Author's Notes:
Hi everyone! SURPRISE CHAPTER! I've been using writing as both a reward and a break from studying so I've been writing a lot during my 10-15 minute breaks and during the evenings to relax. So, you get to reap those benefits!
This chapter I did not drink any beer while writing. I will, however, suggest a nice Sam Adams Summer Ale to accompany this chapter because of it's tones of friendship and sport.
PunksterNL: YOU SIR/MA'AM/THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. I'm now SERIOUSLY debating whether I should go back and add that in because you're 100% right and I can NOT believe I didn't inherently include that.
Enjoy your surprise chapter, readers! And please make sure to review! Your reviews make me happy and push me to keep publishing! Stay safe, everyone!
Chapter Thirty-One: The Quidditch World Cup
Harry and Draco sat in the stands while they watched Portree running drills. They took turns sharing the pair of omnioculors James had brought along with them, each oohing and ahing at the appropriate times. They watched excitedly as the team practiced new drills and formations for the world cup and as James scored goal after goal atop his new Nimbus Two-Thousand.
Draco and Harry discussed the broom's specs, each excited to have their turn riding it. It was only a few hours later when the team was finally dismissed and landed on the pitch to head into the changing rooms. It was then that the two boys quickly made their way down from the stands and onto the pitch to meet James.
Sweaty and tired, James smiled at the boys and hugged both of them, "What'd you two think? Think we stand a chance at beating Russia next week for the cup?"
"You guys were wicked Mr. Potter! I loved the new formations and did your seeker do the Wronski Feint? I've been trying to master that move for ages but I keep crash landing," Draco gushed.
"Yeah, he's our secret weapon, if I'm being honest. He's a fresh face and he's been saving some of his more complicated moves for the cup. Russia won't know what hit them!"
"I can't wait to see it! can we have a go on your broom now, dad?"
"Sure thing, kid. Who gets to go first?"
"I do!" Harry and Draco said simultaneously before looking at each other.
"Wanna wand, potion, and parchment for it?" Draco asked, holding out his fist.
"Deal," Harry said as he held out his, "On three. One, Two Three!"
Draco opened his hand and pointed his finger, indicating a wand while Harry closed his fist as a potion. Draco whooped and grabbed the broom from James' outstretched hands and took off, zooming around the pitch while crying out in glee. Harry watched jealously as Draco did loop-d-loops in the air while he sat on the bench with James.
"It looks like it flies like a dream. I can't believe I didn't throw parchment."
"You'll get your turn, Harry. I promise. Just because Draco got to go first doesn't mean you won't get a turn."
Harry sighed, "I know. I'm just so excited to try the broom! But he looks like he's having a good time."
"And I'm sure he is. But he'll be done soon. Until then, why don't we talk about school. Are you excited to start at Hogwarts?"
"Yeah. Nervous, too."
"Why's that?"
"Well, what if Draco, Ron and I end up in different houses? I mean, I'm pretty sure Ron will be in Gryffindor and Draco will be in Slytherin, so we'll already be in different houses. But where will I be?"
"Wherever you want to be."
Harry looked at his father, his eyes curious and confused, "What do you mean? You always told me that the hat puts us in the houses we should be in. That doesn't sound like I have much of a choice."
"Well, no. But, the hat will put you in the house with the traits you value most. So, if you value being brave and helpful and strong over anything else, you'll be in Gryffindor. Whereas if you value being loyal or friendship over being strong or cunning, you'll be in Hufflepuff. Just because you have a trait from another house, doesn't mean you'll end up there. Take Sirius for example. Sure, he's cunning and intelligent and loyal to his friends, but he values the strength and courage it takes to do the right thing, be a good person, over all of those other things. And Tonks; she's brave beyond belief! And smart. You have to be to be an auror. But she's loyal to a fault—she would do anything for her friends, family, and sometimes strangers, to make sure they're safe and taken care of even at her own expense. So, one's traits don't matter nearly as much as what they value in themselves when it comes to being sorted. So, if you value being intelligent or you value loyalty or bravery or ambition and innovation, that will determine your house."
