'You bloody sell-out!' cried Gemma the next morning during laps. 'I should have known you could never resist easy access to French prostitutes!'

'They're filles de joie,' corrected Harry. 'And I've resolved never to return to the brothel.'

'I should bring in a dictionary and show you the definition of "never,"' she scoffed. 'Because you clearly think it means "at least not until teatime."'

'I know what it means, and I'm serious. The fact is, I fall in love too easily, and my life is scandalous enough without me publicly taking up with a French prostitute.'

'Fille de joie,' retorted Gemma, and they both laughed. 'So if it's not for the sex, why are you joining? Did you want to make your prathood official?'

'Several people, including George Weasley, persuaded me that joining Pratt's is my best chance to influence wizarding Britain for the better. They said I'll be able to draw neutral wizards towards the Light end of the political spectrum.'

'That makes sense. But didn't you say it's expensive and elitist?'

'It is,' said Harry. 'But if by joining an overpriced, elitist club I can help promote equality among magicals, then it's worth it.'

'That might be the most impressive rationalisation I've heard in my entire life. Have you told Hermione yet?'

'No,' he admitted. 'And I'm dreading it.'

'I can't imagine why! She could only be delighted you're joining a warded, men's only, Dark-wizard-tolerating brothel.'

'It's not a brothel! The brothel's in France.'

'Just down the corridor,' smirked Gemma. 'I hope you realise you're ensuring my ongoing prosperity by giving me so much blackmail material.'

'It wouldn't work. This is exactly how wizards are supposed to behave.'

'Do you reckon it's the same in Australia?' she asked. 'I'm starting to reconsider Plan A.'

Harry decided not to tell Gemma about the condom scheme, and he changed the topic to the Firebolt Ultra. 'I'm supposed to give it a try this week. Did you take to it automatically, or did you have to get the hang of it?'

'I liked it right away. I also tried the Cleansweep X-20 and the Nimbus 2200, but they didn't have the same kick.'

'That's exactly what I don't like—the kick. Bruce claims I just need to alter my flying style and then I'll love it, but I'm sceptical.'

Harry used his Silver Arrow during the morning flying drills, but he knew Bruce would make him switch after lunch. Fortunately, he was distracted during lunch by Janet's tales of Sunday dinner at the Burrow. 'Everyone should date a Weasley, just to experience a night with the family,' she insisted. 'I can't even imagine what Christmas is like.'

'All of you, stay away from Ginny,' cautioned Harry. 'And by "all of you" I mean Darren.'

'I don't think you need to worry,' said Janet. 'When she pulled back her hair after you left, there was a highly-visible love bite.'

'Are you serious?'

'Yeah, I told her about it before Molly noticed, but I think Arthur saw it.'

'At least he couldn't blame me,' grumbled Harry. 'He gave me a proper scolding after dinner for everything from quitting the Ministry to my private life.'

'Did you tell him about the Light you-know-what?' asked Suresh discreetly, as the pub was unusually crowded.

'Yes, but I'd be lying if I claimed it fully explains my behaviour.'

'Not necessarily,' said Gary. 'As humans, we like to believe we have top-down control over our actions, but that control is more of a construct than anything else.'

Harry looked lost, and Suresh said, 'Can you use smaller words? Harry went to Hogwarts.'

'So did I,' retorted Gary. 'Although I admit I didn't learn this there. Harry, my point is that the so-called rational self is just a creation of all our irrational processes, which are largely emotional or biological. So if you have Light magic in the mix, that could skew your decisions significantly. But really, there's no point in berating yourself, as long as you're not hurting anyone.'

'But I hurt Lydia, remember?'

'Well, yes, that was unfortunate. In that case, you need to strengthen your commitment to behaving ethically, to counterbalance the parts of yourself you can't control.'

Darren rolled his eyes. 'You're being a serious killjoy, Wisenborn.'

'No, this is good,' said Harry. 'Gary, you're saying that if I consciously set the intention not to hurt someone, it'll make me less likely to be swayed by my other impulses?'

'That's the idea. But I think humility is crucial—you mustn't assume you're infallible.'

'No, he's just unkillable,' said Suresh. 'That's not the same as being infallible.'

'I should ask my teacher about this tonight,' resolved Harry. 'Although I'm not thrilled about Hermione finding out what I did.'

Ryan suddenly looked sheepish. 'Er, Harry, I have a confession. I may have told Hermione that you cheated on Lydia.'

'You may have done?' probed Renée.

'All right, I told her. She asked me why Lydia wasn't at the match—she was concerned it had something to do with the Squibs—and I told her you'd broken up. And naturally she wanted to know why. I'm sorry, Harry.'

Harry sighed. 'That's all right. I know how hard it is to keep anything from her.'

'It is. Her mum told me that her first word after "mama" and "dada" was "why."'

