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Harry Potter And The Game of Death
Level 1
Chapter Twenty-Six: Summer Love
"That was too easy!" Harry said to himself while laughing. "If I'd known Dora would be that easy to distract, I'd have done it sooner. Honestly, it could've saved me so much trouble."
The plan to distract Dora had been a runaway success. After Harry's taunts, the young woman had grown incensed and declared that she would pass his forty wins before the day was up. Hestia's attempt to calm her down had failed and Dora had stalked off to register for her duels with her girlfriend close in tow. Leaving Harry blissfully alone and free to do what he wanted.
Which is why his first order of business was to get into a secluded area so he could check some things using the Game of Death.
Harry made his way out of the crowd and picked out a secluded tree just off the main pathway. A quick glance around showed that only one man was looking at him, and once the man shifted his gaze away it left no one else looking in Harry's direction.
Once the Game's interface was up, Harry checked his status and smiled upon seeing the additional levels next to his name.
All the duelling and hard work he had been doing for the past week was definitely paying off.
Harry Potter
Age: 13
The-Boy-Who-Lived
Heir Apparent to the Potter Family
Basilisk Slayer
Heroic Child
Golden Boy
Level 53
Stats:
STR: 61
DEX: 78
CON: 59
INT: 142
WIS: 118
CHA: 373
Traits:
Loyal
Duellist
Survivor
Humble
Elf-Friend
Boy-Who-Lived
Half-Blood
School Quidditch Star
Possessor of a Deathly Hallow
Clutch Performer
Foe of the Dark
Battle Hardened
Dark Arts Magnet
A Mother's Protection
Weak Familiar Bond (Hedwig)
Peverell Bloodline
Walking Target
Oblivious One
Parseltongue
Headstrong
True Friend
Negotiator
Dedicated
Horcrux
Gamer
After reading through Remus and Sirius' private messages to one another – Harry had recently learnt through the 'Help' feature that, as the Gamer, he could see all messages sent using his 'Party' feature and had kept the knowledge to himself – in addition to the ones they had sent to him, Harry saw that both men were currently occupied.
Apparently, Sirius had overheard Yaxley tell Lucius that the first part of the plan would be enacted today. Lucius had asked if the man needed any help, to which Yaxley had responded in the negative. Lucius had then dispatched Morgan to a game with Draco to keep their attendance cover intact before going on his own.
In order to respond to this unanticipated situation Harry's guardians had chosen to split up as well. Remus was tailing Yaxley as the man wandered near some sensitive security areas, while Sirius had joined the elder Malfoy on a behind the scenes VIP only tour, where according to Sirius' latest message the two were trading constant barbs with one another.
To Harry it seemed like his guardians had made the logical decision; both of the areas they had gone to were vital to the World Cup's security and operation.
But their decision also meant that Morgan was currently uncovered by anyone. A fact which caused Harry to frown.
After looking through several more messages, Harry learned that the former Death Eater and Draco had last been seen making their way towards a separate Quidditch pitch about half an hour prior. According to the list of scheduled matches Harry had memorized, a game was scheduled to start at that pitch at two in the afternoon.
Which was in roughly fifteen minutes.
Harry closed the Game's messages and made his way towards the pitch. If he hurried, then he would be able to make it in time to catch the game and potentially foil a dark plot along the way. It was a long shot that Morgan was up to anything nefarious, but after nearly a week of being side-lined Harry was ready to dive back into things with a vengeance.
By the time he made it to the stadium the match was nearly set to begin. Harry tried looking for Morgan, but neither the man nor Draco were anywhere to be seen and the crowd was much too thick to attempt using 'Observe'.
The opening whistle blew, causing the restless crowd to burst into raucous cheers and frantic movement as Quidditch players sped through the air above, obscuring any chance Harry had to find someone who did not want to be found within the crowd. So, he gave up for the short term and found himself a place where he could sit and watch the game in the meantime.