"I always thought you were put in the house your family has always been in," Draco whispered from behind James. Both Potters jumped as neither had noticed Draco landing near them or listening in.
James turned and shook his head, "No. I mean, sure, families are typically placed in the same house, but not always. Take Sirius for example. I told you before that his whole family were Slytherins, but Sirius was a Gryffindor. That was a huge thing when we were kids because, having a Black in Gryffindor was absolutely unheard of. But Sirius was meant to be a Gryffindor—he doesn't have a bone of ambition in his body and he couldn't care less about moving up the ranks in a job let alone having a job. Just because your family has always been in Slytherin doesn't mean you have to be. What do you value, Draco?"
Draco thought to himself for a moment, his grey eyes distant as he was lost in his own head, before he spoke, slowly, "My family and friends…books. I like to read books and learn. I think, communication is important. Helping people and teaching them. I like astronomy. What does that say about me?"
James shrugged, "Whatever you want it to mean. I do think its progress that you've learned how to think critically and be open minded. That's not something a lot of kids your age can claim."
Draco nodded and then quickly changed the subject, he didn't want to think about the sorting, "Harry it's your turn on the broom. It's a blast."
"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed as he grabbed the broom and ran off before turning back to James, "Thanks, dad."
"Go have fun kiddo. Draco, why don't you sit with me, did you want to talk about something else?"
"I've been reading some muggle books lately. Don't tell Father, though. He doesn't know."
"My lips are sealed. Why don't you tell me about them?"
Draco smiled softly and began excitedly telling James all about the books he's read. It wasn't long before Harry's turn was over and the sun was setting and it was time to head back to the Manner. Draco and Ron were staying the night that night so Sirius and Remus could take them to the where the cup would be held early the next morning. James was staying with the team near the event. By the time they got home, Ron was waiting for them out back in the pool. Draco and Harry decided to join him and they had a swim in the dark while little orbs of light floated in the air around them.
The boys were woken up early to take the Portkey to Russia where they would stay in a wizarding hotel until the match the next day. Because of the time zone differences, Sirius and Remus had opted to go a day early so they had the chance to catch up with the time changes. It didn't work out too well for them. The morning of the match everyone woke up grumpy and tired because of the jetlag. Despite this, they were all excited for the game that would start in a few hours.
Remus made eggs and bacon for everyone which the boys scarfed down—you'd think no one had fed them in days. As they ate, Harry and Draco avidly discussed the stats of the different players on each team, both speculating who was going to win today. Ron was supervising the debate, supplementing statistics and facts as necessary. Harry speculated that Scotland (Portree) would score the most goals that day while Russia came in for the win.
"Come on! You have to admit that Zarodov has been on point this season. I mean, did you see his Double Ended Twist Back in the preliminary match against New Zealand? He faked out Sanders and still managed to snag the snitch from out from under the keeper's nose. I love dad's team, but McBride doesn't stand a chance if they go head to head."
Draco shook his head, "No way. McBride has been holding back all season, Mr. Potter said as much, didn't he, Ron?"
"Yeah! Mr. Potter told us that their coach has been deliberately forcing McBride to hold back so they could use never before seen plays today. But I don't know how much that will help them. I kind of agree with Harry, I don't think McBride is a match for Zarodov, but it'll come to who sees the snitch first, won't it?"
"I mean, I can agree with that, but I still think McBride has the sharper eyes and that's going to matter most today. Especially since Scotland's chasers have been performing substantially better than Russia's. I think they'll be up enough that, even if Zarodov gets the snitch, they'll have enough points to win. I mean, Levin has more holes lately than swiss cheese does."
Ron snorted, "Please! Those have been calculated missed goals by Levin to distract the team so Zarodov could search for the snitch without being attacked by the beaters."
