Disclaimer:I do NOT own Harry Potter or Eyeshield 21 or any of the affiliated characters. What I do own is a kick ass Ash Ketchum hat, a freezer full of fudge pops, and a collection of gold medal winning maple syrup. None of which will appear in this story.

Warnings:OC's, some OOC, Het, Slash, AU, fluff, language

The Twenty-Second Tackle

Harry stared at Dean as his friend got ready for bed. He had spent the weekend away to visit his mother and he only just returned, being dropped off by Kingsley. Dean was taking his sweet time getting changed for bed. Harry was waiting, Seamus was waiting, and even Neville was waiting for Dean to say or do something.

"You know I think I should start charging since you're all so interested in the show I'm putting on," Dean spoke for the first time.

Harry snorted while Seamus laughed loudly, "I haven't seen anything worth my money yet," Seamus threw out.

"Dean… are you okay?' Harry asked quietly. Only days ago, Dean was breaking down in McGonagall's and now he was coming away from what was no doubt an emotional weekend.

His tall friend sighed heavily. "I'm alright… it was tough seeing my mom after she heard the news. I've never seen her cry like before." Slowly, he pulled on a shirt and walked to his own bed. Harry watched as his friend didn't climb in and instead turned around and approached him. "Budge over Harry, if I'm going to tell the story, I'm not going to yell."

Dean climbed into his bed and settled under the covers. Neville and Seamus soon appeared and sat at the end. "Kingsley told her everything McGonagall told us. My father fought hard during the war, trying to make a difference. When he was captured, Kingsley said that he thought he was hallucinating when Dene showed up to save him. He said my dad was the bravest person he ever met. He rushed through the house, fighting more Death Eaters than he was able to handle. He got Kingsley out of the house, but as they were running to break the anti-apparition lines, Dene got hit with a cutting curse to his leg. He fell, and Kingsley tried to drag him along, but my dad told him no. He told Kingsley to leave and he would protect him until he made it across the wards and to safety."

Harry leaned against Dean's shoulder to comfort him.

"Kingsley said one of his biggest regrets was leaving his brother there, but they both knew, my dad wasn't going to make it out. He was already so injured before he got to Kingsley, and he was running on pure determination. They never recovered his body… but he did have a funeral. He has a grave stone, and Kingsley offered to bring us there sometime."

"Mate…. I'm sorry about your dad. He seemed like a great guy." Seamus leaned forward and griped Dean's arm in support.

Neville sniffled quietly. "My… my parents were tortured until they lost their minds, but I still get to see them. I'm sorry you will never get to meet him."

Harry grabbed Dean's hand under the covers and squeezed it tightly.

"I'm happy though. My mom and I, but both finally got closure."

o.O.o

Nervously, Takeru played with the sweatband around his wrist as he waited for his adoptive parents to come. They had a standing date to meet every other Sunday, to have a family lunch and make sure they stayed connected. He knew how incredibly lucky he was to have such a great parental unit. They saved him from growing up in an orphanage, they gave him a chance, and the opportunity to pursue his dreams.

When they finally joined him, Takeru took a deep breath and began talking. "I should have told you earlier," He started. "I'm having trouble coping…" It was all hard to admit.

His mother reached across the table and held his hand. "You can tell us anything Takeru. We are here to support you."

"Harry came looking for me. He went to Notre Dame, but I had already moved back here. He's looking for me and I always thought I would be the one to find him first but… I feel like I'm letting him down. He knows I'm here, and the only thing I can do is wait for him to find me and that that makes me mad. I should be finding him, I should be doing all the work, not just waiting for him to get here. I've been taking my anger out on my football team, I've been yelling at my coach, and I'm going around challenging strangers for trying to steal my moniker."

His parents were silent but supportive, allowing him to talk and just let it all out. "I feel like I have no control and I don't know how to handle that," he admitted.

"We'll find a way to help. Let's start with Harry. What happened at Notre Dame?" his father asked.

Takeru let out a long sigh of relief. He loved his parents and he was lucky to have them.

o.O.o

"I'm not perfect, and that's okay." Harry admitted, "I am quite happy being the imperfect person I am." He didn't meet anyone's eye, instead he studied the desk in front of him as held in a flinch. His lip was busted and bleeding, and his ribs hurt.

