Harry potter and the Time of Retirement
Everything related to Harry Potter belongs to JKR
Chapter 64 – Year 3
"About time, Harry. Having too much fun out there?" said Sirius, loudly, as Harry walked inside the tent. As the place was crowded before, it was almost empty now. Almost no common wizards and witches wandered around while a few aurors seemed quite busy in setting things in order, probably before leaving themselves for the game. The larger group, by far, was theirs.
There were Sirius and Remus, of course; next to them Tonks, still in her uniform, and an unknown lady. Her dress, while not ostentatious, was certainly a step beyond what they were all wearing. Harry approached them, no expression in his face.
"Plenty of things to see, I won't deny that" said Harry. "And I met some of my old school mates."
"Sure you did. Almost everyone is here" commented Sirius, confidently. Taking one step closer, he placed one hand on Harry's shoulder, before turning towards the unknown lady. "One last round of introductions is in order, I think. This is my godchild, Harry Potter. The son of one of our dearest friend, the late James Potter. Harry, she is my… well…" stammered on Sirius, suddenly blushing like a teenager. Harry smirked a little at the sight.
"Oh, Sirius" said the woman, shaking her head and smiling lightly in exasperation before looking straight in Harry's eyes. "Hello, Harry. I am very happy we can finally meet, half of what he talks about is you. My name is Anne, by the way. First name basis?"
"Fine by me" answered Harry, pleasantly. "Glad to meet you, too. I heard about you, of course, but mostly from Remus."
"Of course" said Anne, sighing and sending a sideway glance to Sirius. "I hope we will meet often, in the coming days. And this is a good start" she continued, her tone of voice becoming cheerier. "The world cup finals. You play Quidditch, right?"
"Occasionally, sure" answered Harry, before moving aside to include the others. "So, what's the plan? People are already flocking to the stadium, I think."
"They are" said Tonks, in a suffering tone. "And I have to go there now, I am part of the safety team. If you all come with me, I think I can snuck you in and get a quick look at the backstage before the match starts."
"I almost feel important, now. How nice to have contacts in high places, eh Harry?" said Remus, laughing softly.
"Only the very best for my friends!" bragged Sirius, only to deflate a little at a small glare sent his way from his date. "Some more special than others?" he added, pathetically, making her giggle.
"Your dignity is falling to the floor, uncle. Pick it up" commented Tonks, shaking her head. "Let's go anyway, time is short."
In a group they all moved out of the tent, Sirius and his date arm in arm while Tonks and Lupin were chatting on the side. Feeling slightly isolated and a fifth wheel, Harry trailed along.
Crowds of people, much thicker than any Harry had seen in a long time – muggle London excluded – were all slowly walking towards the same direction. Numerous flags could be seen, both of Ireland and of what Harry could only assume was Bulgaria. Most were "neutral" families though, whose arms were loaded only with magical snacks of various kinds or other memorabilias. The atmosphere was clearly festive, enough to cheer him up.
Along the way they also slowed down here and there to greet and chat with several other wizards and witches. Most of the time, Harry noticed with a smirk, it was Sirius's ladyfriend doing the introductions – all the while keeping her arm tightly locked with her escort's.
Not long after they reached the stadium, huge and fully lightened up under the now rising moon. Plenty of street sellers surrounded it, and plenty of people were buying from them all kind of items. Most of the other attendees were climbing the stairs, while their own group passed a security check point – courtesy of Tonks – and entered the restricted area. Soon after the young auror had to leave for her own duties and it was with some amusement that Harry noticed how Lupin's stare followed her back as she walked away.
As for the area itself, the sight was much less interesting than it could have been hoped for initially. They had walked into a large hall under the bleachers, but most members of the teams were still preparing and the few in sight were just warming up or being busy anyway. Soon enough, though, a wave of… beings and women walked in. "The mascots" said Sirius, shoving Harry back down into memory lane. He could never forget that memorable night, after all.