"Yeah, well—"
"Alright boys, that's enough," Sirius said as he strode into the room, "It's time to head out for the match. Are you guys ready?"
"Yeah!" all three boys shouted.
The group finally headed out of their hotel room and towards the pitch. They got lucky that the match this year was fully encased within a wizarding area in Russia. It allowed for spectators to be housed in hotels and houses rather than having to camp out and hope muggles don't make their way into the match area.
The closer they got to the stadium, the more venders there were selling memorabilia for the game. Each boy had brought some pocket money for souvenirs which was quickly spent on their way to the game. Ron had purchased a large hat displaying Portree's colors of purple and gold as well as a large poster depicting the first-string players for Portree. Harry had bought the same poster that Ron did as well as a set of omnioculors and a noise maker that allowed him to project his voice. He was hoping to shout words of encouragement to James. And Draco bought a Portree team jersey that was magically altered to have his last name on the back. Both Harry and Ron were envious of Draco's purchase, but neither had seen the stand before they bought their items.
With all three boys happy with their purchases, the group made their way into the stadium and up to the Potter Family Box. Each team member had a box on a different level of one of the stands—James' box was nearly as top as you could go, with only seeker McBride's box being higher.
Harry, Ron, and Draco waited patiently and watched excitedly as each team's mascots displayed themselves before the start of the game. Harry was practically on the edge of his seat when the teams started flying out.
"Good morning folks!" a man from somewhere in the stands said, his voice magically magnified, in a thick, Russian accent, "Now that the team mascots have had their time to shine, it's time to announce the team members! And here comes Scotland with McCormack, McCormack, McBride, Potter, Smith, Adwell, and Bazley! And for Russia comes Zarodov, Polakkoff, Chernoff, Eline, Dorosh, Levin, and Kristoff! Now the keepers are shaking hands and the teams are mounting their brooms and—they're off! And Scotland's Smith gets to the quaffle first, beating out Eline and Smith heads down the pitch towards the goal post and, oh! Takes a bludger to the head from a well-aimed shot from beater Kristoff!"
The group was watching the game, eyes glued on the sky, as they listened to the announcer. They were high enough up that they didn't need much magnification to see the game, but Sirius had loaned Ron his omnioculors and Draco had brought his own so each boy could watch in excruciating detail.
Harry had slowed down his omnioculors so he could rewatch the bludger contact from Kristoff to Smith.
"And Chernoff gets the quaffle and she's making her way down the field. She's up to McCormack who's trying to predict which hoop—! And McCormack stops the shot!"
Harry, who had only just seen Chernoff get the quaffle, looked at Ron and Draco, "Wait, what?"
"If you're not going to watch in regular speed then you're going to miss stuff," Draco said as a matter of fact.
Harry quickly turned his omnioculors back to regular speed and continued watching the game.
"And Potter caught the quaffle, nice dodge of a bludger by him, and, oh! Good hit, Dorosh! But not good enough to hit the Potter In The Wind! And Potter's at the goal hoops and he shoots—and he scores! 10 points to Scotland!"
The game continued in the same fashion for nearly 5 hours. Each team had continuously scored goals, but Scotland was up by 150 points with a score of 410 to 560. James had scored nearly 300 points for Scotland but spectators could tell he was beginning to tire as the hours drew on. Harry had begun hoping that the snitch would be caught soon or else they would call in the reserve players.
"And Polakkoff passes to Eline who passes back to Polakkoff who throws the quaffle over Potter's head to Chernoff who shoots! And misses. Ah well, it was a fabulous play by—wait! Where's Zarodov?"
Draco quickly scanned the skies for the Russian seeker, unable to find him before the announcer called, "He's seen the snitch! Seeker Zarodov dives; where's seeker McBride? Surely he's noticed Zarodov was on the chase. There he is!"
Draco watched as McBride flew up behind Zarodov, but not fast enough, as Zarodov reached out his hand and grasped the little golden ball.