Morgan cursed his rotten luck as he heard the game begin. He was supposed to have made his move before the match started; having to adjust his timing meant that the plan was now in jeopardy. But the damn Potter brat making an appearance right where his seats were located had thrown a wrench into things. Seeing the traitorous scum had forced Morgan to grab Draco by the scruff of his tiny neck and duck into a side passage leading around the edge of the stadium seating areas.
It would be annoying to relocate, but it was for this sort of scenario that he and Yaxley had picked out multiple target spots at every venue. Casting the Imperius Curse could get you a one-way ticket to Azkaban, and Morgan had no desire for Potter to be the one to send him there.
Three hours later saw a disappointed Harry exiting the stadium. Bulgaria's match against Finland had turned into a rout midway, 530-220, thanks to a miraculous half-time rally, and he had failed to catch Morgan doing anything suspicious.
When Harry had finally caught sight of Morgan towards the end of the match, sitting with Draco in the upper right-hand corner of the stadium, Harry had not noticed anything amiss. Taking a risk, he had tried casting 'Observe' on any important people located nearby, like stadium security, but the spell had only shown the various people to be normal individuals with normal stats. Which meant that Morgan had either already done something to affect the match or Harry had wasted his time on a dead end.
Either way it was annoying.
Less than pleased, he poked around the area where he saw them sitting for a little bit just in case, but he failed to spot anything sinister even when using 'Observe'. So, he gave it up as a lost cause and began to make his way out of the stadium, joining in on the tail end of the crowd while he tried to think of anything else he might have missed.
Just as he passed by the entrance, something slammed into Harry's back hard enough to send him sprawling.
His instincts blaring in alarm, Harry scrabbled to grab hold of his wand and fish it from out of his pocket. Once that was achieved, he rolled to his left to throw off the aim of whomever had tried to take him out. Only to come to an immediate halt halfway through his first rotation when an unmistakeable voice called out to him.
"Hey! Harry, is that you? It's me, Cho!"
Hearing the voice of his crush sent a burst of electricity shooting through Harry's entire nervous system. A feeling which was only amplified when a quest notification from the Game of Death popped up that left him utterly stupefied.
Ding!
Quest Notification
You Gotta Kiss the Girl
You Have Met Cho Chang at the Quidditch World Cup
Woo Her Right and You've Got a Shot at Earning Her Favour
Quest Reward:
A Kiss (or More) From the Asian Beauty Cho Change
Please Select
Yes or No
"It really is you!" Cho Chang's melodious, lightly accented voice called out in pleasure. "I'm so sorry for bumping into you like that. I wasn't watching where I was going."
Harry shook of his stupefied state and looked at the girl splayed out across from him. Her delicate features were scrunched up in apology while dust covered her cute muggle attire; a simple mini-skirt and blouse combination paired with knee-high socks Harry had never seen her wear previously. Harry had never thought of Cho as being leggy, but he could hardly keep his eyes from staring at the skin revealed in the gap between her socks and mini skirt.
"No! There's uh, um, no need for you to apologize like that, Cho," Harry managed to stammer out. He picked himself off the ground in a hurry, punched yes on the quest notification as he did, and reached a hand towards the older girl for good measure. "Here, please, let me help you up. It was all my fault for not watching where I was going."
Cho accepted his offer and pulled herself upright. Still a little taller than him – though not so much as when the school year had ended, Harry noted happily – the pretty girl reached out a hand to steady herself against his shoulder. Her long black hair swayed from the movement and Harry caught the scent of feminine perfume wafting through the air.
Once steadied, Cho gave a laugh as she removed her hand from him and began to pat herself down to remove the dust coating her clothes. "In that case, Harry, let's agree it was both our faults and move on. Okay?"
"Oh! Uh, um, yeah. Sure!"
His hands twitched as his brain continued to misfire. For a moment he almost tried to help Cho get the dust off her clothes before he realized how inappropriate that would be.
After watching her for a bit, Harry settled for asking when she had come to the tournament.
"My dad brought me here two days ago," Cho said with a bright smile. "We missed the opening ceremony and the first brace of matches but have caught most everything else. Right now he's working, giving a bunch of VIPs a behind the scenes tour, so I'm on my own for the day. How 'bout yourself, Harry?"