Standing on the opposite sides of the hall, Veelas and Leprechauns were glaring at each other. Not that the guys in their group even noticed that detail: some of the Veelas were going all out with their powers and soon the three of them started staring unabashedly, until a loud yelp of pain awoke Harry. Turning around, he noticed Sirius caressing his cheek which now sported a suspicious red spot, as his date - folding her arms - sniffed disdanously at him. Laughing and shaking his head, Harry shook Lupin's arm drawing him back into consciousness.
"Harry?" he asked, confused, before recovering. "Wow. Been a while since I felt like that."
"You have no idea, Remus" said Harry. With puberty and all, he was now used once again to feeling lust but that wave of uncontrollable desire for a woman was something else entirely. Something he hadn't felt for decades, or even longer. "Those women are dangerous. More than normal, I think."
"No more than the men drooling after them like dogs in heat" commented Anne, still upset. Sirius, awkwardly, tried to placate her while Lupin and Harry shared an understanding smile.
"Anyway, this is it" said Sirius, eventually. "Maybe we should head for our seats, now. We don't want to miss the start of… oh, boss! Hello."
"Good evening, Black" said an older woman, who had just walked directly towards them. "For the nth time, we are not mobsters and I am not your boss" added Mrs. Bones, sighing.
"Of course, director" answered Sirius, smirking. "We were heading for the bleachers. Wanna join us?"
"I have to stay with our minister and his foreign guests" said Mrs. Bones, turning her head towards a group of well-dressed wizards. "I stopped by for something else. Is that your godson?"
"…yes, yes he is. Harry, come here" said Sirius, turning serious all at once. "This is director Bones, head of the DMLE."
"A pleasure" said Harry, drily. "May I help you?"
"You can, Mr. Potter. I would like to ask you some questions, soon. Your godfather can assist, don't worry" said Mrs. Bones, with a blank expression.
"And soon means?" asked Harry.
"Maybe once this quidditch foolishness is over" said the older woman, with a shrug. "Just make sure you are free in the coming days."
"I will" said Harry, sighing. "Thanks for telling me now of all moments, director Bones."
The woman looked at him with some irritation, before sighing. "I hope you will show a better attitude during our chat, Mr. Potter. For now, enjoy the game."
"Of course they will!" said another voice, loudly, joining them and half hugging the woman on her shoulder. "What are you doing, Amelia? Scaring children and tormenting your underlings?"
"Ludo" greeted Mrs. Bones, stress in her voice, as she removed Bagman's hand from herself. "I don't go around scaring children."
"So you do torment your underlings! And what about scaring children, boy?" said the man, turning towards Harry.
"That it wasn't for lack of trying" commented Harry cheerily, making Bones glare at him and Sirius pale a little. "Do we know each other, sir?" asked Harry, eventually.
"Of course, of course! Forgive me! I am…" started Bagman, launching another wave of introductions between him and the rest of their group. Mrs. Bones, taking this as her cue to abandon them, said a curt Goodbye and left. As she walked away she sent a final glare split between Ludo and Sirius, who sneakily gave a push to Harry's back in reproachment.
"Mr. Bagman, you are always a source of good entertainment" was saying Anne, meanwhile, while waving around at the hall and the mascots. Only a glint of disdain in her voice seemed to suggest that her words were not as kind as they sounded, but such a possibility was lost to the man in front of them, who smiled widely and bowed in gratitude.
"My, I only try my best for my fellow wizards and witches" claimed Ludo, proudly. "Our guests" he continued, nodding towards the well-dressed group of wizards now walking away, Mrs. Bones in their midst "were certainly enthusiastic about my organization of this historical event."
"They should be" said Sirius, smirking. "Us aurors were worked to the Bones, to provide security". At this, Bagman started to laugh, loudly. "Oh, Black. Always the jester. By the way" he continued, now showing a predatory smile "might you also be a gambler? I am collecting bets on the game, you know."
