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Harry Potter And The Game of Death

Level 1

Chapter Twenty-Two: Training and Tickets

Harry grunted as he dodged a flash of brown light. The unknown spell splashed on the stone wall behind him, narrowly missing his head.

Raising his holly wand, Harry pointed it at the fiery haired woman who stood before him and let loose a jet of red light. "Stupefy!"

But any hope of winning the mock duel by scoring a knockout were immediately dashed when she blocked his spell with a lazy flick of her wand. "Nice one, Harry. I'm impressed you can already use the stunning spell. It's not something most people your age could do. Definitely not my little cousin Draco, that's for sure."

Harry glowered at the young woman who, despite her words of praise, still had one hand on her hip and a cocky smile on her lips. "Don't patronize me, Dora. You handled that like it was nothing."

"Yeah, but that's because I'm super awesome. I'm sure you'll get here in time. As for now…" Dora let the words hang in the air as a massive grin grew on her face, "let me show you what that spell looks like at an advanced level. Stupefy!"

With a quick swish of her wand not one, but three red blasts of light shot towards Harry.

Swearing profusely in his head, Harry snapped his wand through a circular motion. A hazy, semi-transparent shield of magical energy sprung into being in front of his body as he shouted out, "Protego!"

The shimmering white light that was a basic shield against magical spells shuddered when the three stunners slammed into it. But despite Harry's hasty casting and Dora's pummelling, it held firm.

Still, he had no time to feel relieved. With more than a little annoyance, he watched as Dora's wand moved once again and spat out multiple flashes of light. An entire rainbow's worth of different coloured spells hit Harry's shield, slamming it with enough force to numb his wand arm.

He had no clue what spells she was casting but they sure packed a wallop.

Eventually the shield was unable to take the punishment. It collapsed with a loud bang, causing Harry to stagger backwards as he reeled from the backlash of having his spell being forcibly broken.

Next thing Harry knew, his back was on the ground, and he was staring up into Dora's smiling face. "Wotcher! Did ya have a nice nap?"

Dammit, but it seemed like Dora had knocked him out with a stunner right after his shield had broken. Groaning, he gripped the forearm Dora proffered and used it to haul himself upright.

"I didn't even see you cast that last stunner," Harry said while rolling his newly stiff shoulders. The stunning spell might not cause permanent physical damage, but it always left him feeling groggy and achy once he was revived. "That was a stunner, right? And not some other spell like the one you suckered me with this morning?"

Dora laughed as she swept a short fringe of hair out of her eyes. "No need to worry your pretty little head over it, sweet little Harrykins. It was definitely a stunner. Just a more advanced version you wouldn't learn until after Hogwarts."

"Right. Any chance you could teach it to me?"

"Nope! Not until you're much, much better at the basics."

Harry gave the woman the stink eye as she cheerfully beamed at him. But his glower got him nowhere, so eventually he threw his hands into the air out of frustration. "Great! I'm not sure how that'll be of any help to me."

"Oh, don't get like that. If what I've heard about your time at Hogwarts from your godfather is right, chances are, sooner or later, you'll probably face an opponent who can do that same little trick. And having faced it once, you'll be less surprised when you see it again. Right?" The young woman's usually chipper tone was more serious as she spoke. "Training, Harry, is serious business. Treat it like it's your life on the line. Because one day it might be."

Harry stared at her in shock. Gone was the wild and crazy girl he had gotten to know recently, and in her place was the serious and solemn looking Auror cadet he sometimes had a difficult time believing her to be. It was an odd moment, and Harry had no idea how to react to her words, other than to nod.

Then, as if unable to stand the solemn atmosphere she had created, Dora gave Harry a saucy wink. "Unless, of course, it's a very different type of training you're thinking of doing. And while you're a little young for my tastes, I know a few gals still at Hogwarts who'd love to be your sparring partners, if you get my meaning."

Harry flushed at her words.