"Erm. I, uh, I've been here since the first day, actually," Harry stammered out, wanting to kick himself as he did. It was a miracle the gorgeous girl had not yet left since he could not seem to avoid sounding like a daft moron whenever she was around. "I-I, erm, what I mean to say, is that I just got done watching the Bulgarian match. Did you see it?"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth Harry wanted to kick himself. Or curse himself. Or something, anything, that might stop him from sounding like the world's biggest idiot.
Because given that she had been leaving the stadium just like him, her answer to his question was rather obvious.
Thankfully Cho did not seem to mind Harry's idiocy.
The beautiful girl gave him a smile and nodded excitedly. "Did I ever! I didn't think I would ever see a more talented Seeker than you, Harry, but that Bulgarian bloke, Krum, is just amazing! Did you see the manoeuvrer he pulled when he closed in on the ground? Someone in the seat next to me called it a 'Wronski Feint.' I don't even know if I could pull off something like that in practice, let alone in a game!"
Flattered by her praise of his skill, although feeling somewhat annoyed at how Cho thought the Bulgarian bloke was more talented than him, Harry gave a short chuckle before they launched into a detailed discussion regarding the match.
As their talk progressed Harry found himself stuttering and stammering far less than he had at the beginning. Discussing the sport of Quidditch seemed to calm his beating heart, and the more time passed the easier his words seemed to come to him.
Harry managed to pull off a stealthy 'Observe' on her while they walked, curious as to what it might show. He was able to read it when Cho made a quick trip to the loo, and he pretended to do the same.
Cho Chang
Daughter of Li and Deborah Chang, she is a free-spirited girl who enjoys spending time with others. Spoiled by her parents from an early age, she can sometimes be flighty and fickle. While a dedicated student, her favourite things to do are to talk about Quidditch and boys with her friends. She is chased by many of the boys at Hogwarts and enjoys a good kisser. (See Character Page for Further Information)
Age: 15
Level 48
Stats:
STR: 45
DEX: 72
CON: 40
INT: 51
WIS: 17
CHA: 46
Traits:
Quidditch Fan
School Quidditch Player
Free Spirit
Spoiled
Going against his better judgement, Harry selected the 'Character Page' option. He hoped and prayed that it would contain better information than he had seen every other time he had selected the thrice cursed feature.
But per usual, what he saw made Harry want to bang his head against a wall and yell at the Game for its continuing torment.
Cho Chang
Daughter of Li and Deborah Chang, Cho is a free-spirited girl who enjoys spending time with others. Spoiled by her parents from an early age, she can sometimes be flighty and fickle. While a dedicated student, her favourite things to do are to talk about Quidditch and boys with her friends. She is often chased by the boys of Hogwarts and enjoys a good kisser.
After playing against Harry Potter at Hogwarts and seeing his immense skill on a broom, Cho knows that she does not have what it takes to become a professional Quidditch player. However, she plans to either enter the Quidditch supplies industry or to follow in her father's footsteps as an employee of the British Ministry's Department of Magical Games and Sports.
Cho is currently weighing whether to accept Cedric Diggory's offer of going steady, given to her at the end of the school year, but has yet to make up her mind. She enjoys being single and worries that, if things go well between them, she will be forced to give up her career aspirations.
Cho has a long waterfall of silky black hair, black eyes, creamy skin, and stands at 5'4. She has a moderate bust, narrow hips, and a tight butt.
Allies: Deborah Chang, Li Chang, Cedric Diggory
Friendly: Marietta Edgecombe, Ravenclaw Quidditch Team
Acquaintances: Fellow Ravenclaw students
Hostile: None
Hated Ones: None
Romantic Affections: Cedric Diggory (very strong), Harry Potter (strong), Viktor Krum (moderate), Roger Davies (moderate), Duncan Inglebee (weak), Jason Samuels (weak), Oliver Wood (weak), George Weasley (weak), Fred Weasley (weak)
Thanks to the Game of Death, Harry could see that Cho Chang, the girl he liked more than any other, had already been asked out by someone else. Someone whom every girl at Hogwarts seemed to like and who just happened to be the only person to beat Harry to the Snitch in a meaningful game of Quidditch.