"He's caught the snitch!" the announcer shouted as Zarodov raised his fist triumphantly, "Russia's wo—wait, no! Russia has tied for the world cup! The score is 560 to 560! What a game!"
Harry frowned, "What happens if they tie?"
Draco shrugged, "It depends on the coaches. They can choose to do a shoot-out or a releasal of a snitch. Scotland would be better doing a shootout because their keeper has been on point. But Russia would do better with a releasal."
"The coaches have met for deliberations and I'm receiving word that they have flipped a coin in order to decide on how to proceed. And Russia has won the toss! There will be a releasal of the snitch and it will be up to Zarodov and McBride to secure the win for their team!
"And the referee has brought out a new snitch, his hand gloved, and both seekers have already taken their places in the air. And the snitch has been released!
"Look at them go. McBride's form is on point this evening. Look at how he's handling his broom. And, yes! Both seekers have seen the snitch! It's going to be close, fans. And they've both reached out and—"
The crowd cheered as Zarodov raised his fist triumphantly as McBride was still scratching at the back of his hand. And just like that, it was over. And it had been an amazing game.
The boys waited anxiously after the game for James to come back to the hotel room. They didn't have to wait long before James came walking in the door, his hands in his pockets and his head down.
"Dad!" Harry exclaimed, "That game was awesome! You guys were so good out there! And the number of goals you scored was wicked!"
"Mr. Potter, is there any way you would be willing to sign my poster?" Ron asked James sheepishly as he held up his poster.
"And my jersey?" Draco asked.
James gave the three of them a sad smile, "Sure thing boys."
"And, is there any way the rest of the team would sign too? You guys were brilliant out there!" Ron exclaimed.
"I could probably swing that. If I'm honest, we could have done better out there. We should have found a way to distract the Russian seeker better so McBride had a better chance of getting the snitch. Ah well. I guess there's always next time, right?"
"I think you were brilliant, dad. There wasn't anything you guys could do—Zarodov was just on his game and there wasn't a chance he wasn't going to get the snitch. McBride did everything he could."
James shrugged as he signed Ron's poster, "I guess you're right. We'll just have to train harder next year, right guys?"
The three boys agreed and then went on dissecting the game and gushing over the new moves they saw. Harry and Draco agreed that they would have to try some of them the first chance they got. James broke into a six pack and sat with the other Marauders and enjoyed the rest of the evening, promising to take the boys to meet the rest of the team in the morning.
~ID~
Harry sat twirling his wand around in his hands by the fire in the living room at Potter Manner and found himself remembering the conversation with Mr. Ollivander. He looked at the wand in his hands and thought about the connection between his wand and Voldemort's; it suddenly gave him the strong urge to chuck the wand into the fire and watch it burn. His hand was half way to the fire when he heard James spoke.
"Whatcha got there, sport?"
Harry froze, his eyes on the wand in front of him, unsure of what to do next, "Uh, just my wand."
"Well, don't hold it too close to the fire. You might accidentally drop it," James said, frowning, "Why are you holding it that close to the fire, anyway?"
Harry ran his hand through his hair, messing it up even more than it had been, "Well, it's just, I was thinking about what Mr. Ollivander said when we were in his shop. About how this wand is the brother of Voldemort's wand. I just. I don't know that I like the idea of having that kind of connection to the wand that killed mum."
James' eyes softened as he looked at Harry, his chest hurting with an emotion he had long tried to suppress. "I understand what you mean, Harry. But wands choose their wizard for a reason. And that wand chose you. You heard what Mr. Ollivander said, you can do great things with that wand—maybe you can make up for what Voldemort did with his."
Harry looked back at the wand and sighed, "Maybe we can do some research into wand lore, maybe this is something that could be beneficial? There's got to be something interesting about the fact that your wands share a core. I mean, Mr. Ollivander even said it wasn't something that happens normally since all of his wands are unique."