Of course she was going there. Dora teased him like this whenever she came to visit. Her open and constant teasing was able to penetrate his seemingly divine ability to ignore the romantic advances of those around him – if the Game's description of Harry's Oblivious trait could be believed, and the jury was still out on that – and he hoped to the powers above that the young woman was as uninterested in him as she often claimed.

'Cause if she wasn't kidding and was even a tiny bit serious about some of what she said, then Harry was both curious and afraid as to what might happen.

With an emphasis on the fearful side. Dora could say some really raunchy stuff at times that had made even Sirius' raise an eyebrow.

"I, uh, you know, um, not like –" Harry fumbled with his words as thoughts of Cho and a few other girls danced inside his mind. "Erm, what I mean to say is, is thanks, but I'm, uh, covered in that department. Really."

Sadly, his brilliant reply failed to appease his tormentor. The woman's fiery red hair morphed into its usual hot pink colour as she sauntered over to him, eyes narrowed and a smile curving her lips into a cupid's bow. "Oh? Does that mean you already have your eye on a certain young miss back at Hogwarts then?"

"No, uh, not really. I uh, I just don't need any help in that area at the moment. That's all." Hoping that would be the end of it, Harry turned and began to back away. "Hey, is that Remus calling? I think we should go and talk to him about today's lesson."

But that plan failed. Quicker than he could blink, Dora slipped into his path and boxed him in with the stone wall at his back. Her deep brown eyes twinkled at him as she swayed her shapely hips back and forth.

"C'mon, don't be like that, Harry. You can tell me all about her; I'm pretty good at giving advice on this subject if I do say so myself."

Harry gulped and shook his head. "Nope, I'm good. Really good. Honest!"

"Hmm… now, why don't I believe that?" Dora's grin faded as she peered into his eyes with the gaze of a hunting predator. The smell of her, spicy and sweaty, filled Harry's nose as she leaned in close. "Looks like I'll need to get… persuasive… in order to loosen that uncooperative tongue of yours."

Harry's mind went blank at her words. And when the incredibly beautiful and oh so dangerous woman flicked a finger against his chest, his traitorous brain conjured mental images of what her words might entail. And then proceeded to fill Cho in beside her for some reason. Along with Hermione. And several other girls. All of which quickly overloaded his brain and left Harry completely unable to resist when Dora gently took him by the collar and brought him in close.

But Harry never found what Dora had planned as a loud clap sounded in the air. They both swivelled to find the source and saw Remus making his way over.

"Alright, that's enough teasing of the kid for one day, Dora," Remus said wryly. "Besides, I think Harry's entitled to his fair share of privacy in that particular area."

"Awww… but I was having so much fun," Dora grumbled as she hugged Harry close. "Can't I have a little nibble? You know, to sustain me until I can get back to messing with Proudfoot when he comes back from vacation?"

"Leaving the torment of your fellow cadets aside, the answer is still no." When Dora opened her mouth to continue arguing, the older man levelled a stern professorial look at her. "I mean it. It's time to do a breakdown of the session so we can get a move on with the rest of our day."

Harry sighed. Going over his mistakes in detail was not something he enjoyed… but handling Dora when the young woman put some effort into her flirting was downright impossible for him. If offered a choice between the two, he would gladly take the former.

"Spoilsport," Dora pouted. But though she seemed unhappy, the young woman did let go of Harry's collar as requested. "Way to take the fun out of everything."

"Indeed," Remus returned dryly. Then the Hogwarts professor turned his attention to Harry. "Now, back to the matter at hand. What do you think you did right during your training session, and what do you think you did wrong?

Harry gave a glum sigh and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure what I did right in today's session. It seemed like Dora had me on the defensive the second we started the match, and I was never able to go on the offensive once."

"True. But try to be a little more specific. Which of your actions showed signs of being effective? And which were clearly ineffective?"

Harry pondered the questions before replying. "Um, if anything I'd say that dodging and using trees to block to her spells seemed to work best. She clipped me a couple of times while we were among the trees, but I was only beaten to a pulp when Dora drove me out and pinned me down at the end."

