Therefore, after realising it was tasty, he wanted some, but they didn't accept galleons to his embarrassment, (and strangely Dumbledore didn't noticed that), but Sirius got Kalam's attention and gave him a swath of muggle money.
"Keep the change, Kal, and buy some snacks, and just," Sirius muttered glancing at the fanatic's. "Stay in your seat, and when these whackadoodles bugger off to get themselves arrested, stay here, trust me, okay?" he asked and Kalam nodded uncertainly, but shrugged as he went back to the bar, so he didn't see Sirius give one of the ushers a simple nod to receive one in return, or the quick flash of eye contact Sirius received from Snape before they looked away back to the match, and got 'on stage'.
Though, Sirius did look towards James, Lily, and Dumbledore, their expressions were a priceless memory he would forever cherish, still 'chewing on poop'. Sirius shrugged as he pulled out the Dragon Slave flag, he bought off a vendor earlier and waved it with a wide grin and wondering how far he would have to go to get thrown out – he was leaving at the first opportunity.
"Sirius, we're all here to support the Cannons!" Dumbledore reprimanded. "Now more than ever since it seems Harry is now trying to steal Quidditch!" he said as if he was so very clever.
Luckily Kalam managed to sneak back to his seat in the lower right corner with his huge coke, popcorn, and some nachos with melted cheese. He was lucky to be in a position where no one who would care saw him trying to figure out the zooming features of the holo-screen as he looked out on the pitch and having pulled down a little table for his snacks and he still had money left over for more. He glanced back at the others before shrugging, as he didn't care what they got up too, and if they wanted Harry to have them arrested why should he care. He was only glad he had the whole row to himself as he had no friends to enjoy this with and he wanted nothing to do with crazy people.
"He can't steal a sport," Sirius replied while rolling his eyes. "He's just letting more people play. I am so getting one of those Strikers if they ever come out for sale to the public. They are freaking awesome!"
"It looks like the Boy-Who-Lived is going to lose," Snape spoke up looking bored and annoyed with the stupid orange scarf Dumbledore forced around his neck, and he had to act like an arsehole. "Too bad, can I go home now? I'm sure I can see Potter's humiliating defeat in the papers, or if I'm desperate enough on a muggle television."
Sirius couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe they'll be selling a full recording of the match, plus extras on one of those TV disc things!"
"Now, now Sirius," Dumbledore was more forceful in his objection this time. "If you are going to cheer for Harry's team because you think it's, 'funny' or 'cool', then I'll have to ask you to leave!"
"Sweet," he replied without hesitation and got up, and as he turned caught Kalam's eye and gave him an amused wink before he left before the old man could change his mind, and Severus Snape had to annoyingly hold back a small smile as he would have seen that coming for miles away. Kalam returned his attention to the match as the start-up music still blasted through the stadium with some ads while the quidditch players were getting into position and would start the match in a few minutes. Kalam was surprised he was quite existed to watch Terry's team loose for a change as it would put that arsehole Weasley in his place, as even Kalam could tell those sleds were a lot faster and a lot more manoeuvrable than the Firebolt Omega brooms.
Dumbledore sighed as he nudged the holo-screen thing that got in his way showing a close up of the teams out of his face before he used his binocular things to get a close up look. The stupidity of what he did didn't even enter his head, and he didn't notice the odd member using the screens as they were so much better and easier to work out.
Sirius made it to the VIP lounge quickly and as the guards let him through he sighed in relief as he rushed through and out of the huge glass front and onto the huge sunny balcony with tables and chairs, some waiting staff, food, snacks, and a bar - well there was a bar inside too, but outside had a better view of the match.
The match hadn't started yet as some loud music played to rile up the crowd, and the lights blazed. The quaffle was now floating by itself between the two teams with the chasers either side in half circles waiting with the other players behind them.
Sirius grinned as he grabbed a pint of beer from the bar and watched as these white light things came out under the spectators in the stadium and created a field of light several meters tall from the ground.
Gabrielle was egging on the crowd and talking about new safety features for the players to prevent any deaths and telling everyone Quidditch's death count had been in the thousands in England alone, and that last season three people died from falling.