She's bound to figure out what happened, thought Harry sadly, particularly once I tell her about Pratt's. He supposed it was better for her to hear it from him, and he decided to tell her that night after their lesson with Davina.

He was distracted for a while, in spite of Janet's continued insistence he host a drag party. 'I'd love that,' said Renée, 'but I doubt Vampire John Lennon would be in favour.'

'Well, of course not,' retorted Janet. 'He can't see his own reflection. Yoko would have to apply his makeup, and it would be all arty and weird.'

'Who would you invite?' asked Suresh.

'Nobody, because it's not happening,' said Harry firmly.

'Is that because you wouldn't enjoy it, or because you're afraid of publicity.'

'The latter,' admitted Harry.

'So make people sign a magically-binding contract,' said Renée. 'Anyone who spills the beans publicly would face consequences.'

'Such as?' prompted Harry.

'Antlers. For a month,' said Darren.

'And their teeth fall out,' added Janet. 'For a month.'

'That would be a good deterrent,' said Harry. 'But who would I invite? Not the entire league, surely.'

'How about the same rules as your first party?' said Suresh. 'Your own mates and a bunch of ours?'

'Not Romilda,' declared Darren.

'I didn't invite her in the first place,' said Harry. 'And that's a good point—I can't do portkey invitations again, because there's no telling who might turn up. And I won't spend the entire time greeting guests—I want to enjoy myself for once.'

'Might I recommend you wait until after you go public with your Light magic?' said Ryan. 'That way you can glow to your heart's content.'

'That sounds absolutely brilliant,' said Harry rapturously, closing his eyes.

'Knock it off, Snitchbottom,' said Janet, and she tossed the contents of her water glass on him.

'Oi!' he cried, mopping his shirt with a napkin. 'And thanks, that was close. I swear, it's getting harder to control all of a sudden.'

'You just proved Ryan's point,' she said, surreptitiously hitting him with a Drying Charm. 'But at least you'd be making a great sales pitch for the Light Arts.'

'Do it, Snitchbottom,' echoed Suresh. 'No one is going to question your sexuality after your last broadcast. Worst case scenario is that a few blokes are going to try to snog you.'

'I'll think about it. But not right now—I need to talk with Squabble and Mrs Thwip,' said Harry, tossing several coins onto the table and rising.

'The busy life of the Cannons' socialite Seeker,' declared Janet.

'Don't you dare call me a socialite,' scowled Harry.

'Forgive me, my lord!'

'Is Henry a lord?' exclaimed Candice, who had suddenly appeared with their bill.

Four of them said 'No,' and the other three said, 'Yes,' simultaneously.

Candice looked bewildered, and Suresh said, 'In Albania. But it doesn't count, because he's in exile.'

'Still, that's not something you encounter every day,' said Candice, impressed. 'Do you have a castle?'

'No, it was destroyed by the Soviets,' said Gary. 'And Henry's never even been there, although some of the locals want him to return. They miss feudalism, apparently.'

'But no castle,' said Candice. 'Do you have any treasure?'

A cursed tiara, thought Harry. 'No,' replied Ryan. 'The communists seized everything. Henry's grandparents used to scrounge around Europe trying to get other nobles to take them in, but his dad gave up and married an English girl, and Henry's the result.'

'But if Albania ever restores the monarchy, he'll be ready,' added Gary.

Candice lowered her voice. 'Is that how you got into this kind of work, Henry? To influence Albanian politics?'

Harry stiffened and said, 'I'm afraid I can't talk about that, and I really need to go. But I'll see you tomorrow, cheers!'

He tried to maintain a straight face as he scurried out of the pub. My life is genuinely weird, he thought, recalling how Voldemort had found Ravenclaw's lost diadem in Albania and lurked there for years as a wraith.

When he arrived at the training grounds, he stopped first in Victor Squabble's office, where he was pleased to find Sandra as well. 'I don't know if you can help me with this, but I've agreed to try reducing Draco Malfoy's sentence. He's currently in his second year of house arrest, and I'd like to recommend he go free early.'

Victor and Sandra both looked worried, and Sandra peered into Harry's eyes. 'You haven't been Imperiused, have you?'

'No, but thanks for asking. I refused to intervene on his father's behalf, but I saw Draco yesterday, and it's clear that house arrest is only making him bitter. In the interest of not having him as an enemy for my entire life, I agreed to seek his freedom. But I don't know where to start.'

'I'm afraid this goes way beyond my area of expertise,' said Victor. 'Sandra, could you consult the law books?'

She was already pulling a volume from the shelf. 'I'm almost certain you'd have to address the Wizengamot, since they voted on the original punishment.'

'That's what I was afraid of,' replied Harry. 'When is their next session?'