"We are fine, thanks" said Anne, instantly. Sirius, bless him, seemed unconvinced but after a glance at his date he let it slide. Bagman, disappointed, moved his eyes towards Lupin.
"Sorry, pal" said Remus, smiling. "I didn't become rich gambling on quidditch matches." Sirius, on the side, scoffed quite a while at this while Ludo just looked on, confused, and moved his attention back to Harry. "What about you, young Potter? Are you as boring as these chaps here?"
"Gambling is for suckers. No offense meant" answered Harry, lightly. Bagman frowned and countered with a much harsher tone of voice. "I guess gambling is for adults. The only smart boys I met so far were the Weasley twins, they were not afraid to gamble. You should learn from them."
"Should I?" asked Harry, now irritated himself. "No, you shouldn't" said Sirius, immediately. "You keep saying you don't want to waste your parents' money, don't start now" added Lupin.
"What did those two redheads bet on, anyway?" asked Harry, old memories slowly coming back to him and turning his frown into a mean smile.
"Oh, the most interesting bet of the night!" said Bagman, with enthusiasm. "An Irish victory, but Krum get the snitch. Go figure!"
"What would the odds of that happening even be?" commented Anne, a bit shocked, as the two men next to her shook their heads. "Let the Weasley boys be" said Ludo, immediately. "At least they are having some fun. And I gave them a generous 8-to-1 odds."
"Tempting" said Harry, his voice showing now a hint of anger and greed. "Very tempting" he continued, picking up his pouch from his side and opening it. "Harry, don't do it" said Sirius, tiredly, as Bagman looked at him with renewed warmth.
"Good things I brought some money with me, after all" said Harry, uncaring of everyone else, taking out most of the coins. "50 galleons, so long as you give me the same odds of the Weasleys."
"Oh, I can do better than that for the famous Harry Potter!" said Ludo, greedily grabbing the gold coins as Lupin and Black groaned in pain. "10 to 1, only for you! If you win, of course" he concluded, laughing.
"If I win, sure" commented Harry, coldly. "If."
Not long after, money in his pockets, Bagman walked away and Harry was left with three unhappy adults surrounding him. "What?" he asked as they stared down at him.
"You tell me, kid" said Sirius, shaking his head. "You pissed off my boss and threw away 50 galleons, all in less than ten minutes."
"Not your smartest moves, Harry" commented Lupin, disappointed. Anne, on Sirius' arm, said nothing but her face clearly showed her disapproval.
"I have trust in my luck, tonight" said Harry, shrugging. "Besides, Ireland is stronger while Krum is the better seeker. It could actually happen."
"Sure, sure" answered Sirius, unhappily, as Lupin rolled his eyes to the sky in a most dramatic way. "What is done is done" said Anne, sweetily and caressing Sirius' arm. "And the match is really about to start" she added, nodding towards the two teams now placed in a line inside the hall, mascots on their sides.
"True" said Sirius, focusing back on their surroundings. "Let's rush out of here."
Quickly, they walked out of the restricted area and climbed all the way to their seats. Along the way they saw several known faces, but couldn't even slow down to say hi as Bagman, high in the Top Box, was already announcing the start of the match.
Their focus at least helped them avoid the drawn of the Veelas this time around, as none of them did more than send a quick glance at their antics as they finally reached their seats. They weren't as luxurious as in Harry's first time in the stadium, and they were quite a distance from the Minister and Bagman; the view remained quite excellent, though. In the distance Harry could see the whole Weasley family sitting down but none of them noticed him, enthralled as they were by the Bulgarian mascots.
As they relaxed on their seats, it was already time for the Leprechauns to start their own show. The stadium erupted once again in shouts and cheers, as wizards and witches of all kinds started grabbing at the gold coins falling from the sky. This time, though, Harry noticed clearly how only the younger attendees were grabbing handfuls of them while the adults pocketed one or sometimes two, probably as souvenirs. Looking at his group, Harry noticed Sirius and Lupin cheerily gifting each other some of the coins while bragging of their own wealth and generousity, while Anne was disdainfully brushing them off her dress.
