Chapter 2 - Quidditch

The sunshine the next day seemed even brighter due to the fact that Harry knew he was going to be able to fulfil his dream. And not only that, he was going back to Hogwarts. One thing he had never thought would happen.

He awoke to the sound of the ghoul banging about upstairs but that did not wipe the big smile off his face which was growing bigger with every waking moment. He knew that Ron was still fast asleep due to the continuous loud rumbles coming from across the room. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, he got out of bed and pulled his clothes on as quickly as possible. He walked over to the dust-covered window and looked out over the green fields and looked up into the pale blue sky which hung over the mountains, pressing the rocky tips downwards towards the flat fields of golden corn that surrounded them.

Far in the distance he saw three spots flying towards the Burrow with little speed. He squinted into the rising sun and saw three owls, two holding up the other one which was strung limply between them, hanging loosely. He heard a crash and a bang from downstairs and without pausing to explain to an awakened Ron, who was now muttering and looking sleepy eyed at Harry, he rushed to the door pulled it open and without looking back at Ron who cried out to Harry, flew down the stairs into the kitchen. Mrs Weasley was bending down, picking up a couple of pans that had fallen to the floor, her wand lying on the table forgotten.

"Sorry Harry, did I wake you?" Her voice sounded steady and normal but she didn't look at him.

"No Mrs Weasley, I was already awake." He hurried to help her to her feet, as she tried to pull herself up, her arms laden with pots and pans. She thanked him and then continued to stare out of the window at the approaching specks in the sky. Harry looked out himself and saw them, they had got nearer since he had seen them last, and he suddenly felt very impatient, he wanted to know what was in those letters that the owls were holding underneath them. It was very unlike him, he was rather anxious, but whatever the letters contained was cleared out of his head as he heard footsteps on the stairs, he turned round and saw Mr Weasley walk down holding a small bundle in his arms, that he carried with care, and as he came closer, Harry saw it move. He looked at Mr Weasley's face to see a hint of what hid in the bundle reflected in his expression, but nothing was revealed. Mrs and Mr Weasley looked at each other for a split second and then she carried on, as though no one had entered the room. Harry looked back at Mr Weasley and realised that he was smiling, rather cautiously, at Harry.

"Mr Weasley," he began, talking slowly and quietly as if he was sitting by someone's death bed, "what is that?" And he pointed slightly at the bundle of material that seemed to be stirring now in Mr Weasley's arms. But before anyone could answer it gave a small cough, and Harry, even though he didn't know whose it was, knew what it was.

"A baby?" Harry hadn't been expecting this. "But whose is it?" Silence followed but no one stopped him as Harry stepped towards the now wide awake baby that lay looking up at the ceiling, where an assortment of pans and ingredients stood on unstable shelves. As Harry approached he noticed that the baby had a slightly odd appearance and he couldn't put his finger on what it was. Until he noticed that it had purple hair. But as he watched the hair changed. It was growing lighter and lighter and it's skin was growing darker and darker. Then after a few minutes it could have been Kinsley Shacklebolt's child but with bright blond hair.

"Teddy. Teddy Lupin." Mr Weasley answered Harry's confused look. Harry's heart stopped. But the quiet was interrupted again by Mr Weasley. "Your Godson."

"Now Arthur!" Mrs Weasley shrieked.

"You can't suppress it Molly, Harry already knows and he has a right to decide himself." And they started to argue. Harry turned away from Teddy and walked directly out of the front door. The three owls had reached the garden but before Harry could reach out and take the letters, he heard a great massive grunt, and opening his eyes he found himself in Ron's room surrounded by the usual black and yellow colours of Ron's favourite Quidditch team the Chudley Cannons. But he just lay in his bed, sweat matted to his hair and clinging to his forehead. That dream had seemed so real. And yet it hadn't been. Well, one thing was for sure, dream or not, it had reminded him of someone he hadn't thought about. Another boy who had lost his parents to the hands of Voldemort when he was very young. And Harry lay wondering what he could do to help this little boy. To help Teddy as Dumbledore and Sirius and even Mr and Mrs Weasley had helped him. And he wondered where the little boy was now. And as he lay there panting, he wondered what colour Teddy's hair was this time.