'A week from Wednesday,' she said, flipping through the book. She was quiet for several minutes as she read, and then she frowned and turned to what looked like an appendix. 'Yes,' she murmured. 'That's the easiest way.'

'What is?' asked Harry.

'Normally it's hard to appeal a sentence in the absence of new evidence,' she said. 'The DMLE has the power to revisit a case, but that can take months. However, I just consulted the 1707 amendment to the Wizengamot charter, and if you invoke lordly privilege you're allowed to bring the question directly to the Wizengamot floor. Note that you'd need a two-thirds vote to overturn the existing sentence, but I don't anticipate that being a problem, if you recommend it. Certainly the lords won't vote against freeing a Malfoy.'

Harry sighed. 'I'm going to need a hat, won't I?'

'I'm afraid so. And unlike the robes, there's no room for manoeuvring.' She showed him the detailed drawing of the lords' hat.

Frowning, he asked, 'What else will I need to do?'

She continued to read. 'Oh dear. Are you certain you're willing to do this?'

'Do what?' he asked nervously.

'You would have to guarantee that Draco Malfoy wouldn't violate the terms of his early release.'

'What does that mean exactly?'

'If Draco Malfoy committed and were convicted of a crime during the early release period, you and he would both be punished for it.'

'Are you kidding?' exclaimed Harry. 'Any crime?'

She kept reading and then said, 'No, only a crime he wouldn't have been able to commit under house arrest. So if he Imperiused someone at home, you wouldn't be punishable for that. Likewise if he's convicted of a white-collar crime, such as bribery—regardless of where he commits it. The DMLE has a certain amount of discretion, so if it's a borderline case they might be willing to leave you out of it. But if it's a flagrant crime, they'd have no choice but to punish you as well.'

'And it's only until the end of his original sentence?' asked Harry.

'That's right. When is that?'

'Next July sometime,' said Harry, who was struggling to think clearly.

'Are you seriously considering this?' asked Victor.

'I was, but you've given me pause. I'm inclined to go the DMLE route, even though it would take longer. Would I be liable in that case?'

'No,' replied Sandra. 'But whether they act on your request depends entirely the individuals involved. How's your relationship with Merrick Bode?'

Harry's face fell as he recalled the taciturn head of the DMLE. 'He'll never agree to it,' he said dourly. Lucius Malfoy had Imperiused Bode's younger brother, Broderick, and sent him after the prophecy, which rendered him insane. He was just starting to improve when a Death Eater murdered him with a deadly plant. 'Merrick Bode wanted Draco to go to Azkaban, same as Lucius,' explained Harry. 'Kingsley told me he was furious when I testified on Draco and Narcissa's behalf. If he has to approve the change in Draco's sentence, it'll never happen.'

There was collective silence until Victor sat up and said, 'Here's my advice. If you really want to do this, insist that the Malfoys sign a magically-binding civil contract that forfeits all their remaining assets to you if Draco is convicted of a crime during the early release period. I can work with Gringotts to write it up if you like.'

'All their assets?' gasped Harry

'Down to the last speck of dust in Malfoy Manor,' said Victor.

Harry frowned again. 'It won't do me much good if I'm in Azkaban.'

'You could designate secondary recipients, but I'm sure it would never come to that. Draco Malfoy would have to be insane to risk his family's wealth—it may have been halved, but it's still significant.'

'Yes, I saw the numbers when they calculated the Gringotts restitution. It's far more than what Sirius left me.'

Sandra looked at him carefully. 'Do you trust Draco's sanity?'

'That's a good question. House arrest hasn't been good for him, and he was definitely damaged by the war, same as me. But otherwise he's more or less as I remember him.'

'It's your decision,' said Sandra. 'But you shouldn't make it lightly.'

Harry thanked them for their advice, and in a fog he went down the corridor to Mrs Thwip's office. 'Here's my latest correspondence,' he told her, pulling a large pile from his pouch. 'I assume you have an equally large pile of new post requiring personal replies?'

'I do indeed, Mister Potter,' she said, handing him a very thick envelope. 'And don't look so downcast. You should be pleased you're this popular.'

'I am,' he said sincerely. 'I truly appreciate that people take the time to write and make banners, and all the rest.'

'Speaking of banners,' she said archly. 'I understand you told two young witches to owl you in care of the team.'

'Oh, bugger! I'm sorry, yes. Please excuse my language, Mrs Thwip.'

'Thank you for the swift correction, Mr Potter. Regarding the two women, I'm afraid you might have trouble identifying them amongst the numerous claimants.'

'I'm sorry?'

'Since Saturday evening, you've received seven different letters from witches claiming to be the two in question.'

'Claiming? Surely a photograph would settle the matter,' replied Harry.

'Yes, and several included them,' she said, handing him another thick envelope.

Harry closed his eyes in mortification. 'You know about Light magic, right?'

'I've recently been informed.'