More memories coming back to him, Harry looked at Bagman – noticing instantly how he was grabbing plenty of the fake coins, going as far as to pick them from the ground as the minister behind him watched on in disgust. Smirking, eyes full of unspoken challenge, Harry turned his head towards the stadium. 'Nice try, you moron' he thought. Soon after the Bulgarian team first and the Irish one later flyed out in the air, greeted by the screams of the thousands of attendees. The match was about to start.
"Incredible!" said Lupin, hoarse voiced, next to Harry. "Absolutely incredible!"
The Irish team was busy circling the stadium, as the crowd remained wild and loud. The match itself has gone exactly as it did in Harry's original time, but the match remained still exciting to the end. In fact, with a lifetime of experience now behind him, Harry noticed even more details and manouvers than the first time around and deeply, deeply desired he could play at that level.
'Maybe this could be a path for me' thought Harry, smiling, before freezing and sighing in disappointment. 'No way I could become pro without shining as a player in Hogwarts. And that path is closed.'
Turning around, he glanced at his group. Lupin still had a wide smile and was enjoying the sight of the players in the air and the people either celebrating or leaving the stadium in small waves. Sirius was sitting down, one arm hugging his date which showed a placid smile and her head on his shoulder.
Around them, people were starting to walk out too. The Malfoys passed in front of them, but none of them even seemed to notice their group – though Harry could swear at least Narcissa had seen her cousin, as she sported a teasing smile just as she walked in front of him and his ladyfriend.
Not much after another family passed by. Bolsterous and happy, most of them looking at the stadium, they too didn't notice Harry's group except for two of them. Mrs. Weasley, if one were to judge by her surprised and hostile expression, had clearly spotted Harry and tried to speed Ginny ahead. Which unfortunately managed only to draw her attention, as her shocked face proved once she too noticed him.
Neither of them stopped anyway, and soon the Top Box was almost empty. Only the VIPs remained, Bagman included. At this sight, Harry addressed his godfather.
"Sirius, listen" he started, as the man lazily turned his sight from his date to Harry. "I need a favour."
"Bad timing, kid" said immediatly Sirius, without losing his smile. "We had fun, but duty calls. Auror duties" he concluded, looking back to Anne with a proud expression who returned a loving glance back.
"Oh, this won't take long. I wish for some of you to be with me while I get my money from mister Bagman" said Harry. Lupin immediately whistled. "Damn, Harry. You are right, your stupid bet wasn't that stupid after all."
"You see what I mean?" said Sirius, laughing, to his date. "This kid. You just never know with him!"
"Congratulations, Harry" commented Anne, cheery. "Five hundred galleons is no small sum, even for adults. Make sure not to waste it."
"Oh, my plans now involve giving a big dinner for all of us, to celebrate" said Harry, smiling. "Once I get my money, though. Better sooner than later."
"Oh, Bagman is an alright chap, Harry. Let's go, he'll pay immediately" said Sirius, standing up and offering his hand to Anne. Leaving their seats they stopped Ludo right as he was leaving the bleachers, on the trail of the minister.
"Hello, Black" he said, once he noticed them. "And you all, of course. Enjoyed the match?"
"It was certainly exciting" answered Anne. "Krum's last move was incredible, what a conclusion!" added Lupin.
"We had a lot of fun, Ludo" said Sirius curtly "but we also have things to do. We are still here only to collect my godson's winnings."
"Sure, sure" said Bagman, an awkward smile on his face. "I regret now pushing you to bet Harry, but you see? You did great listening to your elders!"
"I certainly did" answered Harry, with a saccharine smile, waiting patiently as Bagman started taking gold coins out of one of his bags. "Here you are, kid. Don't spend them all in toys, eh!" he concluded, laughing loudly, as he placed the last of the galleons on a nearby seat.
