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 19: We Play to Win the Game
"Harry what are you thoughts on the match?" Gordon Deesel from Quidditch Weekly asked Harry.
"First of all, I want to congratulate the Italians. They played a hell of a match today. Those Beaters in particular had the game of their lives, and we were lucky to escape with the victory."
"Did they catch you by surprise?"
"I don't know if you can ever plan for how they played, but we knew they would come out strong."
"It looked like you were having trouble keeping up at the start."
"We thought we could get away with myself, Colby and Prents holding their attention, but plainly that was wrong."
"Whose decision was it for the Chasers to change their approach?"
Harry took a sip from the water goblet in front of him before speaking. "You'd have to ask them that. I was too busy clinging onto my broom for dear life." The room dutifully chuckled at Harry's joke.
"Harry did you see that Bulgaria got past Ireland?" Nicholas Decarno of the Prophet asked.
"Did they now? Good for them I suppose, tough break for Ireland though."
"Do you have any thoughts about the final?" Decarno asked.
"It'll be the toughest match we've played yet. How could it not be? It's the finals of the European Championship. This is why we're here."
"Is there anything in particular you hope to accomplish in the final? Some statement you want to make?"
Harry cocked his head to the side. "I'm not sure I follow."
Decarno cleared his throat. "You and Viktor Krum are considered the two best Seekers of this era. If you beat him to the Snitch won't that establish you as the top Seeker?"
"That," Harry stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. "Do you know why I play? Why any of in that dressing room play?"
"Because you earn thousands of Galleons a week to do so?" Decarno said. A faint sneer played over the overweight wizard's lips.
"No, we play to win the game. That's the only thing I care about. All that other stuff about legacy, or who is better than who is bollocks I leave up to you lot. My focus is on resting up after a tough match, then getting ready for the next one."
"What was going through your mind when you caught the Snitch?" Amelia St. James asked before Decarno had a chance to follow up on Harry's outburst.
Harry nodded and took another sip of his water before speaking. These were the questions he always enjoyed answering, and he made a mental note to have Sirius arrange another sit-down with Quidditch Weekly once the championship was over. "Sure, before I went for the catch I did my best to feint away from where the Snitch was. Whenever the Italians got even a hint that I'd seen the Snitch they would ramp up their Bludger strikes and I wasn't keen on getting hit anymore than was necessary. So I held off on going for the catch until our Chasers were making a run. When they did I didn't bother with any fancy pretense and just dove for the Snitch. Fortunately Barillo was late picking me up making the move and I was able to make an uncontested catch." Harry took a breath, and another sip of water. "My thoughts? I really try not to when I'm out there on the broom, but as I said before, relief. Relief that we were through to the final and relief that the match was over."
"How has being the favourites to win the championship impacted how you've played?"
"I don't pay attention to what the bookmakers say," Harry said. "But that doesn't mean our opponents haven't. We've had a bullseye on our back from the moment we stepped on this island, and I for one relish that. Quidditch is best when both sides go all out, and fixtures like today's is what gets me to the pitch every morning."
"So Harry, assuming you win the tournament."
"That's not an assumption I'm willing to make Amelia," Harry said and was met with chuckles from the press.
"Fair enough, but if you do. What's next for you?"
"League play, the Champions Tournament, and then qualifications for the World Cup, which as your colleagues delight in reminding me I have yet to win," Harry said. He ticked the items off on his fingers
"In other words there's plenty of Quidditch left for you."
Harry nodded. "Absolutely, you won't be getting rid of me any time soon."
"Harry, do you have any comments about the rumors that the Tutshill ownership is in financial trouble? Do you think they would ask you to put in for a transfer to cover their bills?" Shackleton asked.
Harry's face darkened. "You should know I never comment on off the pitch matters. Next question."
Later on that night Harry sat down to dinner with his parents at a posh restaurant. "It's so nice you were able to find time for us dear," Lily said as she set down her salad fork and picked up a glass of red wine. "I know you've been terribly busy these past few weeks."