He took a deep breath and handed the envelope back to her. 'I hate to ask this of you, but would you please apologise on my behalf and say I won't be contacting them? I may not be able to control my impulses, but I'm occasionally capable of rational decisions. And please, tell them it's nothing personal and that I'm sure they're lovely.'

'Yes, Mr Potter,' said Mrs Thwip, placing the envelope on a stack labelled Priority.

'Thank you. I appreciate your patience with me.'

'That's my job, Mr Potter.'

Harry felt a hint of relief as he walked from Mrs Thwip's office to the locker room. I'd rather meet a witch first before committing to have sex with her, he thought. And there's something to be said for anticipation. His mind wandered back to Alex, the Transfiguration expert who had helped redecorate Grimmauld Place the week before, and he resolved to owl her that night.

When Harry arrived at the benches for Seeker training, he brought his Silver Arrow with him, but Bruce promptly relieved him of it. To make matters worse, instead of handing Harry a Firebolt Ultra, Bruce gave him the ancient Pegasus Ten.

'What did I ever do to you?' groaned Harry. 'Are you trying to make me appreciate the Firebolt Ultra by comparison?'

'I want you to practise those tweaks before we put you on the Firebolt. They need to become ingrained habits, or else you'll have the same complaints as before.'

'Fine,' said Harry, throwing his leg over the broomstick. 'Should I fly anywhere specific, or just do my best to stay aloft?'

'Stay close to the ground and fly up and down the length of the pitch.' Bruce reviewed the tweaks they'd discussed, and Harry took off.

Is this what flying feels like to people who don't like flying? he wondered. But he dutifully practised Bruce's tweaks, which involved seemingly inconsequential details such as how to hold his ribcage and point his kneecaps. The Firebolt Ultra has to be a seriously crap broom to rely on proper kneecap deployment, he thought grumpily.

After several interminable flights along the pitch, Bruce waved Harry to the benches and said, 'You seem to have all the individual pieces in place, but can you unify them?'

'How do you mean?' asked Harry, although he already knew the answer.

'Draw a set of imaginary lines connecting all the body parts you've adjusted, and visualise the point at the centre.'

Harry closed his eyes and tried to find the point Bruce was describing. After frowning, he suddenly opened his eyes in astonishment. 'It's in my lower abdomen, right here,' he said, pointing to the muscles Bruce had told him to engage in order to align his magic with the broom's.

'I was hoping you'd say that. There's no point in forcing it, if you can't actually feel it,' said Bruce. 'If you can stand it, I'd like for you to practise some more on the Pegasus Ten, but this time attempt to unite all the tweaks around the lower abdomen adjustment. And I know this isn't helpful advice, but try not to think about it.'

Harry nodded and kicked off again. He refreshed his visualisation of the lines of energy between his lower abdomen and all the areas he was suppose to tweak, and he set an intention that they work together as a whole. This time, the Pegasus Ten almost felt too fast, not because he was moving any faster but because it was distracting to alternate between the individual tweaks and the unified experience. But even a fleeting moment of unity made him want to keep trying.

'It's hard,' he told Bruce during his next break. 'I get a taste of it, and then it falls apart again.'

'I think that's more mental than physical,' said Bruce. 'From my vantage point, you were maintaining all the individual pieces. The trick will be to relax your effort without falling into old habits.'

Harry glanced at Gemma, who was practising with Owen and the Launcher, and he could see her frustration. 'It's like what Gemma is doing, learning to trust her awareness to find the Snitch,' said Harry. 'That came easily to me, and this came easily to her.'

'No, she had to learn this too, by using third-rate brooms for a long time. I don't know Viktor Krum's history, but it may have been similar. But you've always flown the top of the line.'

'So you're saying I'm spoilt?' joked Harry. 'I should have known.'

'Nobody who read about your childhood can possibly call you spoilt,' remarked Bruce.

'That's right! Why don't I get credit for all the non-magical brooms I've had to use? I'm certain I've done far more actual sweeping than Krum ever has, or even Gemma.'

Harry flew up and down the pitch several more times, and he experienced longer stretches of unified effort than before. On an instinct, he allowed slightly more light magic to flow, and the sense of harmony increased. Furthermore, he was no longer irritated by the Pegasus Ten, and he merely enjoyed how peaceful it felt.

'That was good,' said Bruce, still reviewing his Omnioculars. 'You looked more relaxed. Er, hang on a minute.'

'What's the matter?' asked Harry.

'We may have a problem—watch this,' said Bruce, handing Harry the Omnioculars. 'Look at your hands.'

Harry watched the recording and quickly saw what Bruce was referring to. 'Bugger, they're glowing. I'd have thought the gloves would hide it, but they don't.'

'When are you going public?' asked Bruce.

'I'm just waiting for the go-ahead from my teacher, hopefully tonight. Then I'll owl Rita Skeeter and we'll schedule an interview.'