Sometimes it felt like the universe seemed to enjoy making Harry its whipping boy. Because if the Game were to be believed, then Harry had made contact with Cho right as the girl was trying to decide whether she should date Cedric Diggory.
In a daze, Harry walked out of the lavatory and back onto the dirt path that meandered along the tournament grounds. He began to pace back and forth as he wrestled with his thoughts about what to do with the information.
In Harry's mind an angelic version of Hermione argued for making the honourable choice. That if he were to make a move on Cho it would a betrayal of his morals. That Cedric was a good guy who had already asked Cho out, and to get in his way would be both rude and nasty to the honourable bloke.
Meanwhile a devilish version of Dora – complete with flaming hair and sharpened teeth – argued that Harry should just go for it. That for what use was the Game and its powers if Harry did not use them to their fullest advantage?
The two arguments collided in his brain, making him hem and haw as he teetered back and forth between following one or the other.
In the end it was the devilish Dora who won when she stated that this might be Harry's last chance with Cho before she decided to date Cedric exclusively. In which case pursuing her at that time would be a betrayal of Harry's morals; and that by chasing her now rather than later, Harry would actually be keeping to his true values. That argument won the day and allowed Harry to firmly push away any sense of guilt he might have felt towards blocking Cedric's shot at the beautiful girl.
Once Cho returned, the two of them settled into a small table just off the beaten path so they could talk without being interrupted.
A nearby street vendor popped over to hawk his wares. Which, per usual with the magical world, were oddly diverse.
The man had various types of food ranging from American style hot dogs to Hungarian stew, and squash juice to pepper soda. After a moment's indecision on the part of Harry, Cho suggested that they get something to drink and snack on before the next match started. Harry agreed and purchased a pair of minced-meat pies served with freshly squeezed pumpkin juice for the both of them to share.
Between his own limited experience, Dora's outrageous stories, and Sirius' terrible advice imparted during 'the Talk', Harry might not know how to best woo a girl but treating Cho to a meal seemed like a good place to start.
It seemed to work as Cho gave him a coy smile when the street vendor left. "Thanks for the treat, Harry. But why go through the effort to get on my good side? I could have paid for it myself, you know."
Harry flushed at the comment. "N-no reason at all. I, uh, just wanted to be a gentleman."
"Hm. Then in that case, Harry, you have most certainly succeeded. And as the charming young lady who has received your gentlemanly generosity, please allow me to thank you for your exceptional kindness."
Faster than the stupefied Harry could react, Cho closed the distance between them and planted a quick kiss onto his cheek.
Her dark eyes glittered with mirth as she returned to her seat. "And that is all you'll get from me for now, Mr. Gentleman. Let's talk about the next match while we eat. I hear that England's Seeker is the only one that can give Krum a run for his money, but that their Chasers and Keeper are rather rubbish. What do you think?"
"And that's win number thirty-seven in a row!" Dora yelled from her place atop the main duelling platform. "Who's next? If you think you've got the courage, then step on closer to the edge and prepare to get broken! Wahahahahahaha!"
Hestia held up an embarrassed hand to cover her face as Dora yelled at the crowd of spectators who had gathered to watch her duelling exploits. Hestia adored the younger woman, she truly did, but whenever Dora's competitive spirit got fired up to this extent, the metamorphmagus tended to become somewhat… unbearable.
According to Dora it had something to do with her mother's side of the family, but that had been all that Hestia had been able to drag out of her.
"What, no takers? None at all? Just because you're destined to fall before my towering self doesn't mean you should let fear hold you back. I'll even promise to go easy on the next challenger by tying one hand behind my back!"
"Morgan's sweet breath, she's only getting worse," Hestia muttered to herself. She groaned as the embarrassing spectacle continued without any end in sight. "At this rate, she's never going to leave. Not even after she beats Harry's record. She'll probably want to stack win after win on top of it just to rub it in the poor boy's face."