Then a transparent, near rainbow-ish barrier that had magnifying qualities for the spectators spread up from the lowest seats in front of the crowd that would force broom, ball or sled to veer round and not crash into any spectator as even large numbers of them had died because a player crashed into them.
"Mind if I sit here?" Sirius asked Ginny nervously as she had a seat spare at her table. "I wondered where you and Luna were," he said laughingly as he smiled at Rose as she sat with them too as they had a few tables between the whole group.
"Sure," she replied shrugging as he took a seat. "Rose invited us up here. You manage to sneak away or did your Dragon Slave flag get you kicked out!?" she asked looking at his flag as he placed it down on the table, smirking as they weren't in that loop.
"Kicked out!" he replied laughing sheepishly. "I'm not the only one who wanted better non-Dumbledore adjacent seats!"
"Sirius…!" Rose whined – also out of the loop. "You should just quit the Order. It's boring. I have to have tutors because I can't cope at my new school because of Dumbledore! I'm so far behind in classes, and apparently I can barely use English right… well, I can, but not as well as I need, and I was trying to be a healer, but now I am going to college to catch up, and then medical school, and Hogwarts was expecting me to use Latin for magic, but Harry's getting me all the help I need! He said I shouldn't leave it too long or I'll feel odd being older than most students in my year," she said sheepishly.
Ginny winced at that. "I'm glad I have a job in the Magical World then, but I was always rather good at writing about things I like, like quidditch. I'll also be writing up on this match, but I'll be fine as I can get a recording to help with bits, I miss… but at the rate Harry's going he's going to put me and Luna out of work as my magazine will go out of business if they don't adapt, and Luna writes for a conspiracy theory magazine."
"Everyone loves a good conspiracy, right?" Luna asked hopefully while they could only shrug uncertainly.
"I'm sure Harry will help you get into College if you want! You'll always be welcome staying with me, Harry, and Daphne. Daphne is secretly really nice," Rose replied smilingly as she eyed the seat to her side at the second table where said blonde gave her a disagreeing half-glare half-smile before Rose turned back to Sirius. "I wish I could have hosted the Quidditch with Gabby though! She was sneaky – she didn't say anything," she moaned with a pout. "I didn't think about it till now, but that sounds like an awesome job. I'll be a TV star while studying. I'm sure I could host something cool, like a kid's game show or something!"
"With all of your schoolwork?" Daphne asked with a sweet smirk.
"Okay, I guess that would be too much," she agreed sheepishly to some laughs.
"Quit yammering or you're going to miss the start!" a new red head girl said as she pulled up a seat and gestured to the man next to her to take the one next to hers.
"Susan Bones!" Ginny said with a sheepish grin. "Umm… who's your friend," she asked gesturing to the man wearing glasses and odd suit next to her, he looked to be around late-thirties, early-forties.
"This is Doctor Daniel Jackson," she introduced. "He's an archaeologist from the States. He had an appointment with Harry, but Harry had to have this match now!" she said with a shrug, "though I'm a little annoyed that Hannah flaked as she needed to oversee some of the sponsors," she said as she leaned over to where Daphne sat with Astoria and her dark skinned best friend Tracey and Tracey's fake husband, Blaize. "Hey, Daph, did you pick up my – thanks, you're the best, cutie," she said as Daphne smirked and handed her the phone, she left in the bathroom earlier. "You're a life saver, and you ladies are looking stunning," she said admiring the Slytherin girls dresses before checking out the other girls at the few tables they were all occupying.
"So, you work for my big brother?" Rose asked and interpreted as she was sure Susan forgot about Doctor Jackson – and her – and everyone, she was too busy admiring dresses, and Rose hadn't seen Susan Bones in a long time.
Susan quickly turned back to her as she was offered a drink from one of their private maids and nodded with a wide grin. "Sure do…" she agreed as she took a sip of her drink. "Ever since I left school I chased after him, but… I never got the guy. But I'm okay with that. I like Daphne, she's pretty awesome, and surprisingly pretty fun!"
"Why does everyone assume I'm the most boring person, ever?" Daphne asked with a pout.
"You glare a lot," Tracey told her sheepishly. "I know it's like second nature, but we're not at school anymore, and you are marrying Harry Evans… mind sharing for a night?" she asked with a grin and Daphne could only laugh at her friends antics while Astoria was giggling as Daphne's cheeks had flamed up.