"Lily stop trying to make Harry feel guilty. You've got nothing to feel guilty about Harry. Partying until all hours of the night with your mates and as many beautiful witches as you can find is far more important than spending time with your ancient parents."
Harry bit back a smile. "You are not ancient Dad."
James looked over at Lily and smiled. "Did you hear that Lils? I'm not ancient. Pity about you though."
"So you'd like to see how comfortable the sofa in our suite is to sleep on then?" Lily arched an eyebrow at her husband.
James held up his hands defensively. "You know me, I still think you're as beautiful as the day we first met. No wait, scratch that we were both eleven when we first met, and while you might have been beautiful then saying that now sounds wrong. So how about you are as beautiful as the day we were married."
Lily leaned over and kissed James on the cheek. "That's sweet, disturbing, but sweet, and embarrassing to our playboy son I'm sure."
"No, not at all," Harry said. "You two can keep making googly-eyes at each other and I will just drink to forget I saw, or heard, anything."
"Or I could just Obliviate you and save you the wear and tear on your stomach tomorrow," James said.
"There will be no Obliviations James," Lily said. "And Harry you will not be getting black-out drunk in my presence. Do I make myself clear?"
Harry nodded his head. "Yes mum, very clear."
Lily picked up her fork and knife and cut into the piece of fish lying on her plate. "Good I'm glad." She took a bit out of her fish. "Now then Harry, there's something your father and I want to talk to you about."
James rested a hand on Lily's elbow. "Are you really sure now's the time to be discussing this?"
"When would be the right time James?" Lily asked her husband. "After the tournament? We all know Harry will run off to wherever he goes and then after that the league will start up again and we won't see him until the season is over. No, the time to talk to Harry about this is now."
Harry looked between his mother and father. "Er, what exactly is so important that you have to talk to me about it right now?"
Lily sighed and reached across the table, taking Harry's hand into hers. "You Harry, we want to talk about you. More specifically we want to talk about your future."
"My future?" Harry frowned. "What about my future?"
"It's not like you can play Quidditch forever. We're just concerned you haven't given much thought to what you're going to do when your career is over."
"Do I have to do anything? Merlin knows I've made enough Galleons already."
"You certainly could do that, but we all know that's not for you. You've worked so hard to get where you are. Do you really think you can sit there and tell me that you'd be happy going from all this to nothing?"
Harry fought down the irritation that welled up in him as he very much felt like the little boy caught trying to steal cookies from the jar. "You never know until you try," he said. Though even as the words left his mouth he realised how lame they sounded.
Lily tightened her grip on Harry's hand. "You certainly have earned the right to spend your post-Quidditch days doing whatever you want, but I worry about you Harry. The only thing you have in your life is Quidditch, and when that goes away where will you be?"
Harry pulled his hand free from his mother's grasp. "Mum, don't start this again."
"Don't start what again?" Lily asked. She quirked her eyebrow at her son.
"You're going to say I need to find a witch to settle down with."
"Did I say that? James, did I say that?"
"No you certainly did not," James said. "But you certainly did think it." He took a drink from his wine glass.
"I'm far too busy for a serious relationship right now, as I've told you repeatedly."
"And when you're not busy?" Lily asked.
"I'll cross that bridge when I get there, but that day is a long way off, I assure you mum."
"Harry your mum and I aren't trying to tell you how to live your life." James held up his hand to still his son's impending protest. "If you want to continue to being the Quidditch playboy that's your right, and your mum and I won't hold it against you, make ultimatums, tell you you're making a mistake, or any other bollocks like that. We're just making a suggestion."
"A suggestion, right." Harry reached for his wine glass and took a large drink.
"Oh don't sulk Harry, it doesn't suit you," Lily said. "But Harry, I'm your mum. As much as you'll deny it I know you, and this life isn't making you happy."