"An excellent analysis, Harry," Remus said brightly. After a gentle pat on Harry's shoulder that caused him to smile, the older wizard looked at Dora. "And what are your thoughts?"

"Wellllllllll," Dora drawled as she rubbed a hand through her sweat damp hair, "Harry's judgement is spot on. I actually worked up a sweat trying to flush him out when he ran into that stand of trees; the kid is quick and good at using the terrain to his advantage. But as for what Harry did wrong… well, that's a much longer list."

Dora held up a hand and began ticking things off an imaginary list. "His arsenal of both offensive and defensive spells is abysmally low, which makes him easy to counter; he gives away his intentions on a regular basis when he looks at where he is trying to cast; and when things got desperate, he tried to stake everything on one final stand. That only works out if you're lucky, have an ambush planned, or are stronger than your opponent. And if you're relying on the first one, you're likely to lose the encounter nine times out of ten."

"If we were talking about an Auror recruit in raining," Remus cut in as he gave Dora a bemused look, "you'd be right. But how would you grade Harry for someone of his age and grade?"

"Oops! Sorry 'bout that. Moody makes us analyse our own stuff all the time and I slipped into that mindset. Force of habit, y'know?" Dora rubbed her the back of her head sheepishly and gave an embarrassed laugh. "For someone his age I'd have to say Harry did a bloody good job! With top marks for creative thinking during combat and great gumption for standing firm against me at the end."

Ding!

"Hey! You just said that was a bad thing, right?" Harry grumbled. He nonchalantly brushed away the Game's latest notification as he crossed his arms under his chest.

"Yeah, but that's because it was the obvious choice, and in combat you always want to avoid making the obvious choices." Dora leaned over and rubbed Harry's damp head affectionately. "Given a few more years of training like this, though, and you'll grow up to be a powerhouse."

"Gee, thanks," Harry muttered. He tried to move Dora's hand from its place on his head but found himself unable to budge it; the woman's arms packed way more muscle than they seemed to at first glance. "That makes me feel loads better."

"My pleasure!" Dora replied in her usual chipper tone as she continued to rub his head. "Chasing you around today was fun. Loads more entertaining than chasing one of Moody's toy mannequins in a battle simulation; those things aren't nearly so cute as you and pack some nasty hexes to boot."

Harry rolled his eyes at the comment. Hearing her say that made him feel like he was a Snitch and she the Seeker. Which was a reversal of roles he did not approve of in the slightest.

Remus gave a gentle cough into a closed fist to recapture their attention. "In any case, Harry, Dora was right in both of her assessments. You are certainly far ahead for someone in your age bracket. But you do have several areas in which you can improve, and her assessment coincided with what Sirius and I noticed in our own matches with you. But we can start working on those areas tomorrow. I believe that Andromeda was able to make it here for her usual visit after all, so we'll be ending today's training session here."

"Woohoo! Three cheers for the end of training!" Dora yelled out in glee. "Off we go to tea and biscuits. With a drop or two of whiskey thrown in for good measure, right?"

"Not while I'm present. You can go to a pub if that's what you're in the mood for." Remus said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. But the older man allowed a jubilant Dora to grab his arm and pull him towards the Cottage with minimal resistance as she pleaded her case.

While they walked, with Harry following close behind, Harry opened the notification the Game of Death had sent him after Dora's first assessment of his skills. Hopefully it was something good. Because if it was some new torment him so soon after Dora had put him through the wringer, then Harry might just scream out of frustration.

Quest Alert Notification

Auror Training

You Have Begun to Receive Training on Combat from an Auror

Complete the Training to Become One of Magical Britain's Finest

Quest Rewards:

+15 Levels

Auror Trained Trait

+5000 Reputation with Current or Former Aurors

'Auror' Title If You Choose to Join the Auror Corps

Please Select

Yes or No

Huh. Those additional levels were sure nice. While the trait and titles did not sound half bad either.