'Do you reckon it's better to announce it before or after the Harpies match?'

'After, if we can wait,' said Harry. 'I'd rather not give the Harpyheads more material.'

'Agreed. But you should be ready to announce it immediately after the match, just in case. Talk to Susanna and Thaddeus.' He chuckled and added, 'I wonder if the bookmakers have odds on this.'

'You're not the first person to ask,' said Harry. 'And it's none of my business what you do in your leisure time. Just leave me out of it.'

'Understood. Are you ready for the Firebolt?'

Harry nodded. 'There's no time like the present.'

Bruce gave him the Firebolt Ultra, and Harry stepped over it. Before taking off, he visualised the lines of energy connecting all the areas he was trying to tweak, and then he relaxed into a unified whole.

Sweet Merlin, this is fast! he thought, mostly because he'd become accustomed to the Pegasus Ten. He wasn't actually flying at top speed, but instead he was testing whether he could turn smoothly. So far so good, he thought after taking a few lengths of the pitch. He leaned forward and drew more speed from the broom to see what would happen.

The Firebolt delivered and he shot forward more quickly. Steady, he told himself, and he felt the lines of energy connect in his lower abdomen. Light magic arose, but not too much, and he tightened his turns.

Harry felt the kick he'd previously disliked, but it was no longer unpleasant. It's like adrenaline, he thought, and he aligned himself with it instead of fighting it as he'd done before. He accelerated harder, and when he reached the end of the pitch he turned sharply around a goalpost.

Ugh, there it is, he thought, feeling the unpleasant kick he recalled. But that was a sharp turn at top speed, so maybe it's just requires practice. He invited more Light magic to arise, and the next time he took a hairpin turn the broom didn't bother him. The problem was resistance, he realised, and he consciously dropped his expectation of how the broom should behave.

He was still flying close to the ground, primarily to keep out of the way, but he couldn't resist pointing upwards and disrupting the Chasers. They're over my pitch, he thought mischievously, and his unexpected fly-through earned him shouts and jeers.

'Get a grip, Snitchbottom,' called Ryan, and Harry gleefully raised two fingers at him. Oh blast, I'm glowing again, he thought, and he zoomed to the ground.

'You looked great,' said Bruce. 'How did it feel?'

'Good. Too good, in fact.'

'Yeah, I saw that, but only through the Omnioculars. We should ask Ryan whether he noticed it.'

Ryan had not, in fact, realised that Harry's hands were glowing. 'But didn't you say Light magic is distracting on a broom?' he asked.

'It was the first time I tried it, but that was full-on glowing. This was just my hands.'

'I have to say, you were flying lightning fast, and it's been ages since you caught us off guard like that.'

'Owen told me to step up the feints,' said Harry.

'That you've done.'

Tuttle, who had been hovering near the rings, flew down and cried, 'Fuck me, is that the Firebolt?'

'That would be fraternising,' replied Darren. 'And yes.'

'Potter, what did you think?' she asked.

'I'm seeing its virtues,' he admitted. 'But my hands were glowing.'

'Can you keep it that way? Hands-only, that is?'

'Probably? Maybe? It's been getting harder to prevent. I suspect I'll have to go public right after the match.'

'Go talk to Susanna and Thaddeus,' she ordered. 'The rest of you, back to work.'

Harry left the broom with Bruce and walked inside. 'Are you all right?' asked Lara with concern.

'Blinky lights,' he said, holding up his hands. 'I need to talk to the publicity department.'

He knocked on Susanna's door and said, 'Do you have a minute?'

'Yes, of course. Shall I fetch Thaddeus as well?'

He nodded, and soon they were gathered around Susanna's desk. 'I can't put off the Light magic announcement much longer. I'm liable to light up like a Christmas tree against the Harpies, and you'll need to be ready. Otherwise I'll just have Rita run the article on Sunday.'

'Rita Skeeter?' asked Thaddeus. 'Did I miss something?'

Harry explained his relationship with her, and Thaddeus and Susanna were gobsmacked. 'How did we never learn she could be tamed like that?' exclaimed Susanna.

'We've never had anyone like Harry,' observed Thaddeus. 'I suspect she only offers deals to people who consistently generate news.'

'Would you be willing to coordinate with her?' asked Harry. 'If I start glowing during the match, obviously the team has to make an announcement and it'll count as Quidditch news. But if you don't leave her a story she can sell, she could claim I've violated our contract and start coming after me again.'

'Forgive me for suggesting this,' said Thaddeus, 'but we can just follow the same pattern as when the story about your family came out. Everyone knew the essentials as soon as you punched Gilstrap, but they had to wait until morning for Rita's full article.'