"And finding a 'nice witch' will?"
"To be blunt, yes."
"Well I wasn't as lucky as you and dad. I didn't find my true love at Hogwarts."
James reached over and rested a hand on Lily's arm stilling her. "We're not saying that Harry, but there are certainly plenty of witches out there right now, and probably a handful who are interested in more than a gift basket."
"It's not that I don't want that sort of thing it's just…" Harry picked at his napkin as his voice trailed off.
"You don't know if they're interested in Harry the bloke or Harry the star is that it?" James asked.
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I've seen what's happened to some of the other blokes on the Tornados who've married badly and I don't want that."
"So find someone who isn't impressed by the fame. Like that Ginny Weasley girl on the team with you. Neville said the two of you dated at Hogwarts, and a star Quidditch player in her own right won't be looking for your money."
Harry scrubbed a hand through his fringe in frustration. Why did his parents have to pick now of all times to lecture him on his love life? In a brief moment of panic he worried that Neville had let slip his arrangement with Ginny to them. He quickly shoved that fear aside because while Nev was meddlesome, he wouldn't break Harry's trust that blatantly. "Merlin no, could you imagine the circus the press would turn that into? There's no way we could get off the ground from all the added stress because of the lies the rags would tell. It would be horrible. Plus if you haven't noticed we play for different teams. Every time Holyhead and Tutshill would play the loser would be accused of handing over inside information or worse."
James leaned forward in his chair and rested his head on his steepled fingers. "And since when have you given a toss what the rags think of you?"
Harry squirmed in his seat. "It's not me that I'm concerned about."
A smile broke out on James's face. "I'm not sure how you managed it Lily, but you raised a good son despite my best efforts."
"I'm fairly certain the over-inflated sense of nobility comes from your side of the family dear," Lily said.
"So being noble is now a bad thing is it?" James asked his wife.
"All you Potter men have an over abundance of it," Lily said. "If your mum was here she'd agree with me."
"I don't think I ever recall you saying I had a surfeit of nobility when you were listing my faults while we were still at Hogwarts."
Lily leaned over and kissed James on the cheek. "That's down to Sirius's bad influence dear, but it definitely is there. Need I remind you of Easter Holiday our sixth year?"
"What happened?" Harry asked. He always enjoyed hearing the stories his parents would tell about their days at Hogwarts. They showed a side to his parents that he personally had never witnessed. They seemed more carefree in those days, which Harry figured only made sense since he wasn't in the picture yet.
Harry's reverie was broken when the restaurant maitre' de sidled up alongside him and presented Harry with a piece of parchment resting on a silver tray. "Begging your pardon sir, but an owl just delivered this for you."
Harry thanked the man and took the scroll from the tray. He scanned the parchment then stood up from the table. "Mum, dad, I hate to do this, but this is from Westerman, he needs to see me straight away."
"Certainly son, we know how important the team is," James said.
Harry walked around the table and gave his mum a hug. "It was brilliant to spend time with you again, and I promise mum, I'll think about the post-flying career."
"Just remember Harry, all I want is for you to be happy. No matter what you decide I'll always be proud of you." Lily gave Harry's forearm an extra squeeze.
"I know mum, and I love you too."
"And don't think I'm done talking to you about your dating habits young man."
"I didn't realise you were in such a rush to be a grandmother," Harry said, sending James roaring into laughter.
Lily swatted Harry in the stomach. "Such cheek, go and see what your captain wants."
Harry leaned down and kissed Lily on the cheek. "Right away, bye mum." And with a crack he was gone.
Author's Notes: I don't know about you, but it sounds like something important might've just happened. Also, I will say this now, and I'm sorry, but there won't be a mirroring scene with Arthur and Molly, just imagine they're off on a beach. Lastly, I love that Herm Edwards quote, though it is to my eternal shame that I was unable to work in a "They are who we thought they were." Maybe next time. Thanks for reading!
-sam