He had no idea what it would take to obtain them, at least not without trying to look up to see if the Game of Death had them in its little encyclopaedia, but they had to be something good. And since he seemed to be stuck with Dora's endless teasing anyway, it did not look like there were any other downsides to accepting the quest.

Harry selected the 'yes' option immediately and gave a smile at the soft ding that signalled the Game's acknowledgement.

Back at the Cottage, Andromeda Tonks sighed aloud as she lowered herself into a chair. Its comfortable embrace calmed her tense muscles.

Sirius might have missed a few years, but his wonderful taste in furniture and accessories had not missed a beat and made waiting for the tea to finish steeping rather pleasant.

"So, 'Dromeda, what brings you here so early?" Sirius asked as he placed two empty cups next to the kettle. "Dora told us you'd probably be busy for the next few hours."

Andromeda closed her eyes and let her head lean back while she composed her response. It was less a matter of what she wanted to say, and more a matter of not wanting to take her simmering frustration out on her well-meaning cousin.

"That was the plan," she said in a tired, worn-out voice. "The Board of Directors for the Daily Prophet had scheduled a meeting in the afternoon. However, things changed when the Chairman of the Board tried to make a bit of a power play."

"Huh. That sounds like loads of fun," Sirius bit out in a sarcastic tone while he raised an eyebrow. "Nothing better than some Slytherin style backstabbing to start a morning, eh?"

Andromeda gave a soft chuckle of dark amusement at the observation. "Hardly. It all began when, just after Dora had left, an emergency owl arrived with a message stating that the scheduled hour for the meeting had been changed. Shortly followed by a second owl a few seconds later which further stated that any who arrived late would find the doors shut and sealed."

"Ooh, yep, I was right. Definitely a classic Slytherin power gambit. And let me guess; the new meeting time was set to happen earlier rather than later, right?"

"Correct. The new time was set to begin ten minutes after the first owl reached me. Gregory, that old bastard, knew that more than half of the board was out for his blood and planned to call a vote of no confidence in his leadership. He had already warned his partners in crime about the manoeuvrer and was trying to catch the rest of us off-guard; if he had succeeded, then that bloodsucking prick of a man probably would have called for our removal instead of his own."

"Yeah, that sounds like something the old bastard would do for sure." Sirius poured the steaming tea into two delicate cups and handed one over to her, which she accepted gratefully. "But from the sound of things he didn't succeed. Right?"

"Of course he didn't! My allies and I were ready for him. And instead of catching us off-guard with his little trick, he managed to infuriate those who had yet to take a stand in either direction." This time she allowed a note of satisfied victory to bleed into her voice. "As a result, things went very well, and to cut short a very frustrating story, you are looking at the new Chairwoman for the Daily Prophet's Board of Directors."

"Oho! Congratulations, oh dear cousin of mine. That's wonderful!" Smiling broadly, Sirius gave her a mock salute as he leaned back into his own chair. "May your dazzling reign be long and prosperous!"

"Hush, you. I'm no queen. I'm just happy the old bastard is gone, and that we can stop short the stupid 'reforms' he was trying to push at the paper."

Despite her words, small smile graced Andromeda's features. She took a sip of her tea to hide it while her cousin continued to prattle on about the glorious future of her impending reign. Though her efforts were most likely rendered moot when she gave an amused snort at his rather descriptive opinion on what she could do to Rita Skeeter and a few other troublesome individuals.

The man had such a flamboyant and seemingly self-absorbed personality that it was easy for others to forget how kind and caring he could be. To witness it once again brought a pleasant warmth of nostalgia to Andromeda's heart.

She only spoke up when he began saying that he could never do something similar.

"I would dare say that you are wrong about that, dear Sirius." Andromeda spoke in a fond yet exasperated tone of voice. "You are far more capable than your words suggest. You always have been."