"Please stop talking about my brother like that…!" Rose cried out with a fake whimper. "Anyway, nice to meet you Doctor Jackson!" she said with a smile shaking his hand. "Harry will be done soon, and then your meeting can be back on, or something. I've learnt that he likes to show off a little, so he'll throw out scheduled meetings in seconds to show the world something cool! He's… Daph says he's just a little eccentric, but I think he's weird."
"Eccentric," Daphne retorted to some laughter.
"I see," Doctor Jackson replied with a smile. "And breaking the laws of existence isn't enough for him."
"I guess not," she replied thoughtfully when he was startled as his phone rang and he answered.
"Cam… yea… sorry this Quidditch thing got in the way, so I'm… yes… well I'm glad you three scored some tickets too," he said rolling his eyes. "I don't know. It might not even be today!" he said before hanging up.
"Trouble…?" Susan asked him worriedly. "If you need to leave, we'll understand and reschedule if you would like?"
"No, no," he answered quickly. "It was just my… umm… boss checking up on me – they managed to get some tickets, so they're here somewhere."
She smiled and shrugged. "Sorry again," she replied sheepishly. "Harry does have a tendency to over book himself; if you want, I can have security find your colleagues and bring them up?"
"No. There's no need for that. It's quite alright," he said with a smile. "After all, I do get to watch this odd game in a great seat with good company, and they're trying to be low key – high security stuff, I'm sure you'll understand if your boss agrees to assist us," he said with a smile as he knew she was quite high up on the security ladder.
"I'm sure he will," she replied as she knew Harry had secrets even from someone as high up and trusted as her, but it seemed some of those secrets would be unveiled soon.
"It's starting!" Rose said suddenly in excitement as all of the lights flashed red as the music stopped. Then they went green with a huge foghorn like sound before returning to normal.
The three Dragon Slave chasers streaked forward before the Cannons realized that signalled the start of the match. Two of these chasers were obviously female as their uniforms were formfitting. The ball was plucked out of the air before it fell an inch. The centre took it and all three buzzed passed the Cannon chasers, then Beaters and Keeper.
"Score for the Dragon Slaves!" Gabrielle roared out. "Draco Malfoy the Slaves Centre Forward chaser earns his team the first ten points, and I wonder whether the Chudley Cannons even saw it coming!" she was trying not to laugh as a lot of the jumbo-screens showed huge dopy and confused Cannon players, but a few of the cameras seemed to enjoy straying to the Cannon chasers, so Gabrielle thought that if they wanted out of Quidditch they would be good fashion models or something.
This was the most fun Gabrielle had ever had – well, almost, she thought while checking out Harry in his uniform. "The Cannons keeper has at least collected the ball from the grav-field," she said as she shook that thought off. "Though, the fact he nearly fell off flying into it says he needs a little more practice!" she couldn't help the giggle as she was up on the main jumbo-screen now and gave a cute pout and moved just so she could show off a little extra cleavage of her white sleeveless blouse, and let her cute blue skirt spin up a bit, but the cameras knew how to show nothing but imply it. The platform she was on was transparent, but nobody could see up her skirt; it was quite the impressive tech because the underside of the platform was just a huge skin of a screen, like the floor she was standing on, though the platform side she was on looked more like a screen or it could give a poor young lady like her vertigo. However, she was amused as she knew the Cannons were kind of at an unfair disadvantage every way you look at it, and she was fairly sure everyone – or most everyone knew they were cheating.
"This is crazy!" Ron said from his broom as he held the Quaffle. He had almost fallen off his broom flying into that light near the ground. It tried to make him float up while he wanted to get the floating ball. "How the hell are we going to win when they're that fast!" he ground out angrily to Terry as his friend floated closer.
"I don't know but all we have to do is get the snitch before Harry," he answered looking back at the Slaves in anger. "But that's easier said than done. The match will end if I can get the snitch no-matter what."
"Yea…!" Ron replied as he passed the ball over Terry to a Cannon chaser when he was smacked in the back and screamed as the Missile threw him clear off his broom where he and it landed undignified and tangled in his robes in the grav-field.
Though, while the crowd cheered, and Terry fled as the Missile locked in on him the match went on. However, the Cannon chaser with the ball had been distracted and had the ball stolen and another point scored against her team.
