Chapter 15: Quidditch Round I

Harry sat on the breakfast table eating his eggs happily. Today was scheduled to be his first match of the season. Well first professional match ever really. He had gotten out of school a mere week ago and had been practicing with the team since. There wasn't much to know really, and it was a mere formality. Seekers were usually aloof in the game. Harry had seen their 'replacement' seeker that was going to play in his stead before he was scouted, and truth be told, he failed miserably. Sirius bought him a new broom to commemorate the occasion. Needless to say, Harry was happy with his new Firebolt.

Harry had kept the entire affair a secret to surprise his friends, and to give his team an edge in the game, though he had told Ron and Hermione that he had gotten tickets to a Quidditch game. Ron was ecstatic, though he said he didn't expect much from Scotland with them down a seeker. Harry merely smirked as he replied to that letter.

Harry looked across the table at Sirius. The man was happy to say the least. Although the change would still take a long time to complete, it looked like Harry would be getting his old Uncle Sirius, the way he was supposed to be. Sirius was eating a tall stack of pancakes with reading the paper. Harry looked over and an article caught his eye.

"Hey… Sirius, could I see that page really quick?" asked Harry.

"Hm? Oh yeah sure" replied Sirius off handedly as he was engaged in something else, most likely a cross word puzzle or something.

Harry took the paper in hand and read the headline:

Knight Bus Duo Found With Questionable Mental Stability

The infamous Knight bus was reported missing almost a year ago, but was now recently found as it drove into the middle of a London Street with a trail of fire following it. Bystanders claim there was merely a flash of light followed by the sudden appearance of the Knight bus. Law enforcement is quite confused with the matter as there seems to be nothing out of the ordinary with the appearance of the Knight bus. Conductor and driver of the Knight bus claim they were 'there one second and here the next' after taking a stick of 'Spicy Hot Pepper Gum.' The driver also murmured something about the floating bobble head ornament mention a 'Flux Capacitor.' Current there is nothing known about the…

Harry sighed as he saw the fruits of his seemingly harmless prank. Then he shrugged. Technically it could be said that he extended the lives of those individuals by a year. Harry handed the paper back to Sirius and got ready to get going. He had a game to play.

A car ride, bus trip, portkey, and a roll call later, Harry found himself in the locker room of the Scottish team, getting ready to roll out and hopefully make a great debut. Just like Wood, the captain made a speech that was long, dull, and boring, but ended with a cheer that put the team in the right spirits. Soon enough, Harry was at the back of the line getting ready to launch out as he heard the announcer official begin the event.

"Are you all ready for some Quidditch!?" said the announcer through his amplified voice. There was a loud roar from the audience before he continued, "I'm sorry I couldn't quite hear you there!" There was an even louder cheer from the audience. "Well what are we waiting for then! First up we have the crowd favorite for this particular match. The bitter rivals for all those Scots! Luxembourg!"

The crowd cheered again as the players came out and made their round around the pitch. They set into their formation after landing on one side of the field. Harry smirked as he was watching the small screen. He looked ahead getting ready to take off himself. He saw the Scottish captain turn around and wink at him.

"And next we have this years underd-"

The man stopped abruptly and Harry saw on screen that he was handed a sheet of paper before a ridiculous grin set onto his face.

"Well, that makes things awfully interesting. Give it up for Scottland and their new seeker! The Boy Who Lived, the Slayer of Darkness, the Vanquisher of He Who Must Not Be Named Himself, Harry Potter!"

The entire team came zipping out lightning fast on their firebolts, which were now considered the standard broom for the game. Harry tailed at the end, amazed at the sheer number of people that were at this game. He briefly saw one of the giant screens which showed a camera that was tailing him. The team stopped in air and began to descend while soaking in the glory. Harry saw a screen in the corner of his eye that was still focused solely on him. He guessed they were waiting for him to do something. Harry smirked as he pumped his fist into the air and yelled. The crowd went nuts as he touched down towards the back of his team. Harry felt proud of himself as he reveled in his fame for once. He had earned this with his own to hands.

Harry looked up towards box that held Sirius along with his friends. He could barely make out the signature Weasley hair. They must be completely shocked and dumbfounded, except Sirius, who had to help him compete since he was 'underage,' darned paperwork. Harry looked forward again and saw that the referee was getting ready to start the game, and the second the balls were released, the entire team took off in a flash.

As usual, the snitch was cleanly out of sight for a while. As Harry circled the pitch looking for a glint of gold or even a shadow of the bugger, he saw that the chasers were not doing overly well. Harry guessed it was either a bad day or the pressure of the match because they normally played much better. The current score was 220 for the Scottish and 350 for Luxembourg. He needed to act soon or the game would be lost. Harry looked around for the opposing seeker. Harry's heart raced as he found he was nowhere in sight. Harry searched frantically for a couple seconds before he finally looked downward.

He saw the seeker from Luxembourg making a dash for the snitch, which was directly below him. Harry quickly dived with his broom. With the force of gravity assisting his acceleration, he shot down like a bullet. Harry saw the opposing seeker near the snitch as the man reached out is hand. Harry gritted his teeth, as he couldn't reach out because it would only slow him down. Harry yelled as he closed the last couple feet and snatched the snitch with a quick sideways snag. Time seemed to slow down as Harry let joy overtake him.

His joy was short lived though as the other seeker slammed into the tail of broom. Harry spun for several seconds before wandlessly lowering his momentum and stopping at full force. Harry flew forward off his broom a couple feet before hitting the ground. He had been lucky he was able to pull up in the nick of time otherwise it would have been much worse. Harry caught his breathe as he realized the pitch was mostly silent. Harry raised the snitch in the air and cheered. From there, the crowd went crazy. Harry laughed as his teammates hoisted him in the air.

'I could get used to this' thought Harry. The fame and pride felt much better and tame when he actually earned it. His team threw him into the air. Harry thought to himself, 'Don't thank me yet, we have a cup to win!'