"Psh! Lies and slander, my good lady," Sirius replied with an exaggerated wave of his hand. "Since my release I've worked quite hard at crafting a certain genteel image. One of a rich and cavalier dandy, if you will, aside from taking care of Harry and furthering his training. Becoming some sort of clerk would not fit into my plans at all. So while I thank you for the kind thought, oh wondrous vision of beauty, please allow my poor brittle bones to rest in peace while I embark on becoming the greatest dilettante the magical world has ever seen."

Andromeda rolled her eyes.

The notion of Sirius ever settling for being a rich playboy was as absurd as Lucius Malfoy coming out in support of Muggle rights. Once Harry went off to school, she was certain that the man would do more than just dabble on the party scene and layabout at his house. He was too much a man of action to sit by and do nothing for the rest of his life. Though seeing as he had only been free from Azkaban for a few short months, Andromeda saw no harm in letting the man enjoy his delusions for a short while.

She cleared her throat and returned to the main thrust of their talk. "In any case, Sirius, this new position means that I will be a mite bit busier in the near future. I will not be able to come over as often as I might wish. I will also have to apologize to both Remus and Harry when I see them today, for I shall greatly miss our conversations."

"But not me? I don't get a weepy apology or a fond farewell? Oh, how you wound me sorely." Sirius mimed a dagger digging deep into his chest and slumped into his chair in dramatic fashion. "Mortally so, and I shan't ever recover from thy terrible blow."

Andromeda reached over to give his arm a light slap. "Oh hush! If that were truly the case, then you would have been dead long ago. I know for a fact that Lily did far worse to you, and I still remember what happened that night Minerva caught you and James sneaking near the Slytherin quarters."

Sirius' playful expression went blank at her words while a shudder ran through his entire body. "Nope, nope. It never happened. James and I never did anything like that, and Minerva absolutely never caught us doing it. So I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Doubtful," Andromeda drawled with a slight curve of her lips. "The mystery of how your ears were turned into those of a pig for over a week has never been a well-kept secret."

Sirius spluttered at her words, red faced at the memory of what had been one of the few times at Hogwarts that he had been the one to be laughed at.

Satisfied at having finally quieted Sirius's antics for the moment, Andromeda ended her teasing there and allowed the topic to drop in favour of other light hearted subjects. She brought Sirius up to date on the latest political news and social gossip; just the soft items, like which Pureblood was caught in an affair with a Muggleborn or which Ministry official had made a foolish quote to a reporter.

Sirius also gave her some tips on how she could change her look for her new position. And against her better judgment, Andromeda found herself thinking that his suggestions made sense. Laughing more than she could remember doing since her beloved husband had passed away, Andromeda felt the remaining tension in her body drain away as she and Sirius simply enjoyed each other's company.

The two of them had just finished making an appointment by owl for her to use Sirius' new stylist when the others walked into the room.

Harry looked at the seated Andromeda and grinned happily. The kind brunette, stunningly dressed in fancy wizarding robes, returned his smile and rose from her chair in greeting.

"Harry, Remus, it is a pleasure as always," she said with a regal nod of her head. She then paused before turning a somewhat disapproving eye to her daughter as Harry moved past. "And while it is always a pleasure to see you as well, Nymphadora, you forgot to close the door on your way out this morning. Again."

Dora winced at her mother's sharp tone. "Oops! Um, yeah, sorry about that, mum. I kind of tripped when I walked outside for my morning run. I guess I forgot to turn around and make sure the door was shut."

"Quite," Andromeda replied in clipped tones. "Please remember that I am not fond of allowing flies to possess unfettered access to our home, Nymphadora. Should it happen again, then worrying about Mad Eye's latest test will be the least of your issues. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, mum," the young woman said glumly. Her bright pink hair morphed into a rather plain shade of brown as she spoke in a contrite manner. "I promise it won't happen again, mum."

"Good. Then sit down and join us for a spot of tea. I have some news to share with all of you."

Harry made no effort to hide the grin he shot at Dora from behind her mother's back. The annoyed scowl she shot his way in reply, as well as the way her hair flickered to a vivid orange for a split second, was well worth whatever mischief she might visit upon him later.