"Yeah, that could be interesting. And, the wand doesn't feel bad in my hand, anyway."
"It feels familiar, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. It does."
"Well, that's good, then. That means the wand is really yours," James said as he looked at Harry. Then, his eyes widened as he remembered something important, "Hey! I forgot all about it in the excitement of getting your wand but we never took a look at your trunk. And, since I know you, I bet you haven't packed anything yet, have you?"
Harry averted his eyes, "Maybe."
James smiled, "Come on, let's go check it out and pack up your things. We have to leave early so that you make the train in the morning. I should have known you'd wait until the last minute to pack up."
The two made their way up to Harry's bedroom where all of his school things were piled in a corner in his room, most of it still covered in the brown wrappings from the stores.
"You haven't even opened anything?"
"No," Harry said defensively, "I opened my wand and a few of the books. I was reading through the history book the other night. It helped me pick a name for my owl."
"Well we can get started on unwrapping your things while you tell me that name, huh?"
Harry smiled, "Yeah," he said as they started unwrapping his textbooks and robes, "I named her Hedwig. I saw the name in the book and I liked it. When I said it to her she seemed to like it, too, so it kind of stuck."
"That's a really nice name," James said as he unwrapped Harry's quills and ink, "I think that's all of it. are you bringing any of your muggle clothes or books with you? I think you'll want to dress down out of classes and such."
"Yeah I think so. Some jeans and sweatpants will be nice. And a sweater or two. And I have a stack of books I'm going to bring. All of my Stephen King for sure and a few of the Shakespeare books. They're on my nightstand."
James looked up and summoned the books from the stand as well as several of Harry's pants, shirts, and sweaters, "Ok. Now, I know you probably won't need a lot of this trunk until you're older, but I got a really good deal on it, I couldn't pass it up. And I think some of it will help you stay organized, too."
Harry furrowed his brow, "What do you mean? What's so special about it?"
James slapped a hand on the trunk and pulled out a set of 3 keys and smiled at Harry before inserting the first one and turning it. James carefully lifted the lid of the trunk to reveal a parchment and quill organizer. It had slots for completed assignments, spare/blank pieces and rolls of parchment, a slot for empty envelopes for letters, boxes with lids for the ink so it didn't roll around the trunk, and slots for his quills so they wouldn't get bent. Harry's eyes grew wide as he looked at the organizer and then looked at the size of the trunk, confused.
"Wait, where's all the space for my bigger stuff? I mean, this is really wicked but, I mean, if it doesn't fit my stuff…"
"This is just the beginning! This is the parchment compartment. It has space for your assignments and blank parchment and ink and stuff. Plus," James lifted the organizer up by a thick piece of leather, everything magically staying in its place, to reveal a secret compartment big enough to hold several books, "it has a secret compartment to hold any valuables you don't want anyone to find or know about. You can stash sweets in here if you like or money or what have you. Well, there's a money compartment in the organizer, but you don't have to put any there."
"Blimey! That's so cool! But, I still don't see how it'll hold all of my stuff."
"Oh, wait, there's more," James said as he smiled slyly, "But first let's fill this up with your stuff."
They quickly filled the compartments will the appropriate objects (including Harry's wand) and closed the lid to the trunk. Then James carefully locked the trunk and then inserted the second key and turned it before lifting the lid again revealing the trunk space Harry had anticipated but with separate compartments and spaces for his clothes, robes, and shoes, and a small book shelf type space for all of his text books.
"Oh nice! This will hold all of my stuff nicely!" Harry exclaimed as he started filling the trunk, "How did it do that? Change compartments like that?"
"It's a special kind of extension charm with some transfiguration and charm work mixed it. It's complicated stuff but it's bloody worth it. This isn't even all of it, there's more!"
"What more could it have?" Harry asked as he looked around at the empty space where his school things had been, "We've already put everything inside of it. Well, except my muggle novels, I guess I'll put them in that secret space."