Then while Ron was still down and thumbing and looking stupid Harry fetched the ball, passed to Draco, Draco knocked it up and it went through again after another Slave chaser punted it through the left hoop. The Cannon fans didn't seem to like the double score and called foul while the Keeper was down and stuck.
"According to the rules the game does not stop for downed players unless the captain or coach calls for the time out!" Gabrielle reprimanded the Cannon supporters with a bright smile and a waggling finger, which dulled the rage as she took a few steps closer to her platforms red bordered edge as it floated over the Cannon stands, her little booted feet were near the edge where she place her hands on her hips and leaned over all pouty and all the main screens were showing her while smaller screens stayed on the game balls and players. "If he doesn't get how to move in reverse gravity then a teammate should have been there straightaway to rescue him and his… broom instead of fleeing the Missile like Terry Potter did! Shame on you Terry Potter," she said turning to the pitch as the platform rose and most of the stadium were then shouting, 'shame on you!'
"Wow. That girl has their own supporters joining in that chant," Daniel Jackson said with a half-smile. The match seemed quite good actually and he could see this sport catching on, if both teams were riding comparable 'vehicles'. He had no doubt his team would have a few of these Sled things soon. "Who's Terry Potter anyway?"
"Mine and Harry's crazy brother," Rose said smilingly. "Big Brother says Terry has been groomed by the crazy old man called Albus Dumbledore to worship him and believe he's awesome. He also recons mums drugged or under some kind of spells, as some scans detected something wrong with her. He doesn't know whether dad is. I don't think he is because mum at least tries to care about me and our little brother. Dad might have just been groomed too."
"It sounds like this Albus Dumbledore needs to be stopped," Daniel said with a thoughtful frown. "I'll have to ask Mr. Evans about it during our meeting. I have some friends in high places that might be able to help if you need it."
"Wow, that's really nice of you," Rose said with a sweet smile. "Thank you very much; I'm sure Harry will appreciate it."
They continued watching the match and the Cannons were losing badly. They just couldn't keep up with the SkySleds. They were just too fast and manoeuvrable.
It came around to the first half time, which would last half an hour, and the Dragon Slaves were winning two hundred and thirty to ten, and that was only because of a foul giving them a free shot as Malfoy saw fit to push Ron off his broom, which got Malfoy a few glares from his fellow chasers.
Harry flew onto the VIP balcony with Draco, and they removed their helmets, and with Harry giving Daphne a quick and passionate kiss she greedily returned, and Draco embarrassedly kissing Astoria rather quickly, probably only because Harry did for Daphne as pure-blood mage of the Malfoy kind tended to dislike public affection of any kind.
"So, what do you guys think?" Harry asked everyone laughingly as he gave Tracey a quick hug and poke on the nose to be annoying while she pouted and stuck her tongue out at him, as he had been asked to be a little more playful with her for Daphne as her friend had been feeling down, and Daphne didn't do playful very well. Tracey had been feeling her lack of love life, and she appreciated a little affection from her friends, and Daphne was still learning. Daphne still had no idea how Harry was so good at such playful antics as she would have felt weird doing what he just did to her friend in public.
Harry was grinning as he dropped his helmet down in front of Rose, wrapped his arms around his surprised sister from behind and kissed her cheek with a chuckle as her cheeks streaked pink. Daphne frowned as she couldn't do something like that with her own bloody sister. Next Harry offered up a few fist bumps to Blaize and Sirius, and a quick hug with Astoria and Susan before shaking Doctor Jackson's hand, and then he pulled Daphne up from her seat and stole it before pulling her to sit on his lap where she found herself pouting in contentedness as he cuddled her around the waist while Draco pulled up a seat next to his wife.
"You were awesome Harry!" Rose said excitedly after her half-glare for the surprise hug and kiss. "You and your team look awesome, and Gabby is really messing with the Cannons, and did you hear the chanting. I'm going to have to feel a little sorry for Terry if you keep this up," she said laughing to show she wouldn't really pity Terry. "Terry's team is a mess. Your sled things are wicked cool! They're only ridding brooms!"
"They should at least upgrade to vacuum cleaners!" laughed Susan smirking at Harry as he held his fiancé around the waist. She looked a little embarrassed, but other than that she looked at Harry with a smile as she cuddled up with him. Susan felt a little jealous, but she understood Harry had liked Daphne for years, and they were still really close friends.