"Who's Mad Eye?" Harry asked after pouring a cup of tea for himself. "I think I've heard of him before, but I can't remember where. Is he one of Dora's teachers in the Auror program?"

Sirius gave his signature barking laugh while slapping his knee.

"Kiddo, that's not even the half of it. Alastor Moody is way more than just one of Dora's teachers. Y'see, Old Mad Eye is the Master Auror; one of only two in living memory to hold the title, and from what I hear Amelia Bones still has a ways to go before she's quite on his level. The man's fought more Dark wizards and witches than Dumbledore, survived a pitched battle against the Dark Lord at the height of the insufferable cock's power, and has trained more Aurors than any other person in the history of the department. Including yours truly."

Harry's felt his eyes narrow as he looked at Sirius' proud expression. The man had to be having him on, because there was no way all of what he said could be true. Especially the part about the man having fought against more Dark magic users than Dumbledore himself.

"Bull." Harry stated in a blunt tone. "I won't fall for your nonsense this time."

"It's not a joke, Harry," Remus chimed in from the side. "Alastor really is that amazing. I patterned part of your final exam, the obstacle course, after one of his own tests, and I consulted with him throughout the whole of last year when I redesigned the program. Mind you, the man is as crazy as his title would suggest, but it doesn't change the fact that he is also utterly brilliant."

"Besides, you should already be familiar with some of his work," Sirius said. "He and Dumbledore combined to gift you all that cool stuff. I know for a fact that the Polyjuice potions and the Sneakoscope were Mad Eye's ideas."

Oh. Now that Sirius mentioned it, Harry did remember those items. In all the craziness that had been going on, he had completely forgotten about them.

"Wait wait wait!" Dora yelled out incredulously. "Are you telling me that Mad Eye Moody, Mr. 'I'm so paranoid that I'll blow up a fly with a bombardment spell because it might be an Animagus', voluntarily gave Harry a batch of Polyjuice potion?"

Harry nodded. "Yep."

"Seriously?" The young woman's voice was filled with disbelief as she gave Remus and Sirius a sceptical stare. "Was it already keyed to people Moody had preselected?"

"Nope! The stuff was completely blank when he gave it away." Sirius replied smugly. Harry's godfather wore a look like that of a little kid who had gotten away with stealing a cookie from the cookie jar and was now daring an adult to call him out on his behaviour. "Though we've since keyed most of them to people whose names and identities will remain a secret."

"B-b-but that's illegal! It's a class three felony! For all of you, including Mad Eye!" A stricken looking Dora stuttered as she tried to make sense of what Sirius was telling her. "And he's the one who always goes on about 'Constant Vigilance' and how you should never trust someone who has a batch of unregistered and unkeyed Polyjuice potion in their possession."

"True. But tell me, Dora, when was the last time Alastor said that you, or any of the other Auror hopefuls, should ever trust him?" Andromeda spoke quietly as she stirred her tea. "If I were to make a wager, then I would place my money on the man having never told you that in a single one of his lessons."

Harry watched as Dora's hair went through a riot of colours. From yellow, to pink, to green, to red, and even to a mousy shade of brown. The colours seemed to shift with the expressions on her face as the young woman went from embarrassed shock to anger, from anger to horror, and passed what looked like jealousy before finally settling on a glum look of resignation.

"That's the final test he's been hinting at all this time," Dora mumbled to herself. Harry poured the poor woman a fresh cuppa to calm her nerves, but she did not seem to notice. "It all makes sense, now. That crazy bastard is going to throw us to the wolves during the exam, see how we react, and then try to ambush us right when we think we're in the clear! And I'll bet the person who's not caught off-guard by it will be the one to become his student. That dirty, foul smelling, whiskey swilling, peg legged bastard!"

After shouting that last bit, Dora's hair turned back into its usual hot-pink colour. A decidedly nasty gleam entered the young woman's eyes and Harry made sure to place Andromeda in between them.

"Well, now that I know what's coming, I'll definitely become his apprentice. And I'll make sure to give the old codger a taste of his own medicine during that final test or my name isn't Nymphadora Cassiopeia Tonks!"