'That's true,' said Harry, 'and I'm told she was on the radio that evening teasing the article. I'm sure she'd be only too glad to do the same if my Light magic comes out early. The only trick is that I shouldn't reveal too much while talking to reporters after the match.'

'That's fine,' said Thaddeus. 'We can coordinate with Rita to provide some basic information about Light magic, but not give away the main points of her article.'

Susanna looked thoughtful for a moment. 'Should we get the products team in on this?'

'Glowing merchandise?' said Thaddeus. 'Definitely—it'll be a goldmine.'

'Blimey, you're right,' exclaimed Harry. 'I swear, I'm not just doing this for the gold!'

'Of course not,' said Susanna. 'I've already heard rumours that you're donating generously to several major charities, and we can help those along if you like.'

'I'd rather keep that private, but I might get back to you if people start calling me a miser.'

Harry returned to the pitch, and within minutes it was time for the practice match. 'This should be entertaining,' said Gemma when she saw Harry carrying the Firebolt Ultra. 'The reserve players have a wager about how many times you'll swear this afternoon.'

'They might be disappointed,' he replied, and he told her about the Light magic.

'You just find new ways to cheat, don't you!' she cried indignantly.

'It's not cheating! That's like saying you're cheating by weighing less than I do.'

'Fine, Toffer,' she scowled. 'We'll just add it to Harry Potter-Black's growing list of unfair advantages.'

Tuttle released the four balls, and Harry and Gemma launched into the air. 'Does Owen still want you to track me?' he asked.

'Yeah, to see whether you can keep up.'

'Should we start with a race?'

She grinned. 'Why not?'

They flew together to one end of the pitch, and Harry took a moment to reestablish the link between all the tweaks Bruce had recommended. They aligned the tips of their broomsticks, and Harry said, 'On your marks, get set, go!'

He and Gemma zoomed across the pitch, and his Light magic arose automatically. They were close to the ground, so there was no risk of collision, and within mere seconds they reached the opposite side.

'Not bad, Toffer. I won, but by less than usual.'

Harry nodded but then shot upwards into his first feint, which gave him an opportunity to practise turning on the new broom. Gemma caught up with him, and after the feint they compared notes. 'It was only a little jumpy, and that was when I zig-zagged between Lyle and Renée.'

'I'm sorry, is that the sound of someone eating crow?' she asked innocently.

'Yes, you were right and I was wrong. East Kettleton is better than Hogwarts and I'm just a spoilt git who never learnt to fly properly. Although I'm probably better at actual sweeping than you are.'

'I doubt it, Toffer. I worked two Muggle jobs during the war, remember?'

'Bugger, you're right!' Harry scowled and added, 'But I've pitched more tents than you. And caught more fish.'

'Yes, and gathered more mushrooms, and killed more Dark Lords.'

Harry sighed. 'I wish you wouldn't phrase it like that.'

'Dark Lords?' asked Gemma.

'No, killed.'

'Well, you didn't exactly hug him, did you?'

'Actually, that's not far off from how I killed my Defence professor as a first year.'

'Wasn't he possessed by Voldemort and trying to kill you?'

'Yeah, but he was still a human, and he died because of me.'

'Get over yourself, Toffer. You didn't kill him—Voldemort did. You were just an accessory.'

Harry wasn't sure how to respond, so he shot into a wild feint through the opposing Chasers, which gave him an opportunity to practise his turning. It felt jumpy, and after grumbling he refreshed his visualisation of the lines of energy in his body, and the broomstick smoothed accordingly.

'I swore once,' he confessed when Gemma approached him.

'I'm sorry?'

'You said the reserves had a wager about how many times I'd swear about the Firebolt. I swore just now.'

'Right, but how many times?' she asked. 'Did you just say "bugger" or did you say "fuck this bloody piece of shit?"'

'More like the latter,' admitted Harry. 'You should put me down for three.'

Gemma was quiet for a while before saying, 'I really upset you when I said you didn't kill your professor, didn't I?'

'Yeah, but I'm not sure why. Shouldn't I be relieved to hear I'm not responsible?'

'I don't know. I guess it's upsetting for some reason.'

They flew in silence, and Harry deliberately increased his flow of Light magic. After circling the pitch several times, he said, 'It meant I was powerless.'

'What did?'

'The fact that it was Voldemort who killed Quirrell, and not me. I was just a tool.'

Gemma rolled her eyes. 'I think you're reading too much into this. You were acting out of self-defence. If things had been normal, you could have just kicked him in the bollocks and run away. But this was your life and therefore completely mental, which meant that when you tried to defend yourself it was all mixed up with Voldemort and the poor bugger died. But that's Voldemort's fault, not yours.'

Harry didn't reply, and they continued flying without talking. Eventually he asked, 'Have you ever killed anyone, or hurt someone seriously? You don't have to answer if you don't want to.'