"No you won't," James said smiling as he inserted the third key into the hole and turned it before opening the lid to reveal nothing.
Harry frowned, "There's nothing there."
"Look inside."
Confused, Harry listened and poked his head over the opening to the trunk and found himself looking down on a small set of stairs leading to a room he never knew existed. He quickly pulled his head back and looked at the trunk again, confirming the fact that it was only as tall as his knees before pushing it and looking under it.
"Come off it," he said as he looked back into the trunk, "What's this?"
"Go inside. I'll be right behind you."
Harry furrowed his brow as James gestured for him to go inside of it. Taking a deep breath, Harry stood up and put one foot inside of the trunk. He felt the foot hit the first stair inside the trunk and peeked one eye out to look. He saw his foot sitting on the stair and let out a breath before putting another foot inside of the trunk, testing how much weight it could take.
He looked back at his dad who nodded for him to continue moving down the stairs. He took another deep breath before continuing down into the trunk.
Harry was absolutely amazed at what he saw inside of the trunk. He was looking at a small, studio apartment inside of his school trunk complete with a kitchenette complete with oven, stove, and fridge; a small lounge area with a couch, arm chair, a desk with chair, coffee table, and bookshelf; a bed in the corner with end table and dressers; and a small bathroom with a single shower.
"Wow," was all that managed to escape his lips.
"Like it?" James asked as he made his way down the stairs, levitating Harry's entire collection of muggle books and advanced defensive magic books as well as a few others he didn't recognize, "It cost a little bit more to get the kitchen and bathroom included, and I had to buy the furniture, but I think you'll really appreciate this feature as you get older. Especially the shower. Ron always hogs the shower when he stays the night and if you end up in a dorm with him you'll be happy to have this if you're ever running late. Plus, it has space for you to get away and do work or just relax and read a book. Eventually you can put a TV in here but since that won't work at Hogwarts I waited to include that."
While he spoke James was summoning all of Harry's possessions into the basement room. He magically hung photos of the family, Harry and his friends, and some of Harry and Cocoa onto the walls of the room. He also brought all of Harry's muggle clothes and had them put themselves away in the spare dressers in the room and summoned Harry's bedspread and pillows, having themselves arrange nicely on his bed. Harry watched as all of his possessions flew into the room and settled themselves into their appropriate places.
"I've magically set up the fridge so that I can send you food from ours. That way you can have snacks without sneaking out to the kitchens. I mean, you can do that, too, but this way you don't have to. And I stocked the kitchen with anything you'll need to cook and eat. What do you think?"
Harry took another look around the room, a wide smile spreading on his face as he realized how much it now reminded him of home. He quickly ran over and engulfed James in a large hug, holding him close for a moment.
"I love it. This is perfect. I didn't realize how much I was going to miss you and Sirius until I saw this."
"Oh! That's another thing," James said, putting his hand on his forehead, "I wanted to give you this."
James pulled out a small, square, compact mirror from his pocket and handed it to Harry.
"Your uncles and I each had one of these when we were in Hogwarts for communication. Ours weren't this nice, though. Just a small bit of mirror. But I thought it might be nice to be able to close it and protect the surface a bit. I've added you to our network so you can call us anytime you want. All you need to do is look into the mirror and say one of our names and we'll answer. You can also leave a message by saying the name and then writing on the mirror with your finger if we don't answer. You can still send us letters, but this should help you keep in contact with us."
Harry reached out and accepted the mirror and smiled, "Thanks, dad. This—this means a lot. I'm going to miss you."
James smiled sadly at Harry, "We're going to miss you too. But you'll be home for Christmas and Easter and then Summer. We won't be apart for long."
As the ascended the staircase Harry looked back at the room and smiled. He was definitely looking forward to going to Hogwarts.
End Notes:
Thank you for reading Ignoring Destiny! Please remember to like, follow, and review!
