When You Wasn't Famous
By: Sam Lincoln
Disclaimer: The characters from Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling and are used here without permission.
"When you're a famous boy/it's gets really easy to get girls/It's all so easy you get a bit spoiled/but when you try to pull a girl who is also famous too/It Feels Just Like When You Wasn't Famous
-When You Wasn't Famous, The Streets
Chapter 15: England vs. Spain
After a week of marathon training sessions the day of the Spanish fixture had finally arrived. Harry sat in front of his locker in the clubhouse and slowly pulled on his Quidditch kit as he reflected on Ginny's frosty attitude towards him during the week. The group dinner had gone very well for something Harry had made up on the spot. He had meant for the dinner to be just himself and Ginny, but when she had framed it as a date he panicked and suggested the entire group go out and eat. While it hadn't been his first choice, his claim to Ginny that it would be good for the group to spend time together turned out to be accurate. It had been years since he last had the chance to talk with Hermione and Ron. Hermione in particular was a revelation. For most of the time they'd been in school Harry had thought of her as the house swot, and an almost insufferable one at that. He had gotten to know her a little better through their shared Weasley connection, but they were never exactly friends. Now though, all of the tendencies that made Hermione such a chore to be around when he was a teen translated into her being a fascinating dinner companion, capable of discussing a wide variety of topics. If anything it made Harry regret not seeking out her friendship all those years ago.
Ginny also seemed to have a good time chatting with Neville, Seamus, and even Dean. In fact the only time she appeared annoyed was when Harry caught her glancing his way. A frown would cross her face and she would return her attention to whoever she had been talking to. That behaviour continued throughout the week. Ginny was cordial with him in the few moments they were alone together, but she also wasn't welcoming and deflected all of Harry's advances. Harry shrugged it off, figuring it was Ginny's way of emphasising how temporary their arrangement was.
It was insisting that they only have sex after matches that really bothered Harry. The two previous nights they'd spent together had been fantastic and Harry had hoped they could spend as much free time as could be spared in bed. Ginny cut that idea off at the knees, and as a result Harry had spent the week distracted and eager to get past the Spanish in as expedited a manner as possible.
"Good news lads, we're sure to win today," Shetley said to the rest of the team. "Just look at how focused Harry is." Shetley clapped Harry on the back and leaned in close to his face. "So focused."
Harry flailed his arms to shrug off Shetley. "As opposed to you?"
"I'm totally focused. See, I'm putting on my game face." Shetley contorted his face into an exaggerated grimace.
"Didn't your mum ever tell you not to make faces, you could get stuck," Ginny said as she stepped out from behind her privacy screen.
"Many times, but it never took," Shetley said. He skipped over to where Ginny was standing.
"If I ever pulled a face like that on my mum she'd hex it into place," Ginny said.
"Your mum sounds like a scary lady," Shetley said.
"You have no idea," Harry said with a chuckle. "I remember the Howlers she used to send to Ginny's brothers when we were at Hogwarts. They were almost as funny as the hijinks that lead to them."
"Admit it Harry, you intentionally let Ron get caught a few times just to see what mum would say to him," Ginny said.
"Would you believe that was all Ron's doing?" Harry asked. "The twins gave him a Chocolate Frog for each Howler he got. I think they thought if your Mum was focused on him she'd ignore what they were getting into."
"Why didn't he tell me that?"
"Because he was afraid you'd tell your mum and scuttle the whole deal."
"All right lady and gentlemen, gather round," Cabbock said as he strode into the locker room and stood in front of the whiteboard. "Before you head out I wanted to go over a few tactical points. Is everyone here?" He glanced around the room to make sure the entire team was present.
"We're all here," Westerman said.
Cabbock nodded. "Good now you don't need me to tell you this, but I will anyway. Spain is not France. This is a dangerous side, and if we want a win today we need a solid effort from all of you for the entire match. I want to see constant pressure on their Chasers. They are the most creative bunch we'll face, so don't give them any time to think. As soon as they get the Quaffle I want a body, and Bludger, on that Chaser. And for Merlin's sake, don't try to beat them at their own game."
"Punch them in the nose got it," Shetley said. "Not literally of course."
Cabbock nodded then turned his attention to Harry. "Now Harry, you won't have the Beaters looking after you so keep your head on a swivel."
"I always do," Harry said.
"Also don't worry about the score, as long as we're within a hundred and fifty points and you can catch the Snitch do it. I don't want this match to go on any longer than it has to."
"Your confidence in us is overwhelming," Shetley said. The rest of the team burst into chuckles.
"Maybe if you had a better week of training I might be convinced you could fly with the Spanish," Cabbock said, turning the chuckles into outright laughter.
"That hurts Cabs, it really does," Shetley said. He was trying, and failing, to hold back his own laughter.
"It's also true mate," Westerman said. "Ginny and I are getting tired of carrying you."
"One of these days I really will slack off during a match and then we'll see how you like it."
"If you have a strong desire to play anything other than recreational Quidditch you'd better not," Cabbock said to Shetley. He looked over at the clock. "All right it's time. Good luck out there. Steve?"