Though, Susan couldn't blame Harry for choosing Daphne. She looked really good while not wearing those baggy robes. She was wearing a high-quality outfit of a white summer dress that clung to her soft curves and delightful chest perfectly, and those shoes showing off her small feet and rainbow glossy nails. Daphne's clothes hugged her body perfectly and made Susan question herself a little – well – question whether she could play with Daphne a little. However, Daphne and Harry just fit nicely; she realized watching them with a small smile.
"I would pay to see them flying on vacuum cleaners," Astoria said after a pause in the talk, which caused a round of laughter as she had recently bought a few automatic vacuum cleaners for home, she was thinking of something funnier than them.
They hung around for a bit and talked as Harry and Draco rested up and had some juice. It had only been about ten minutes into half time while the intermission show was going on with live artists singing while some groups of men and woman demonstrated the SkySleds performance with some cool stunts when the inevitable happened. Harry had already been alerted around six minutes before to the troop of arsehats, and Harry was going to lose his temper as he had half-hoped they would give it arrest, but it would have been a waste of the set up if they didn't turn up.
The door in the lounge was blasted off its hinges and the three guards were dropped to the floor unconscious, and those guys were to let the Order in, so that was unnecessary. Harry didn't try to hide his sigh as he and Daphne stood pulling out their wands, Daphne's natural wand from her purse on the table, and Harry's, not completely natural from the camouflaged holster underarm de-clicking and connecting from the holster on his left arm, even though they didn't need to bother.
The rest of the tables stood too, some weapons drawn here and there as Dumbledore smilingly entered the lounge and was followed by a large group of his annoying minions as they joined them outside on the balcony. Though, it looked to Sirius as if Snape had snuck away or bluffed his way out of this bull crap nonsense like a good boy.
"Ah, Mr. Evans, it's so nice to see you again," the old man said as if this was a great privilege for Harry.
"You're getting on my last nerve Dumbledore!" Harry couldn't help but hiss out in anger. "You're now committing assault on my staff and breaking and entering. It seems like you're some fucked up little terrorists who like to talk too much instead of blowing shit up! – well," he added looking at the shattered door and cracked walls either side. "Well – you obviously do like blowing doors up ay the least," he said coldly, and it was obvious to everyone in attendance that Harry had lost his good nature. "I've given you so many chances to just fade to black, and now… I'm not playing with you anymore!"
Dumbledore however ignored him, and the danger Harry represented, he just smiled brighter shaking his head as if Harry was a small silly child. "No, Harry… you're misinformed. You have committed the crime against magical security, so you'll be arrested and spend the rest of your life in Azkaban!"
Harry took a calming breath before chuckling, but it didn't seem he put much heart in it. "Someday I'll shut that hell-hole down and destroy all of the dementors!" he said as his voice got colder. "After all… I'm nothing like you shit for brains and would never want to torture anyone… well maybe I would enjoy torturing the mother fucking old bastard that thinks he's a freaking king! And that he controls the everything he surveys like a spoilt little brat!"
"I do control everything within the magical world!" Dumbledore retorted smugly, and it was sickening to see most of his supporters agreeing wholeheartedly. "I will put you and everyone else in their place, everyone here-!"
"Look around you Old Man," Harry interrupted with a growl. "The magical world is slowly fading away, and you throwing me away created this – I don't care about your supposed laws. They don't mean anything to me. As long as we protect the natural kids in the real world from you, you'll just fade away into nothing with it. If only your minions would get a clue. And by the way mum, dad I'm taking custody of my little brother, Kalam, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.
"Oh, and for your information… you're all under arrest!" he finished off clicking his left fingers while smirking as several flashes of white light brought in a huge force of armed Nergal security with a few police officers to do things officially. "If you don't surrender now it could get messy for you," he said gesturing the guns. "A cross between a 'muggle' weapon and a wand! It won't be pretty for you if you resist."
Dumbledore glared at Harry as he gestured for his Order to drop their wands. "This won't do anything, so do as they say for now," Dumbledore said in concern as he was smart enough to know how fast a gun could fire and didn't want to test whether he could defend from these magic guns. "The Prime Minister will assist us in this matter."