Hestia had already tried to lure Dora away from the duelling stage with kisses and caresses, and the promises of more. But it had only achieved momentary success before the woman had pulled away to engage in yet another next duel.
As Hestia looked on through spread fingers, a hard-bitten wizard who appeared tough enough to chew rocks took up Dora's challenge. The man jumped into the ring with a roar of challenge. One that Dora tossed back with equal vigour.
"In the name of all that is holy…" Hestia yelled in disbelief. "Dora, stop fooling around and beat him already! There's no need to thump your chest like some idiot of a man!"
Hestia's shout went unheeded. Within seconds Dora and her opponent were locked in a duel. Spellfire tore through the air as the two combatants blocked, dodged, and countered their opponent's spells. The man's face was locked in a rictus of concentration as he fought while Dora's contained a look of wild glee, her hair weaving through a rainbow of bright colours as she duelled the man with one hand kept behind her back.
That made it official. Dora had gone off the deep end and there would be no returning until the younger woman got it out of her system. Something like this had happened twice before when they had been in bed with one another – where the increased enthusiasm had been most appreciated – but never had Hestia seen it quite like this. It seemed that the only way to end things early was if someone appeared who could give Dora a run for her money, but with the immense skill the young Auror possessed the likelihood of that happening was rather low.
"Excusez-moi, but would anyone 'appen to know where zee regiztration dezk eez?" A beautiful, lilting voice said from somewhere nearby. "I weesh to duel zat woman, but I do not know where eet eez located."
Eager for any distraction from the crazed figure that was her girlfriend, a depressed Hestia turned to offer the French speaker some assistance. The voice sounded like it belonged to a cute girl too, so helping her might help to lift the thick cloud of gloom that was slowly falling over Hestia as Dora continued her rampage unchecked.
"And he's dooooown! In a display of the worst bit of unsportsmanlike conduct I have ever seen in over thirty years spent playing and commenting on professional Quidditch, the French Beater Gagne has taken out the English Seeker, our beloved Hardwin, by using his Beater's bat to apparently bash in the man's skull. Security! Remove that man from the pitch before we have a riot on our hands. That sort of action has no place in our sport!"
Ludo Bagman's amplified voice boomed through the stadium as the people surrounding Harry and Cho rose to their feat in anger. The two young teenagers found themselves joining in, shaking their fists and screaming their voices at what they had just seen happen.
After playing against Slytherin for years both teens had thought they had known the sorts of depths that dirty teams would stoop to in order to win, but this match had been an eye opener.
In a professional Quidditch match it was legal to hit the Seeker after they had caught the Snitch. Rival Seekers usually did this to steal the golden ball away from their competitor, while the opposing Beaters would try to jar it loose through Bludger hits. It was the major reason why the Snitch did not stop dead in professional matches as many fans felt that it added a bit of excitement and flair to the game's outcome.
But instead of staying within the rules and hitting the English Seeker, who had just caught the Snitch, with a Bludger, the French Beater had used his bat to smash in Hardwin's face! That sort of move was not allowed and looked to have cost the French team the game.
"It appears that the despicable Frenchman is trying to argue his case," Ludo's booming voice stated in disdain, "but it's not going well for him. This is as cut and dry a matter as I've ever seen, folks. I don't imagine it'll be long now before the officials – aha! The officials have tossed Gagne out of the game and declared the match over. Final score is 340-230. Good sportsmanship triumphs and England wins! Jolly good showing out there, chaps. You've done your country proud!"
With the match over Harry and Cho started to file out of the stadium with the rest of the crowd, the pair talking animatedly as they moved.
"What a game! It was completely different than the Bulgarian match," Harry yelled in excitement. "It was almost like watching a professional version of Gryffindor versus Slytherin."
"I know!" Cho yelled back as she elatedly jostled his shoulder. "I'd heard tell that the French liked to play dirty, but that was something else. Not even the Brazilians go that far, and they're supposed to be the worst!"
As they filed out, the crowd became increasingly dense. It was not long before Harry and Cho were rubbing shoulders as the people around them began to push and shove to leave the stadium faster. But any annoyance Harry felt over it was quashed when he felt Cho fling her arms around his back and move in close.