"Would you like to explain, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked him.

It was an odd situation. He was sat in his Head of House's classroom, nursing some injuries from a fight he got into with Ron. Not that he did much fighting, but the red head was very eager to hit him as much as possible.

It started when he was coming back from Herbology and saw Ron and Malfoy having a few words with each other. In the past he would have stomped over and defended his best mate, but he didn't have the energy anymore. Ron started more fights than Malfoy did and it was always the same insults. Ron was poor, Malfoy was a git. Ron had too many siblings, and Malfoy was from a death eater family. Ron was stupid and Malfoy had a pointy face. What was the point anymore? So, he opted to keep walking. Ron saw him move on, got angry and stomped over to him and started poking him in the chest. He was told that he was a traitor, and bad Gryffindor, and a lousy friend.

Soon Hermione came screeching about maturity and something else, but Harry just raised his hands in surrender and tried to back away. That apparently angered Ron even more and he started throwing punches. He got caught in the mouth first, then the stomach. Ron pushed him to the ground and when Harry curled up and to better protect his softer bits, Ron pounded down on his ribs.

Eventually Dean and Seamus managed to pull Ron off him, while Neville kept Hermione at bay. McGonagall showed up soon after and marched them all to her classroom to talk. She asked what happened, and everyone stayed mum until Harry gave up and started talking. After all, this may be his only chance to finally talk without being interrupted and he needed the others to understand him.

"I am not perfect. I am not the hero in the books Hermione has read, I am not the powerful saviour baby that Ron has heard about since he was little. I am just Harry. But they expect me to be the person they built in their heads. They think I am here to save everyone, but I just want to play quidditch. Sure, we went on a couple adventures, but they were dangerous and not something we should have been doing. I tried to be that person for them, because they were my first and only friends, but we are young, and we don't know a lot of magic. What we did first and second year should have been left to experienced adults, but they want me to do that all again, all the time. I can't."

McGonagall frowned and silently urged him to keep talking with a nod of her head. One of her hands held up to keep everyone else quiet.

"Over the summer…. I found out what it felt like to be normal. With my relatives I was always the freak. No one would be my friend in muggle school. I was the weird Potter kid with too big clothes and a bully of a cousin. Then I came here and they wanted me to be some…. Hero. I was never a normal kid in their minds, and Professor, I am tired of that. I tried to explain to them that, but they won't listen to me. They think Dean, Seamus and Neville spelled me or manipulated me in some way but all they did was treat me like any other person. They told me the truth, they were always supported me, and I couldn't ask for more from a friend.

"Hermione badgers me about my school work and classes, she doesn't believe I am smart enough or capable of doing anything on my own, but at the same time I should handle everything thrown at me, dangerous or not. Ron is jealous of my fame, my money, and I don't know what else. But I would love to have a family, even as big as his, because I would mean I would have parents and siblings that would love me.

"I am not the perfect friend, hero, or Gryffindor they think I am. I get scared, I'm not the smartest, and sometimes the others need to point out when I'm being an idiot. I love quidditch, and I love my friends, but I don't like my family, and I don't like being alone. I can be mature sometimes, but I also need physical comfort more than some one my age should. I am okay with not being perfect. I am just Harry and Ron and Hermione don't like that."

"So, you feel that they don't accept you, and this led to the fight today?" McGonagall prompted.

Harry nodded. "Ron was fighting with Malfoy again. They always fight and it's always the same. I didn't want to get in trouble for fighting, and I just didn't want to get involved with something that had nothing to do with me, plus Malfoy has been leaving me alone for the most part, so I was going to go back to the common room. Ron didn't like that and he came to me. He started poking my chest saying I should have been there to defend him, to insult Malfoy back. I tried to back away, I kept my hands up to show I wasn't going to go for my wand or anything, but Ron wouldn't let me. He punched me, and then hit me some more before the others got him off me."

Ron scoffed a couple desks down from him. While Hermione was waving her arm frantically in the air for a chance to talk. McGonagall frowned at the red head. "Did you defend yourself at all Mr. Potter? Did you attempt to hit him back?"

He could have. He was little, and with all his training he knew how to dodge well. But he knew it wouldn't have helped. Ron would only get angrier. "No. I knew the others were near by and would help, but I honestly thought Ron would stop on his own," He admitted. Ron was quick to anger but he was never a heavily violent person. He calmed down as quickly as he got riled up.

