Harry Potter Morgendorffer End of the Season
DISCLAIMER: Daria is the creation of Glenn Eichler and is the property of MTV Viacom. Harry Potter is the creation of JK Rowling and is the property of JK Rowling and Warner Brothers, as are its characters and situations. King of the Hill was created by Mike Judge; I am unsure as to its current ownership except that I know that it isn't me. I don't own these franchises, and neither expect nor deserve financial compensation for this story. I am writing for my own amusement.
ADVISORY: Crude language
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Harry Potter Morgendorffer*Harry Potter Morgendorffer*Harry Potter Morgendorffer
Arlen, Texas
July, 1991
Bobby sat staring at the telephone and the card he had in his hand. Should he or shouldn't he? This really bothered him and it wasn't something he could talk over with Mom or with a girl. He really wanted to talk it over with a guy in his situation but didn't want to appear to be a wimp.
He decided that HJ would understand. He also played ball and could relate. He picked up the phone and started dialing.
-(((O-O)))-
Ruskin, Texas
The living room phone rang and Daria picked it up. She had just enough time to briefly wonder who it was before a male voice said "Hello. Is this the Morgendorffer residence?". She doubted that the call was for Dad: the guy sounded awfully young, male and human.
"Yes, it is," she said.
"Could—could I speak to HJ, please?" said the voice.
"Can I ask who's calling?" she said.
"This is Bobby. Bobby Hill from the Discussion Group," said Bobby.
Daria grinned. She knew that Bobby had a crush on her and she thought that both of them knew that his crush wasn't going to get anywhere. He was a sweet boy but she just wasn't interested.
"I'll go get him," she said. She put down the phone and knocked on HJ's door.
"Hey, HJ, you've got a call," she said.
"Who is it?" said HJ.
"Bobby Hill from the Discussion Group," said Daria. MACUSA's Bureau of Social Services had set up discussion groups for parents of mixed-blood and Muggle-born children to help acquaint them with wizarding life and to discuss issues they were encountering with their magic.
"Did he say what he wanted?" said HJ.
"Nope," said Daria. "If it makes you feel better, I don't think he's asking permission to court me. If he did, he'd probably want to talk to Mom or Dad."
HJ chuckled. "I'll take it," said HJ.
He came out and picked up the living room phone. "Hello?" he said.
"Hi," said Bobby.
"Hey, Bobby, how's it going?" said HJ.
"All right," said Bobby.
Actually not so all right, HJ thought.
"You guys got any more games before you have to pack up and go?" said HJ.
"One," said Bobby. "My last game is on Saturday. Then I say goodbye to the team. How about you?" Ilvermorny started in mid-August, not on September 1st.
"I think I've got two, unless Coach Clarkson decides to be a dick about it," said HJ. "He doesn't want to believe that I have to go off to Britain the last week of August. He thinks I ought to stay to the end of the season and calls me a quitter." That hurt a lot. HJ had been on the team for the better part of three seasons and he'd tried not only a good ball player but a good team mate.
"That sucks," Bobby said in disgust.
"It's not like I didn't tell him before the season started," HJ said. "I told him in advance that this was the last season I could play and that I could only play part-way through." Little League ended in late September.
"Are your coach and your team mates giving you any grief about leaving the team?
"No, Coach Andrews told me that a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do," Bobby said, making HJ smile.
"Good for him," said HJ. "How's your Dad handling things?"
"Dad doesn't really understand why I've got to go to Ilvermorny, but he's backing me," said Bobby.
Bobby had met the Hills and despite their different temperaments, he liked them. The Hills were good salt-of-the-Earth people.
"Good," said HJ. "You deserve it." That's what his therapist told him. "You've been doing ball a long time. And if neither of us are going to play in the World Series, you gave it your heart and you gave it your all. We're both going to miss it a lot."
"Thanks," said Bobby. "You were pretty damn good yourself."
"Do you know if there's any baseball at Ilvermorny?" said HJ.
"I don't know," said Bobby.
"I hope there is and that you get a place on the team," said HJ. "I don't think Hogwarts has one."
"That stinks," said Bobby.
"If you get on a team, think of me when you throw a ball," said HJ.
Peggy Hill walked into the living room, then mouthed "I'd like to use the phone."
"I got to go," said Bobby. "My Mom wants to use the phone."
"I guess this is it," said HJ. "Say Hello to your parents for me. And thanks for calling, I feel a lot better."
"So do I," said Bobby, hanging up the phone.
Author's notes:
I've spent the long interval between the last time I posted a Harry Potter Morgendorffer chapter and now trying to think of something to write. I came up empty until a few days ago, when I realized that this universe's Harry Potter (aka HJ Morgendorffer) was not only an athlete, but one who would be facing issues when This story is written out of sequence and is set in very early August of 1991, when Bobby Hill and Daria Morgendorffer were getting ready to go to Ilvermorny and Harry ("HJ") Potter was getting ready to go off to Hogwarts.
Also: A couple of reminders. First, the Morgendorffers never moved to Highland in this story. Helen was able to find a job working for a Gringotts subsidiary in Austin, Texas and the Morgendorffers live in a mythical suburb called Ruskin south and west of the city. In this story, Arlen is another Austin suburb, only located north and east of town.
Both Harry (HJ) Potter Morgendorffer and Bobby Hill are Little League baseball players about to put aside their baseball bats and hang up their baseball gloves.