***

George snorted into his food as Ron launched off his seat onto the floor.

"I was only joking," he choked as he tried to stop his stomach muscles from bursting, due the amount of laughing he had done. "I didn't really put Poison Ivy on your seat." He answered as Ron heaved himself back onto his chair and the others shrieked with laughter. "Nah," George whispered rather loudly to Harry, "I put it in his pants." And Ron fell off his seat again shouting swears at him, that appalled Mrs Weasley and earned him a smack over the head as she aimed a pan at him.

"Don't you ever let me hear you say such disgusting things in my house again Ronald Weasley." She shouted alarmingly.

"I wont," he bawled, then carried on in a whisper to Harry, "let you hear."

The morning carried on in a pleasant mood, except from with Mrs Weasley who kept giving Ron horrible looks whenever she saw him. It was later on in the afternoon that everyone decided to play a game of Quidditch. They grabbed their brooms and made their way to a sheltered area, hidden behind some trees where the Weasleys always played. It was hidden so as to make sure that no muggles spotted young men flying round on sticks, throwing rocks about and thought they had gone insane. Well, in fact, on this specific day it was really for the muggles' safety, as Hermione was awful at throwing the Quaffle.

"I'm sorry!" She shrieked as her badly aimed throw hit Ron squarely in the stomach.

"I'm fine!" He called as she flew straight to him. She reached him and threw her arms round his neck which sent them both spiralling down to the ground, where they surfaced with Hermione looking very embarrassed. Ron however looked very pleased with himself who had his arm securely locked round her waist and was complaining to much sympathy from Hermione about how much he was hurting. His arm however was withdrawn from round Hermione so fast it was unbelievable when Mr Weasley came round the corner.

"Wow Ron!" Shouted George who yet again had burst into fits of laughter. "I didn't know you could move so fast!" Ron glared at him as he and Hermione remounted their brooms and kicked off from the ground. Harry looked at Ginny, who had been laughing as well, and she grinned at him which made him feel light as a feather, as Mr Weasley blew a rusty, old whistle he had, hung round his neck. Harry looked at Bill, Charlie and George who were hovering beside him.

"He thinks we cheat." George answered him before he could ask.

"No," began Charlie, "he thinks you cheat George."

"Wrong actually." George answered with a small grin on his face. "He knows I cheat." And with that everyone dispersed into their positions, ready for Mr Weasley to blow his whistle. Lee Jordan quickly grabbed his Keeper's glove and soared over to the three posts at one end of the field. There were to be no Seekers for they didn't have a snitch as George had broken one of it's wings off on the way up to the pitch. So the teams were to be as follows:

On one side, Lee was to be a Keeper, George a Beater, and Hermione and Bill were to be Chasers. On the other side, Ron was the Keeper, Charlie was going to be a beater and Ginny and Harry were going to be Chasers. It was after the first ten minutes that they realised an extraordinary thing. Hermione was good. She was better than good, for some unknown reason she had scored more than five goals and her team was winning by miles. Nobody could believe it as she swept gracefully past everyone and scored another fantastic goal, which left Ron feeling very disgruntled. After they had stopped, when she was asked about it, she just smiled but refused to explain. It was when she was out of earshot that Ginny told everyone about how she had got so good.

"She's been practising. She didn't like the fact that all three of us could play but she couldn't. So she spent weeks practising with me before you came over." She told Harry. He had spent two weeks with Bill and Fleur at Shell Cottage, because they had both insisted on him staying there for a while.

"So that's what you two were doing." George interrupted Harry's thoughts. " Ron thought you two were plotting against him, didn't you Ron!" He ducked as Ron chucked the Quaffle at his head and everyone laughed again. It had been a great day and everyone was enjoying a nice stew with a lump of bread when the front door banged open, and everyone looked round to see Percy standing at the door, wet through due the downpour that had come over so quickly. The laughter and happiness died, as they saw the expression on Percy's face.

"Kinsley Shacklebolt is dead."