"Miss Granger, put your hand down." McGonagall snapped. She seemed to be very upset at the whole situation, and why wouldn't she be? She took pride in her house and now there was all this fighting. "I will get to you in time. I feel we should start at the beginning. Mr. Weasley, tell me what happened on your end?"

Ron glared at his desk. "Harry ditched us. He thinks he's better then us and he just left us," the red head mumbled.

"Did he say that to you?" McGonagall was keeping a very steady tone to her voice. She was looking for facts and wanted this all sorted.

"No… but he didn't have to!" Ron yelled! "One minute we are best mates, and the next he's keeping secrets. But I know what he's trying to hide! He's a bloody fag now!"

Harry was shocked at Ron's accusation. Not that he was possibly gay, but the anger behind it.

"I walked in on them. All of them! Their pants down, and I bet minutes before they were probably all sucking each other off! It's sick!"

McGonagall pursed her lips sternly. "We do not talk about our fellow students that way. We do not put down or belittle them in that way. Right now, I am inclined to believe that you attacked Mr. Potter for his sexuality and that is a very serious hate crime that I will not stand for."

Ron blanched. "It's not like that! I don't care about that! I'm mad because those guys turned my best mate gay! Harry was fine before they started stealing all his time away! I just want my friend back, the way he was before they changed him!"

"Fine? Are you implying that being gay is not Fine, Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall was upset. Harry could tell when her mouth formed a very thin line.

"I… no?" Ron was lost and floundering as he tried to explain himself. "Being gay is okay, I guess. I mean like its fine. Its just… Harry wasn't gay before them. But now all he does is spend time with them and they do weird things and whisper together all the time, and he disappears by himself, and he always comes back happy from where he's been and I think he's meeting a guy cause I sometimes hear him say a guy's name Thornton or something."

McGonagall's expression had not changed. "One does not simply become gay over night Mr. Weasley. You are born, and as you grow you learn the type and gender of the people you are attracted to. You don't take a potion and suddenly beat for the other team."

Ron slunk low in his seat. "I don't hate… gay people." He mumbled.

"We will continue this discussion later. Now today, did you attack Mr. Potter for being gay?"

Harry felt like he should interject that he wasn't gay. That night had been a big misunderstanding. Before he could though, Ron kept talking.

"No. Malfoy was saying some stuff and it got me mad, and then I saw Harry and I was still mad at him for dropping his classes with me and not telling me how he did it, and for hanging out with the other guys and not me, and I couldn't hold it all in anymore."

"What did Mr. Malfoy say that got you riled up?"

Ron blushed at her question. "He said that Harry ditched me because he was tired of me hanging off his coattails. Then he said I should be happy that Harry even spared me a glance these last two year's. Then Harry walked by and he looked away from me and I snapped."

"Seems we will also need to discuss some anger management at a later date." McGonagall gave Ron a harsh look before diverting her attention. "Alright Miss Granger, what is your story?"

Hermione bit her lip as he took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Harry has become different person. Ron told me what he saw…. But I didn't believe him. I heard stories of boys in boarding schools, how they do weird things together. But Harry had begun shutting us out, and he wouldn't talk to us. I kept trying to get him to tell us what was going on because I knew he had a secret. And at Christmas he went away, he left the castle and I thought he was with Dean, but something happened and I overheard him thanking Dean again for taking him in last minute over the holidays, so I just know he was doing something dangerous. He wouldn't tell us anything though! Then his classes and he started lying about taking new electives but I am in all the classes and he's not in any of them. He lies and he hides, and he wasn't like this until those three got to him!"

McGonagall let out a heavy sigh. "What happened today?"

"I… I was near Ron when he ran into Malfoy, and I was waiting just in case I needed to run and get a Professor if anything bad happened, but then Ron saw Harry and he started yelling. I came over hoping to get them to stop fighting, but neither were listening to me, and then they started fighting!"

"Hold on! Harry didn't fight! Harry didn't say anything!" Seamus exploded. "Don't try to put any blame on Harry!"