"Don't worry, I won't" said Harry, taking his wand out and pointing it to the mound of gold. "Harry, what are you doing?" asked Lupin, perplexed.
"Oh, we all pocketed some Leprechaun gold before, right? And even a honest man can mix his coins by mistake" stated Harry, almost casually. Bagman's eyes widened drastically, as he started spouting words. "Now, no need for that. You can trust me kid, I…"
"Finite" casted Harry, icily. The coins disappeared instantly, leaving nothing behind. A heavy silence fell instantly and Harry, calmly, pocketed back the wand. "Yep, a honest mistake. You took my galleons out of your bag for the Leprechaun gold."
Lupin, Sirius and Anne stared at each other, awkwardly. Their expressions spoke volumes on how no one there thought it was an honest mistake. "Bagman…" started Sirius, uncertain.
"A mistake, Black! Don't even suggest the opposite!" screeched Bagman, agitated. Sirius rose his hands in a pacifying way, but his expression was still clouded. "No one would dare to say otherwise, Ludo. Give him the right coins and we'll be on our way."
"Oh, sure" said Bagman, taking a deep breath and then frowning. "But is it safe to give such a big sum here, Black? To a kid? I am not even sure I should have let you gamble at all, actually, you are too young. "
"You were quite willing to give the sum two minutes ago, pal" commented Lupin, uncertain. Bagman looked at him with irritation, and said nothing.
"Mr. Bagman, this is just business. Give me my money, or we can ask the aurors who's right. Wouldn't take me too long" concluded Harry, nodding towards his godfather. Under the stares of everyone Bagman – restrained fury in his face – started pulling gold out of a different bag. This time around Harry piled it up in neat twenty-coins pillars, one next to the other.
"I assume you want to check it again, boy" said Bagman, venomously, as Sirius winched. "Now, Bagman, we all agreed it was a mistake. No need to check, right Harry?"
"Two honest mistakes are possible, unfortunately" said Harry, casting once again Finite under the scowling face of the man in front of him. Checking carefully, he could tell none of the piles were shorter than the other. "Yes, everything seems to be in order. Thank you very much, sir."
"You are welcome" answered Bagman, icily, leaving immediately without another word. "That was awkward" commented Anne, once he was far enough.
"A mistake, eh" said Lupin, sarcsm dripping from his voice.
"Maybe it was, Moony" said Sirius, unconvinced. "It was certainly suspicious, though."
"Whatever" said Harry. "I have my gold, that's all I care about. I'll just add that guy to the list of my fans."
"Oh, right" said Sirius, scoffing with mirth. "Your talent for making friends is unlimited, Harry."
"This was not his fault, though" said Anne, doubtful.
"Maybe, but it happens often enough to make us doubt" added Lupin, smirking.
"If you are all done" said Harry, sighing. "Sirius, thanks for the tickets. I had a great night."
"Yes, same here Padfoot" joined in Lupin. "Most fun I had in quite some time."
"You are all welcome, guys" said Sirius, puffing up, as Anne grasped his arm with pride. "Now, I unfortunately have to run away. The celebrations will be wild and I am part of the security team."
"Go save the world, love" said Anne, smiling. Lupin smirked. "I don't envy you one second, old friend."
"Set aside some of the sequestered booze for me, if you can" added Harry, laughing softly. "Most certainly not!" answered Sirius, before hugging Anne and patting Remus on his back. "I really have to go. Moony, take care of the rest. Good night everyone!"
And with that, he left. "I would like to go back home, Remus. Do we have another special portkey available for us?" said Anne, after a brief yawn.
"No, unfortunately. Too much people leaving for special treatments, we would have to queue up with everyone else for that" answered Lupin, shrugging. "But Sirius told me there is a special spot, not far away from the campsite, where the anti-apparition ward has been taken out so ministry officials can apparate away."
"It is a nice night, I don't mind walking a little. Let's go. Harry?" said Anne.
"I am following. Let's go" he answered. And with that, they moved on.