Westerman nodded. "Follow me everyone, let's give the Spanish a thrashing they'll never forget." As usual Westerman's pre-match speech was neither long, nor fiery, but that didn't much matter to the group. They all nodded with a quiet determination and followed Westerman onto the pitch.
For this round they were playing in a more traditional Quidditch stadium than the sea-based temporary pitch from the last round. Though Harry had to admit he had never played on a sandy beach before. The view of the ocean was quite spectacular.
The roar of the crowd drew Harry's attention back to the centre of the pitch. The pre-match ceremonies had just ended and the Snitch was about to be released. Harry tightened his grip on his broom and looked over at his Spanish counterpart, a slight woman known only as Inés. Harry had never flown against her, but she had a fearsome reputation as the top Seeker in the Spanish Liga. Harry had read the scouting reports and knew he was the better Seeker, but the Snitch didn't always agree with what the scouting reports said.
"Good luck today," Harry said to Inés.
"Save your breath Potter," Inés said in heavily accented English. "You're going to need it. I don't care how many Snitches you've caught. I'm going to make you earn it today."
Harry grinned at the Spanish Seeker then dipped into a small bow. "I am looking forward to it."
"Someday your overconfidence will get the better of you," Inés said.
"Perhaps, but I don't think today's the day," Harry said as the Snitch was released and the two Seekers shot after it.
Harry's first impression of Inés was that she was fast, almost as fast as he was in fact. To further gauge her flying ability Harry pitched his broom towards the ground. Inés either fell for his feint, or was willing to play along, because she followed after Harry with no hesitation.
"Someone is trying to prove something," Harry said to himself after sparing a glance back at Inés and saw the look of pure determination on her face. Which made sense considering that Spain was not known for great Seekers. It was a stereotype Inés was out to dispel it seemed. He was confident that if he didn't pull out of the dive Inés would follow him straight into the ground because a great Seeker never flinches.
Harry on the other hand didn't have to prove he was a great Seeker because he was a great Seeker. As such Harry didn't feel the need to engage in any suicide moves and he yanked up on his broom with plenty of room to spare. The sudden move also gave Harry the opportunity to measure Inés's reaction times. As he watched her pull out of the dive Harry decided he had a definite edge in maneuverability. The Toledo-made Metero broom Inés rode was known for its straight line speed but not for its turning radius. The custom-built Firebolt Harry used was the better all-around broom, if a bit slower, and Harry fully intended to take advantage of that fact.
By this point the Snitch had vanished from sight and by unspoken agreement the two Seekers started to put on a flying clinic for the crowd. Harry tossed his broom into an Immelman Loop and followed that with a split-s maneuver. When he looked back to see if Inés was attempting to replicate his pattern he nearly was decapitated by a Bludger. Unlike the English Beaters, their Spanish counterparts had not decided to focus on disrupting the opposing Chasers.
"Oi!" Harry shouted at Prentiss. "I thought you were supposed to keep that from happening."
Prentiss gave Harry an exaggerated shrug. "Sorry mate, but we can't get to them all."
Harry rolled his eyes then corkscrewed his broom to avoid another oncoming Bludger. Having to duck Bludgers gave Inés an advantage, but it wasn't anything Harry hadn't dealt with before. He took up doing lazy circles over the pitch scanning for the Snitch, zig-zagging on occasion to avoid the random Bludger. Doing so not only gave him a good vantage point to see the Snitch, but it also gave Harry a chance to watch the match as it unfolded below him.
Cabbock was right, the Spanish Chasers were good. The trio all flew for the same club team and that familiarity was evident in their play. In terms of raw skill the all three of the English Chasers were superior to their Spanish counterparts, but they did not have the easy by-play the Spaniards possessed. Ginny, Shetley, and Westerman were all more individually talented than their counterparts and talent did count for something. Harry watched as Ginny took a bullet of a pass from Westerman, evaded the defender on her by scraping him off on Shetley, then rifled the Quaffle through the goal.
Harry leaned back on his broom and laughed. This was his favourite point in any match. He knew he was the one in control of the match's outcome. He could make the match a blowout or a nail biter. It all depended on when he made the catch. His orders from Cabbock were to end the match at the soonest possible moment. As Harry watched the Chasers dart back and forth however he figured he would let events play out a little longer. Ginny and the others were more than holding their own, and it would make for a more impressive win if the English Chasers dominated the supposedly unstoppable Spanish unit. Harry then and there decided that he wanted to give Ginny that. He guessed Cabbock would yell at him a little, and Ginny would certainly have his bollocks if she figured out what he was doing, and he knew she would, but right there, at that moment Harry was the one in control.
He looked across the pitch and saw the Snitch fluttering behind Inés's head. "Stay right there," he said to the Snitch. "I'm coming for you, just not right now."
Author's Notes: There isn't a sports joke I won't use. See if you can guess which famous basketball coach I borrowed from in this chapter. Also, there is reasoning behind each country's style of play, but explaining the logic is boring. Thanks for reading.
-sam