"But Albus," Molly Weasley said worriedly. "You told us that our world is cut off from him and that… that we can't even apparate in!"
"He'll do what is right," Dumbledore replied with conviction as he and his Order were soon cuffed.
"Yes he will," Rose interrupted. "He'll get a prison secured against you teleporting out and then throw away the keys!"
"Rose… how could you betray us like this you little bitch!?" James hissed out angrily.
"And Ginny, betraying the family too!" Molly Weasley screeched. "What would your father think!"
"Oh shut up!" Ginny said coldly. "Dad left you weeks ago, and I'm a bloody adult, I can do what I want, and do you think I want to stay around you nutters like Dumbledore? Or idiots who can't see he's a bloody nutter?"
"H-how dare you-!" Molly tried to say but she was confused and unable to process, so she turned to stare at Harry in absolute angry. "It was you – you took my daughter from the light and turned her into a Dark Witch!"
"No, he didn't!" Luna surprisingly interrupted with a sweet smile. "I did with my womanly ways…" she smiled as she threaded her fingers with Ginny's and cuddled her arm leaving Molly Weasley old able to stare in disbelief.
"You're a no good for nothing cow just like Harry!" James continued glaring at Harry and Rose as he wasn't sure what that was about, but he knew he had to tell his daughter what he thought of her. "Dumbledore is a great man."
"Don't speak to her like that!" Lily suddenly yelled at him angrily. "And… no-no Dumbledore is not! I… I hate him and I hate you!" she growled her eyes alight with gold energy and her nose and ears bleeding before the glowing stopped and she looked confused before turning on Rose, and likely would have wiped her nose but for the cuffs. "As soon as this is sorted, you're coming home, and you'll never see Harry again! Dumbledore is a great man and Harry just wants to ruin everything! Harry would have Voldemort and his Death Eaters killed so they won't get a second chance!"
"They don't deserve anything but death!" Draco sneered out suddenly, but even he paused as she certainly wasn't right. "They've been given hundreds of opportunity's to be better, but they always crawl back to him!"
"But Terry is the only one who can destroy him, right James," Lily said looking at her husband with a gentle smile. However, all the shocked looks confused and baffled her from others.
"Love and infatuation…!" Harry spoke quietly to himself, but they all heard him. "Potion's most likely… so take Lily Potter to my medical facility in Nergal London for testing for foreign and illegal manas in her system!"
"Do not worry Lily, we'll stop them!" James said in a panic, but it was Dumbledore who looked worse.
"Take them out of my sight!" Harry said as he was trying hard to suppress his fury, but they could sense the malice. "We have a Quidditch match to win!" he said and with nods the police and security grabbed each wizard or witch – while Lily was shocked as she felt a tingle as she flashed away with two women. The rest of the Order were escorted from the lounge while others saw to getting the injured guards some medical attention.
Daniel Jackson had been watching the whole thing unfold in a little confusion, but he got the gist. However, finally having real conformation that Nergal really did have teleporter technology surprised him.
It made him wonder what else this man had inside that imaginative mind of his. He could only wonder for now and hope Harry would help them with their current dilemma – or be able to help – General Hammond had made the recommendation, so they should trust Harry would know how to help. It seemed bad things liked to happen too much these days, but hopefully Evans's problems weren't too big. That Dumbledore guy seemed as if he only thought that he had to win against Nergal to put things back to their primitive ways, but it was too big now – far too late.
Daniel smiled a little as he had to tell the General about the teleporter tech. If they could get teleporters (made by an Earth company) then that would make life simpler for all teams at the SGC.
Harry looked frustrated and upset as he turned to Sirius. "Go fetch, Kalam for me, would you?" he asked hopefully.
"Thank heavens this is over," Sirius said with a nod. "You have no idea how much I've wanted to tear off James's balls!"
Harry patted Sirius on the shoulder before placing his wand away. "Yeah… I can imagine."
Sirius gave Harry a half smile as he left the balcony with Rose hurrying after him. "I'll come too!" she called out.