"That's the ticket, girl!" Sirius held up his teacup in toast as he cheered her on. "Show him what a daughter of the House of Black can do!"

"Hey! I might be related to you, but I ain't no daughter of the House of Black, you fussy little aristocratic twat. So don't you dare go trying to claim my accomplishments for yourself."

And with that little bit of levity, the gathering settled into a comfortable atmosphere, starting with Sirius squabbling with Dora about her lineage. Harry's godfather apparently wanted to formally accept both Dora and her mother back into the Black family when he was officially sworn in as the Family Head after the school year began, with Andromeda pressing him to include Narcissa as well.

Dora, however, was not interested in the slightest, and shot down every attempt from both her mother and Sirius to get her permission.

Afterwards, the discussion turned to Andromeda's new position. Harry was excited for her but found that he was a bit wistful as well. Although she had not been around for long periods of time, Harry had grown rather attached to the time he was able to spend with the older woman.

Andromeda provided a warm, stabilizing influence on the chaos that Sirius wrought daily, and had shown herself to be both kind and thoughtful. And though Harry had not told her any of his deepest secrets, such as the Game of Death, Andromeda had helped him sort through some of the lesser problems that had been facing him ever since he came to the magical world. Such as what terms like Pureblood and Half-Blood really meant, and a whole host of things that some of Harry's classmates, like Ron and Draco, took as a matter of course.

For someone who had often felt lost in the complexities of wizarding culture, being informed of these things was like having blinders removed after years of struggling to see through them.

While Harry was talking with her, Sirius tapped his teacup with a golden spoon to gather everyone's attention.

All eyes in the room turned to face the dark-haired man as he cleared his throat. "Before it gets to be too late and our guests must be off, I would like to share a little bit of news with everyone."

For once looking mostly serious – albeit quite excited as well – the man reached into one of his trouser pockets and pulled out a fistful of official looking tickets. Harry's eyes went wide in excitement as he read the lettering stamped all over the thin strips of paper.

"In celebration of starting a new life together, I went out and purchased a private booth for the duration of the World Cup!" Sirius' eyes sparkled with good cheer as he raised the tickets for the room to see. "We'll have first rate seats, a fully stocked bar, and complimentary food service at all times. Best of all, we can invite anyone we want to join us and ignore anyone we don't! Ha!"

Ding!

Harry ignored the Game's notification as he bounded out of his chair and gave his godfather a crushing hug. "Oh, thank you Sirius! This is awesome! I can't wait to go!"

Sirius patted Harry's head and chuckled. But he was unable to respond immediately, as after Harry had finished crushing the air from his lungs a beaming Dora had come over and slapped him across the shoulders hard enough to knock him forward and into the table, unleashing chaos in the process.

The still hot pot of tea on the table was sent rocking by the impact and spilled onto Remus' trousers. Who then jumped into Andromeda just as the woman was making to get out of her chair. Who then fell over on top of the cursing Sirius and knocked the entire table over.

Meanwhile, a beaming Harry just laughed himself silly as he enjoyed every moment.

It was only when Harry opened the Game's notification screen shortly before bedtime that his mood dampened.

Quest Alert Notification

Attack on the World Cup

Dark Forces Currently Plan to Attack the World Quidditch Cup

Foil their Plans and Save the Day

Quest Rewards:

25 Levels

+5000 Reputation Points with the General Public

Please Select

Yes or No

A/N: With this chapter I was finally able to get in a training scene. One which had a little bit of action and saw Harry putting both his brains and Gaming abilities into practical use.

Additionally, the main sources of level gains for Harry et al in this story will be from the following: completing quests, doing activities (like practicing), and either surviving against or defeating powerful enemies. I'm going old-school D&D and RPG on ya'll with it, so MMO style grinding (kill the same mob 100 times, run the same dungeon over and over again, etc…) will have a rather low usage in this particular area.

Until Next Time,

Elsil