"Mr. Finnegan! You will wait your turn!" McGonagall snapped again. When Seamus shut his mouth, his Head turned back to Hermione. "Did Mr. Potter argue back with Mr. Weasley? Did he throw a single hit?"

Hermione hesitated. "Well he must have… I mean, Ron wouldn't do something like that unless provoked."

McGonagall narrowed her eyes. "But did you personally hear or see Mr. Potter engage in the fight?" Slowly, Hermione shook her head no. "So, you are working off assumptions? Because there was fight, both parties must be equally responsible for it?" Hermione lowered her eyes in defeat. "What happened after Mr. Weasley threw the first punch?"

Hermione swallowed hard. "I tried… I tried to get them to stop. I wanted to grab one of them to stop the hitting but Neville stopped me. Then Dean and Seamus were pulling Ron away… and Harry was on the ground in a ball."

"Okay, now from the other three, who would like to tell me their version of the story first?" McGonagall swept her eyes over the remaining lions in the room. Dean was sitting beside Harry, while Seamus and Neville were seated at the desks behind them. Dean slowly raised his hand, surprising Harry as he was sure Seamus would just start talking.

"Mr. Thomas, you may start then."

Dean nodded. "We were walking back from class. We all saw Ron and Malfoy but didn't do anything. When Ron stormed up to Harry, we gave them a little room. We knew that Ron was angry and I personally thought that if we surrounded him, he may feel trapped and lash out more. I moved the other two away, and when Harry tried to leave, we started walking too, hoping some distance would help. Hermione joined and she only escalated the situation by yelling at them. Ron punched Harry in the face, then the stomach. By then, we got over our shock at his violence and rushed to help. Harry had dropped to the ground and curled into a ball. He didn't say anything, he never hit back, his only defense was to curl up. Seamus and I pulled Ron off, and then you came by."

McGonagall nodded. "Mr. Longbottom, you next."

Neville's story was similar to Dean's. he explained how Dean encouraged them to step back, how they started walking away when Harry did, but instead of reaching for Harry, he grabbed Hermione to stop her from getting hurt as it didn't look like Ron was fully aware of his actions.

Then the time finally arrived for Seamus to shine.

"Mr. Finnegan, if you will," McGonagall said with a reluctant sigh.

"First, I would like to start with saying Harry ain' gay! He ain' straight either. I firmly believe he's asexual. He's not interested in either form! In fact, I may be willing to the bet that the future Mrs. Potter will be his firebolt. God knows he loves that thing!"

Harry groaned as he dropped his head to his desk. Not only was his friend speaking without a filter but his anger at the situation made his accent heavier. When he got like this, he wasn't going to stop until he hit a wall.

"As for that night in the dorms, all ma fault! I wanted a peek at that other boy's bits, just a small comparison, but well… some of us are not small at all if you know what I mean," Seamus said with a laugh. Harry could just see him sending a wink towards their Head of House. He would ask who raised him, but he met Seamus' mother and she was lovely lady. He had no clue where this came from. "Like I said just a curiosity and nothing more."

Harry started to lightly bang his head against the desk. Maybe if he did it enough he could pass out and avoid this whole awkward situation. Why did Seamus need to bring this all up? He was pretty sure McGonagall didn't need to know those, and probably didn't' care it either.

"We boys need to bond some how and that just seemed to fit the moment. Plus, sometimes you need to check to see where you stand. I believe that I am maturing at a greater rate than others, and that's not bad, for anyone, but it also brought up some concerns. If I could offer a suggestion? We need a good sex education class in this school. Did you know that until a couple months ago Harry didn't even have a sex talk? There's a serious need for such a class and I'm surprised there's not more pregnant witches runnin around!"

McGonagall held up a hand to stop the Irish boy. "Mr. Finnegan," She started. But Seamus was not to be deterred.

"Especially right now! This is an awkward time for us young people. Our bodies are changin' and if we ain' got a good support at home how are we supposed to know what's goin' on? I bet Pomfrey get's tons of questions. Do we even have a pamphlet or something? I shouldn't even have to ask that, it should be a readily available material to help use young people through this difficult time in our lives!"

"On topic Mr. Finnegan!" McGonagall pushed.