Harry twisted his head back and saw Cho's dark eyes staring at him, her soft pink lips curved in a flirty grin. Pole-axed by the look and temporarily unable to move forward thanks to the crowd, Harry felt his body freeze in place.
Cho's lips curved further as she stared at him intently. "You know, I've had so much fun with you today, Harry. My father gave me tickets to see all the games, but no one was available to see them today. But then I met you, and you've been so nice to me, and been such great company, that I think you deserve another reward. One that we'll both enjoy."
Before Harry could reply, Cho closed her eyes and moved her face closer to his own. And when her lips touched his, Harry felt his mind explode into a million tiny pieces.
Cho's lips were soft, tender, and oh so sweet. While the way they curved and moulded their shape when pressed against his own was simply divine.
A roaring fire began to rise within Harry's chest as the kiss continued. A burning need to do something more than just passively receive. So, he pressed back against her lips with his own, moving them gently as he fumbled his way forward with half-remembered instructions from Sirius.
Harry knew he was doing something right when he felt her sigh into him. He also heard the sound of a notification from the Game going off, most likely the quest for Cho being completed, but the Game of Death and everything other than the girl currently kissing him was far from Harry's mind.
He had no clue how long they stayed like that, but Harry would have traded every Galleon in his vault to have stayed that way forever. And when they came back together for another kiss, with more force and greater intensity, Harry felt his mind explode for a second time in a row. The most coherent thought that remained in his head was that if this is what kissing was like then it was no wonder the older boys spent so much time and energy chasing girls.
When he eventually came to and looked around, Harry realized they had somehow made their way back to the stadium's entrance. The previously thick crowd had long since dissipated, leaving the two of them with some semblance of privacy as they held each other close and basked in the lingering warmth of their kisses.
Eventually, it was Cho who decided to end things.
The dark-haired girl pulled back from Harry and patted him gently on the cheek. "Thanks for the great day, Harry." She paused, then leaned in and kissed him again before stepping away. "I… I guess that I'll see you around. Take care of yourself!"
Harry thought he said goodbye to her after that. And maybe something about enjoying her company too because the Asian beauty smiled at him and gave him yet another kiss in reply. Then the girl began to walk away, her slim form disappearing into the moving traffic while he stood still and watched.
Still dazed, he slowly got up and made his way around the stadium grounds.
When he was both alone and somewhat able to think again, he brought up the notification the Game of Death had previously sent.
Quest Alert Notification
You Gotta Kiss the Girl
You Have Met Cho Chang at the Quidditch World Cup
Woo Her Right and You've Got a Shot at Earning Her Favour
Progress:
Complete
You Got A Kiss (and More) From the Asian Beauty Cho Chang
Harry read through the notification as he slowly made his way to Sirius' private booth. It was simple and gave no new information, but the mere confirmation of what he had just experienced made him giddy with joy.
When he made it back to the booth both Sirius and Remus took one look at Harry's face before simultaneously asking who the lucky girl had been. Harry had squirmed on the spot and thanked his lucky stars that Remus did not seem to be the sort of teacher to listen to Hogwarts gossip. In the end Harry was only able to dodge their questions on the subject by talking about his time at the duelling tent and the two Quidditch games he had seen.
Sirius' annoyance at learning how Harry had dodged Dora came as no surprise. Not when he was the driving force behind sticking Harry with his various minders. But their conjectures regarding the matches Harry had seen that day were rather worrying.
Harry looked between them as he sat down in a cushy chair. "You think that the Imperius Curse was used during the two matches I saw? And that the French player who clubbed the British bloke is actually innocent?"
Remus nodded. "Yes. The amount of time that an Imperius Curse will work, and the range at which someone can cast it, varies greatly. Much of it depends on both the castor's strength and the strength of the one the Imperius is cast upon, which can make the curse hard to predict and understand."