'Yeah, once,' she admitted. 'I didn't kill anyone, but I hurt one of my classmates with accidental magic.'

'What happened?'

'When I was nine there were some girls in my school, a year older. They used to pick on me—said I was weird, because I was a bit of a loner.' Gemma was quiet for a moment and added, 'It was a Saturday, and I was on the high street picking out a birthday present for my mum, and they saw me in the shop. They followed me out, and I was scared they were going to take what I'd bought her, so I started running. You know I'm fast—same as you—but one of the girls was a lot taller and she was gaining on me. I knew she was about to catch up, and I remember thinking, "Please, let her break a leg." And she did, and I got away.'

'Are you sure it was accidental magic?' asked Harry. 'She might have tripped.'

'That's what I thought at the time. It wasn't until a few years later, when I was at East Kettleton and I saw my file. I was in the headmistress's office because I'd mouthed off to one of my professors, and the headmistress had to take a Floo call. When she was in front of the fireplace, I looked at the file on her desk and saw a list of all the times I'd done accidental magic, and that was on it.'

'It sounds like she deserved it, if she was a bully.'

'Yeah, but she broke her leg in three places and had to have surgery. I saw her last year, and it looked like she had a bit of a limp.'

'Was she still a bully afterwards?'

'I don't know—she and her mates left me alone after that. I'm not even sure if they remained friends, since they were sporty types and she was in a cast for the rest of the year.'

'How did you react, when you learnt it was accidental magic?'

'It came as a shock, but I didn't really process it at the time because I was waiting to be punished by the headmistress. But I felt bad about it—I still do.'

Harry knew he should probably feint, but it was rare for Gemma to open up like this and he didn't want to fly away in the middle of it. 'That's how I feel about Quirrell,' he replied. 'The fact is I wanted to hurt him, or Voldemort anyway. I wanted to stop him. I just didn't realise that stopping him meant killing him.'

'Yeah, that's it,' said Gemma. 'I just didn't want her to take my mum's present, because I'd spent all my money on it. I felt bad at the time, because I thought maybe God had answered my prayer and broken her leg, but I didn't feel entirely responsible because I figured God knew what he was doing. But then later I found out it was all me.'

'No, it was that girl too. No one was forcing her to chase you.'

'Yeah, well, same with your professor. No one was forcing him to attack you.'

'That's not true, Voldemort was. But I see your point.' He sighed and added, 'It's all about intent, isn't it? We decide we want to hurt someone, and we might even have a good reason for it, but we can't control how it turns out. Maybe that girl would have just tripped, or I could have kicked Quirrell in the bollocks and run away. But instead we got the maximally harmful outcome.'

After another silence, Gemma said, 'This is kind of a heavy conversation for a match, innit? Do you reckon you should feint?'

'Yeah, probably,' replied Harry, and he flew maniacally towards Janet's rings. The Firebolt was less jumpy this time, and he was starting to believe he could make it work.

After he and Gemma resumed circling, they didn't continue their conversation. Instead she hounded him about Twatt's and asked whether he was going to start taking all his meals there. 'It's included in your dues, right?'

'No, there's a surcharge. But even if there weren't, Kreacher would never forgive me if I made a habit of eating there.'

'Still, you need to at least try it. I'll bet it's good. In fact, you should smuggle food out so the rest of us can try some.'

'I'm not even supposed to talk about Pratt's,' replied Harry. 'For all I know, they'll come Obliviate you.'

'Do you reckon there's a ceremony when you join?' she persisted. 'Will they brand you?'

'Like a Dark Mark? Not bloody likely. And I think the only ceremony is the monthly debiting of my vault.'

'Are you at least charging it to the Blacks?'

'No, the Potters. Other than giving half of it to my godson, I haven't touched the Black vault. Although I should really do something about that cursed tiara.'

'You have a cursed tiara? That is so cool! Can I try it?'

'Which part of "cursed" don't you understand?'

'Surely someone can un-curse it,' she scoffed. 'Goblins can do anything.'

'It's worth a try, I guess. You could wear it to my next party ... or maybe not, if it's drag.'

'You're having a drag party?'

'That's Janet's latest proposal, so naturally all the other starters are ganging up on me. But I can't imagine how it'll stay out of the papers, even with a binding magical contract.' He explained Renée's suggestion, and Gemma nodded in approval.

'But drag's more interesting for men,' she complained. 'Women already wear trousers, so it's not as exciting for us to cross-dress for the night.'

'Are you a witch or not?' demanded Harry. 'It doesn't have to be Muggle drag ... you could wear wizard's robes. I'm sure Kreacher could transfigure some of mine for the night.'

'You're right—I could even wear flowers! And the tiara, of course.' But then she narrowed her eyes and said, 'Or are you going to wear it? Damn you, Toffer—you're totally going to wear it.'

'I will not wear a tiara. The ring is bad enough.'