Harry made a whistle startling everyone and they startled further as two fairy like creatures appeared, one with white feathery hair and the others hair was black. The white-haired creature was pail while the brunette had darker grey skin, and they had long pointed ears. They were wearing little khaki hipster shorts and black Dragon Slave tee shirts with the white haired one holding a little flag as she was licking her free fingers of some mustard while looking sheepish, and they both wore little white running shoes with an S symbol on the sides, and had wings of light (the white haired hairy) and wings of dark light (the brunette fairy) that folded and fluttered around them to keep them airborne.
"You girls, mind keeping an eye on, Rose for me?" Harry asked. "You'll be back before the match continues, so you won't miss anything, 'k?"
They both nodded quickly as they sped off out of the doors while most everyone stared at Harry in shock. "T-they were fairies?" Daniel Jackson asked in confusion.
"No… not really," Harry disagreed. "Creatures like them come to be from planets that have… well, to put it bluntly they're spiritual beings. Those two are named Solner and Darkess. One is a spirit of light and the other a spirit of dark – they come in paired opposites. I saved their lives back during my seventh year of school while they were still extremely young so they couldn't defend themselves as well as they can now. They kept popping by to visit me and introduced me to many other fae during the past few years, and about three and a bit years ago I offered them and some of their sisters a job as my bodyguards-."
"T-they're quite, small?" Danial said thoughtfully.
Harry laughed. "And quite powerful; they are naturally born from zero-point energy," he said, and the doctor could only stare with his eyes opening impossibly. "From what I know, since I had to do all the research myself as mage don't care about other creatures except to be racist occasionally, but Mana-Spirits don't have an actual gender, as they don't mate to breed like the rest of us as they're born from nature, but they have female bodies," Harry shrugged thoughtfully. "All other fae as far as I know all have male and female of their species," he said with a thoughtful shrug and gestured to the top of the roof area above and behind them.
Everyone looked up and their eyes widened as many tiny hands waved at them as they saw them looking over as thousands of fairies and pixies of many different species were in huge stands with Dragon Slave flags and shirts, and little fairies were selling merchandise and snacks and drinks, and they each had little holo-screens attached to the seat in front with little tables. There were some fae who were even wearing Nergal security uniforms to keep the peace, and whole families out to have some fun as the stands covered the roofs tiering upwards.
"You would never think it," Harry said regaining all of their attention. "But fairies and pixies love quidditch."
Daphne found herself sliding into Harry's arms. "That's a silly place to put those stands," she said, and he laughed and kissed her as he held her soft small body tightly.
"I know, but they will be moved," he replied. "They're only temporary, as the builders still haven't finished the stadium as the fairy stands are supposed to be right under us – a whole section of the west section is missing seats, and-."
"Harry," she laughed and interrupted. "I think we get it, but the match will be back on in a few minutes, you and Draco should get back down there," she said kissing him on the lips before he grabbed his helmet just as Rose returned with two little spirits in fairy form riding her shoulders and tugging a half-reluctant Kalam in by his hand while Sirius followed and looked amused.
Kalam paused as he saw Harry grab his helmet. Then his sled and Kalam could only stare as Harry climbed on and hovered and pulled his helmet on with Draco right after. Harry gave his brother a salute before pulling up and diving over the banister behind him and shooting down and around with Draco following him and Kalam startled at some little squealing, so he turned and looked up to see a huge stand of fairies before huger booms of cheers startled him further as more and more of the human crowds cheered for the Dragon Slaves.
"So, everyone got arrested?" Kalam asked confusedly.
"Yeah, kid," Sirius agreed.
Kalam nodded thoughtfully. "And what?" he asked staring at Sirius as he reclaimed his hand from his sister. "Have you been in on this with Harry from the start?"
Sirius sighed as he sat down and stared at the boy. "Harry asked me to stay and look out for you – that if you were in danger that I should… kidnap you, but luckily we didn't have to go that far, eh?"
Kalam sighed with a scowling-pout. "Whatever," he said and walked over to the bar and pulled out some muggle money. "Can I have a coke, please?" he asked the barmaid as it was a tasty drink and he was thirsty.
She smiled at him as she poured him a coke. "Everything up here is paid for," she said with a wink that caused him to blush as she was pretty, so he quickly took his drink and place his money away to sit at an empty table to sulk and sip his drink, and wonder whether Harry would teach him to fly like that as neither Terry nor his dad ever cared to teach him to fly.
To Be Continued…