"But that's all off topic. Today, well it's what Dean said. Ron and Malfoy, Ron going after Harry, throwing punches and us pulling him off. "Seamus flippantly listed off, "Anyways that's not the real story here. You see, Harry was tired of Hermione bullying him, putting us down, and just being a nag. That's when he started pulling away. We tried to include Ron, but I guess now he didn't want to do things with us in case we made him gay. He didn't want to hang with us when we asked, Hermione was too busy hating us, funny thing though, had either of them tried, we all would have welcomed them! But instead they told us to stay away from Harry and told Harry to stay away from us and well… we didn't like that. So I started fighting back! Why should we just roll over and take all the cruel words they threw at us?"

McGonagall sighed again. "I see. I will talk to the Headmaster about your suggestions Mr. Finnegan." Well that was something.

"Good. I really think some pamphlets, and a class or two would really help!" Seamus seemed to have found a cause, whether he would stick to it, they would all see.

McGonagall pursed her lips. She seemed to have reached the end of her rope. "As for this fight, Mr. Weasley, you will be serving out a month's detention. I will also be contacting your mother about this, your anger, and your intolerance. I will encourage you, and Miss Granger to leave Mr. Potter alone. There are some hurt feelings and lots of misunderstandings, and I think it would be best if, for the time being, you all allow yourselves some time to calm down.

"I will say this, Mr. Potter, has been attending regular meetings with me about his academics. He has chosen to be a professional quidditch player and I have granted him permission to take flying as an elective. His second elective is a class not offered in Hogwarts. Through special ministry permission, he is taking a self study course and is doing remarkable with it. Miss Granger, I am saying this for your benefit so that you may know and leave Mr. Potter alone. It is his choice to talk about his classes and you will not insert yourself into another student's academics without their permission."

Harry raised his head to stare at his Head of House. She was defending his choices and seemed quite upset at Hermione's meddling. I guess it was a direct insult to her, it implied she wasn't doing her job properly.

"This is what will happen. Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, you will stay here as I have more to discuss with both of you. Mr. Thomas, Finnegan, and Longbottom, shall return to the common room, and I will personally escort Mr. Potter to the hospital wing."

There was some grumbling, but quickly everyone followed orders. Harry waited outside the classroom door, while McGonagall sternly told the remaining two to wait. She joined him quickly and they started walking.

"I apologise for telling Miss Granger about your chosen career path, but I feel she needed to hear it from an authority figure to fully understand that you were not simply fooling around."

Harry shrugged. "I have tried telling her, but she thinks I am fooling myself. She doesn't see how much I love quidditch and how happy it makes me."

"I am curious, why have you not told them about your brother and your search for him?" McGonagall set a steady but unhurried pace to the hospital wing, which gave Harry some time to think.

"I guess, I just never wanted to. It was hard enough telling Dean and Seamus the first time. I only opened up because their mom's were there and well… I guess when it came time to tell Ron and Hermione, I didn't feel like it. It's not a secret I'm trying to hide, but I guess I thought they wouldn't get it… in my mind I could hear Hermione telling me a newspaper wasn't enough of a reason to search for him, and Ron… he has a squib uncle he says they never talk about. I didn't know how he was going to react to the perfect Harry Potter having a squib brother."

"Are you ashamed of Thornley? For not having magic?"

Harry laughed lightly. "No. I didn't even know I had magic most of my life, and I don't think he would care when he finds out I have it. I just want my brother. I would return to muggle school… if I could be with him. Is that weird to say? I can't even remember him… but I feel like, when I get him back, I will never want to leave him."

McGonagall nodded. "I had two younger brothers. The youngest, Robert, died during the war. As an older sibling, as a sister who loved her brother dearly, if I ever got him back, I know I would cling to him until he got sick of me, and then even more after that."

Harry bit his lip before releasing it when it stung. "And your other brother?"

"Alive and ensuring there are many children carrying on the McGonagall name." Harry smiled at that. He never thought about his professor's personal life. It started to make sense why she was so invested in helping him. She must miss her youngest brother terribly and wished to reunite other lost siblings.

"I have been talking to Professor Flitwick, his friend in Japan says he's willing to host you this summer should you wish to go there. He offered to start exchanging letters with you prior to your visit. He thinks it would help with your language lessons as well."

Harry grinned and then flinched a little as it pulled are his injured lip. "Really? That would be amazing! I'm sure it would comfort Mrs. Thomas immensely to know that I will have some one there to take care of me. I think she was trying to find a way to get her whole family to Japan with me."