She looked at him appraisingly. 'All right, I believe you. I suppose we'd know by now if you had a jewellery fetish.'

'No, just robes and flowers. And shoes. And I really need to wear a foulard one of these days. But that's it.'

'Are you certain? What about hats? I'll wager that by this time next year you have a signature hat.'

'Like Cornelius Fudge and his lime-green bowler? No.'

'You're bound to spot a hat on some old portrait and decide you want to wear it. Particularly if you start losing your hair.'

'Oi! I'm only nineteen!'

'Some blokes start losing their hair that early. Do you reckon it'll just recede at the temples, or will you get a bald spot in the back like a monk?'

'How should I know?' snapped Harry.

'Oh right, you haven't any relations. I suppose you couldn't ask your aunt whether the men in her family went bald or not.'

'Why my aunt?'

'Baldness in men comes from the maternal line,' she replied. 'When my elder brother learnt that in his biology class, he freaked out because my mum's dad is completely bald.'

'I have no idea whether my mum's dad was bald or not,' admitted Harry. 'The only family photos on display were of my aunt, uncle, and cousin ... Hang on, I saw some of my relations in the Mirror of Erised, but I can't remember which ones were bald.'

'The Mirror of what?' asked Gemma.

'It was at Hogwarts—part of Dumbledore's scheme to hide the Philosopher's Stone and trap Voldemort. It's an enchanted mirror that shows you what you most desire.'

'How was that supposed to hide the Philosopher's Stone?'

'It's complicated, but it basically worked, except for the part where I had to kill my professor.'

'Well done, Albus!' exclaimed Gemma. 'Just leave the dirty work to an eleven-year-old orphan!'

'Yeah, more or less.'

'So what did you see in it?' she asked.

'The first few times I saw the mirror, it showed me my parents and my other relations.'

'Oh my god, that is the saddest thing I've ever heard!'

'I guess so. Dumbledore ended up hiding the mirror so I wouldn't spend all my time in front of it, and then I only saw it again when Voldemort nearly got the Stone.'

'What did you see that time?'

'Me getting the Stone, and not Voldemort. And then the Stone was in my pocket. Honestly it was pretty weird, and I have trouble believing Dumbledore couldn't have found a better hiding place than that. But I guess it was supposed to trap Voldemort, which didn't work, of course.'

'Do you know what happened to the mirror?'

'No, I've no idea where it went.'

'What do you reckon you'd see in it now? Besides French prostitutes, of course.'

Sirius, thought Harry immediately. And Remus and Tonks. And Fred, and Colin Creevey, and everyone else. 'I don't know,' he replied. 'The Snitch maybe. And French prostitutes.'

Harry flew off without bothering to feint, and Gemma caught up with him. 'I'm sorry, that was a completely daft question. Feel free to hex me after we land.'

He smiled and said, 'No, I'll just have you try on the tiara before the goblins remove the curse.'

'That sounds fair. And really, I'm sorry ... I sometime talk without thinking, as you might have noticed.'

'Yeah, I noticed, but I'm the same way.' He was about to feint in earnest when a flash of gold caught his eye. All right, Firebolt, he thought. Show us what you've got.

With his eye still on the Snitch, Harry refreshed all the bodily tweaks Bruce had taught him, and then he shot towards it. The Snitch was particularly active, changing direction several times, which forced Harry to turn sharply during the chase. On an instinct, he gave rise to far more Light magic than before, and his hand was glowing as it grabbed the Snitch.

'Crowd around him!' called Ryan, and within seconds Harry was surrounded by most of his teammates. 'You're glowing, and we can't let them see you.'

'Oh, bugger,' moaned Harry blissfully, causing the other Cannons to laugh. 'I guess I overdid it.'

'Phalanx formation, to the benches,' ordered Ryan, and everyone flew down together in a tight mass.

'I wonder what the team observers will make of this,' mused Suresh as they landed. Harry was easy to hide because of his height, and he took his time letting his Light magic subside.

'Group hug,' suggested Renée. 'New team tradition ... come on.'

'Make Potter charm his trousers first,' said Janet.

'I don't need to charm my trousers!' laughed Harry, and they crushed him in a hug. 'Although this isn't helping with the glowing,' he added. 'I really love you all.'

'We love you too, Snitchbottom,' said Darren. 'Even though you're truly, deeply weird.'

Harry pulled his hood over his head as they walked en masse to the benches, and his teammates flanked him so he'd be hidden from view. Tuttle stood in front of them and asked, 'What in hell just happened?'

'I caught the Snitch?' offered Harry.

'How did you outfly me?' demanded Gemma.

Bruce and Owen each had a set of Omnioculars and were reviewing the final chase. 'Er, you're not going to believe this,' said Owen.

'Try me,' replied Tuttle.

'Harry teleported.'