"I've heard the Goblins have a way around it and that the Ministry's Unspeakables made some progress on a counter during the war against the dark tosser, but nothing more," Sirius added. "But the way you described the match between Bulgaria and Finland, Harry, would fit the description as well. Bulgaria's second half comeback seemed to be the result of the Fins completely falling apart. Two or more people under the Imperius Curse, who were ordered to play sloppily, would explain it quite neatly."
"Ugh! We should've considered that method as a possibility back when you first told me about it," Harry muttered darkly. His brain was back from its extended vacation in the land of kisses, and with its return Harry was rather mad at himself for having missed out on the signs.
"We did, Harry, but the plain truth of the matter is that it's nearly impossible to know that the Imperius has been cast unless someone witnesses it." Remus' hard tone resembled the one he would use in class whenever students were getting too noisy. "It's one of the reasons why Sirius and I have been following Malfoy and the rest so closely and is quite probably the reason why you were unable to locate Morgan until late in the first match you saw."
"Great. So, I had a chance to catch him in the act and messed up completely. Wonderful!" Harry quipped sarcastically. After a moment's thought, he raised his head to look at his two Guardians. "Since they've proven they can get around us, I think we need to come up with a different strategy."
"I think you're right, kiddo," Sirius said in agreement. The dark-haired man ran a hand through his hair as he clearly thought things through. "The question is what?"
"How about bringing in more people?" Remus suggested. "While we can't tell them about the Game of Death or Harry's connection to it, it seems that our current problem is a matter of bodies. We could bring in a few people we trust, say we've learned that Malfoy is up to something, and get them to assist us."
"Huh. That sounds good to me. We could probably figure out a way to convince Dora and 'Dromeda to help us without much trouble," Sirius said thoughtfully. "Maybe Hestia, too, since she's Dora's girlfriend and an Auror trainee in her own right.
Remus nodded. "But bringing in people like Mad Eye or Minerva would be too much of a risk. Those two, and anyone like them, would figure out we were hiding the Game of Death's existence from them faster than two shakes of a rabbit's tail."
After thinking some more, Remus suggested a few other possible names as well as a few possible cover stories they could use, but every name and idea he brought up was dashed by Harry's godfather. Meanwhile, Harry frowned to himself as he considered their situation and any options he could think of to turn things around.
He doubted the Goblins would be of any help to them in stopping the Imperius Curse, not after their long list of grievances against wizard-kind. And as for others… well, Dumbledore was still out of the country, and after the fiascos with the Dementors Harry had little faith in the Ministry. The Game of Death had also been unusually quiet of late as well, aside from the quests concerning Dora and Cho.
Still, Harry felt he was close to hitting upon a solution to their issue which was better than just bringing in more people. He was so close to figuring it out that he could almost taste it.
It took pacing about for several minutes while Remus and Sirius argued over other possible examples of Death Eater interference in the matches thus far, but Harry eventually hit upon a crazy idea that just might work.
A soft and slow ding rang out in Harry's mind as the Game of Death issued a quest in confirmation of his thoughts.
Ding!
Quest Alert Notification
I, Seeker
The English National Team is in Need of a New Seeker
Join the Squad and Take the Team to Victory
The More Wins You Get the Larger your Reward Becomes
Ties in with the 'Attack on the World Cup' Quest
Quest Rewards:
Upgrade Trait to Professional Quidditch Player
10,000 Galleons Per Win
International Fame Increases Per Game Played
New Information on the 'Attack on the World Cup' Quest if in the Championship Game
Please Select
Yes or No
A/N: And thus I get to reveal another part of my own spin on the World Quidditch Cup with this quest. One that I am sure has been done before, but which I have never encountered in a fan fic myself.
I hope that everyone enjoyed the chapter. The parts with Cho were supposed to be in direct contrast to both canon Harry and when he first encountered Cho back in chapter 11. Canon Harry always seemed to wilt when it came time to step up to the plate and actually do something in regards to romance (something which does happen in real life, quite often, but a little bit of the opposite happening to balance things out would have been nice). My Harry will remain mostly shy and bashful (and oblivious) when it comes to girls for quite a while to come, but that has slowly begun to change.
Until Next Time,
~Elsil