McGonagall let out a small smile at his words. "I have met her, and she does seem to be a very caring and concerned mother. She is a great female presence in your life. I am glad you and Mr. Thomas have become so close. Have you heard how the meeting went between her and Mr. Shacklebolt?"

Harry was stunned. Was McGonagall pumping him for information? "It went well. Dean said his mom was happy and sad to hear the news. She thanked Kingsley for coming by and asked him to come again so that Dean may know about his father. Dean said it was an emotional day but it was good."

"The war tore many families apart, leaving so much heartbreak behind. A decade later and some are only now starting to heal…." McGonagall looked lost in thought, so Harry stayed quiet for the rest of their journey.

When they arrived at the Hospital Wing, Pomfrey was already waiting by the doors with a stern look on her face. "I heard whispers that there was a fight. It was only a matter of time until you made your way back here Mr. Potter."

McGonagall stepped forward then, "Take it easy on him Poppy, it wasn't his fault this time."

Pomfrey sniffed lightly. "This time… Alright lad, lets gets you fixed up quick. You do have a quidditch game coming up, and just between the two of us, I'm rooting for a Gryffindor win. I won't have you letting me down."

Harry grinned lightly at her words. He knew she loved his house but as a nurse she was to remain unbiased. Maybe next Christmas he would send her a Gryffindor scarf.

"May I use your fire Poppy? I must floo the headmaster and have him call Arthur and Molly Weasley here."

Pomfrey frowned but nodded her head and shooed the Head of House away. "Alright, Mr. Potter, you know the drill. Onto your bed, and keep your mouth shut. I won't listen to any excuses or pleas to get out of here faster."

Harry grinned and hopped onto his bed. Deciding to be helpful, he started to tug his shirt off. Might as well let her see his bruised ribs.

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall called as she came out of Poppy's office. "I will leave you here. I would like you to stop by my office tomorrow to continue our discussion. But, for today, you are excused from the rest of you classes."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said sincerely. She was an amazing support system.

After the Professor left, Pomfrey let out a huff. "Stop struggling with your shirt dear, my magic is good for more than just healing," she lightly scolded him before waving her wand and his shirt was gone. "Let's get you healed up."

Harry sat still as the nurse did her thing. He could feel his lip stitching back together, and then a balm was slathered all over his torso. Then she was bustling away, no doubt to get him some nasty potions to drink. As he was waiting, movement caught his eye. Peeking at him from under the next bed, was two dark eyes, surrounded by long dark fur.

Slowly, the figure wiggled out and Harry was surprised to see a large black dog. "Hello there," he spoke to the animal. The dog opened his mouth, his tongue falling out as it's tail started to beat against the floor. It seemed happy. "Can… I pet you?" He wasn't sure, his only experience with dogs was Ripper, but this one seemed friendly enough. Plus, Pomfrey would have kicked the thing outside if was likely to harm her patients.

The dog bounced over to him and started rubbing it's head on his leg. Harry hesitantly reached out and started scratching behind it's ears. It's fur, while a little dirty and tangled, was soft. "You could use a decent bath…" he pointed out.

Pomfrey came back then and glared at the dog. "I see you have met Casanova."

Harry chuckled. "Casanova?"

"Yes… it's not his real name, but as he's a stubborn flirty mutt, I decided to name him Casanova." She moved around the door and started putting vial after vial down on the bed table. "I tried getting him to leave but he kept coming back and begging for treats. He isn't a threat though so I let him stay here. Plus, he seems to calm down the first years. He's a big softy at heart and he brings comfort."

Harry continued to pet the large dog.

"Alright, you have one cracked rib, and a couple that are bruised. These potions will help fix them, but they will also knock you out. Get comfortable Mr. Potter, you are in for a nice nap." Harry sighed but complied. Sitting back, he quickly downed the potions, hoping to avoid the awful taste, but could you ever really avoid it? Once he finished, Pomfrey guided him to lay down and pulled a blanket over him.

When he started to feel his eyes get drowsy, the black dog jumped up and settled down beside him. Pomfrey was right, the dog did bring comfort.

Fun Football Fact!

There are fewer weddings in the United States on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year