I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

Extended Family

Chapter 153 – The Calm Before

Takes place directly after the last chapter.

Trafalgar's Pitch was absolutely full.

The placement games were done and it was the beginning of the run itself. Even with the increased excitement and energy, the enthusiasm was even higher for a couple of reasons. Of course England wanted to see their team go to the Cup Finale and win it all and be back-to-back champions. The main reason, however, was that the first match would be against Bulgaria.

They still remembered the incredibly exciting match between Ireland and Bulgaria all those years ago, when Ireland won by Krum caught the Snitch, a feat that was still extremely rare. Even with all the years passed, Krum was still a dominant player and had die-hard fans from around the world. Bulgaria regularly did well every year during the European League and Krum remained a solid player with a very high catch percentage.

England loved the matches that Harry and Krum played against each other in European League games. The way the League worked, not all of the countries played against each other often from year to year. During Harry's first two years in the European League, the two teams played against each other and Krum defeated Harry during his rookie year with England and Harry winning the next. In the years since, the two have only played each other once more with Krum catching the Snitch at that time.

So now, England wanted to see their team win to progress along the Cup run as well as gain a bit of revenge.

Bulgaria was not without their supporters however. A good portion of the fans were wearing Bulgarian colors and flying their flag, cheering for their team. They were not cowed by the home team's fans and worked hard to lessen the advantage.

"How're you feeling?" Katie asked, deep in the tunnel leading onto the pitch from the England locker room side.

Harry smiled. "Good," he said honestly. "I feel good. I know Krum is a good player too but I'm not intimidated by him. Not anymore."

"Good!" Katie kissed him. "You got this, love. You beat him the first time, and you'll beat him this time."

"Does the time at Hogwarts count?" Harry asked, grinning.

"Did you lose?" Katie asked.

"Well, no-"

"Did he win?" she asked, eyes dancing.

"No," he laughed.

"Then it counts," Katie said. "And him underestimating you and wanting to humiliate you was on him and you still won."

"I love it when you're so feisty," he said, voice warm.

"I'm always feisty for you," she said and pulled him to her. She made a rude hand gesture without breaking the kiss at an audibly gagging Angelina and Ginny.

"Healer Tina, we need some help," Angelina said.

"I can provide an anti-nausea charm or potion," Tina said brightly.

"How about removing something stuck to someone's face?" Ginny asked.

"No can do," Tina said seriously. "I love Dahlia, Iris, and Lucas too much to risk upsetting them. That and I have a healthy respect for Hedwig."

"Fair enough," Angelina sighed dramatically.

"Okay, I need my Seeker back," Oliver said, grinning.

"I know where you sleep," Katie warned.

"So do I, it's not exactly a secret," Oliver said. He snorted when Katie pushed him as she walked past and he smiled at the rest of the team. "Alright then, how are we feeling?" His smile grew at the loud cheers they made. "I can't hear you! HOW ARE WE FEELING?!"

The walls of the tunnel shook from their roars and for a brief moment, the sound of the crowd outside was drowned out.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Oliver shouted back, hands in the air. "Right! We got this! We know that team, they know our team, and we know that we've got what it takes to go to the finale! We know we've got what it takes to win it all!"

"England and the Cup!" Harry shouted.

"England and the Cup!" they all repeated.

"Let's do this team!" Oliver shouted and they all yelled their loudest yet.

-0-

Team England came rocketing out of the tunnel together, flying in a tight formation. They flew around the pitch, waving to the cheering fans. Even the Bulgarians cheered for them, some defiantly so, but no jeers or boos were thrown. The Bulgarian team had did their circuit earlier to loud applause and acclaim as well and both teams met in the middle to exchange a few words and greetings before the start of the match.

Krum flew up to Harry and his eyes focused on the broom Harry was riding. "I have heard your new brooms are very good," he said with a smile. "I like the design, seems familiar."

"Loosely based off of snowy owl plumage," Harry said with a large smile.

"Ah yes of course, your owl correct?"

"That's right. Looks like you got a new broom too."

Krum patted the broom he was riding. "Brand new version of Bulgaria's Drakonov Ogun, Dragon Fire, how you say." His smile turned predatory. "Fire melts snow, yes?"

"Only if it's hot enough," Harry said, matching the smile.

Krum threw his head back and laughed. "Well said. It is a pity we will not be meeting at the Cup game. I would have enjoyed cementing my lead over you at it."

"Well, we'll just see what happens during this game," Harry replied. He held his hand out, "To a good game."

"To a good game," Krum agreed. They shook hands and both teams took their starting positions.

"And we're moments away from the start of another amazing World Cup run!" Kenneth said eagerly, his voice reverberating around the pitch. "England and Bulgaria, classic rivals, looking to see who will set the tone of the finals run! Let me hear everyone cheer for their teams!" For a long moment, the cheers from the crowd were even louder than he was. "Here comes the referee team! The chest is open, the Bludgers and the Snitch are away. The Quaffle is up! AND HERE. WE. GOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

A flurry of forms wearing white and red mixed with ones wearing red and black mixed in the middle as six Chasers swarmed the Quaffle. The large red ball was batted back and forth with neither side grabbing onto it for long before it was knocked loose by the opposing team. A punch from one of the Bulgarian Chasers sent it high and Harry flew past, kicking it forward. It sailed over the scrum of players and Ginny, having dove down to dodge the melee, came up and caught it and zoomed off with it tucked under her arm.

"What a start! The Quaffle was passed back and forth and it was finally punched out by Ianov. Potter kicked it clear and Weasley has it now! England's Chasers are assuming the Knight Formation with Johnson on point. Ianov tries to intercept and pushed away by Selwyn. Pass to Johnson, pass back to Weasley and narrow dodge by Weasley! She just barely dodged the Bludger hit by Angelov and she's flying down, ducking under Petrova, and passes it up to Selwyn by throwing the Quaffle and flipping up and hitting it with the broom tail! Selwyn catches, dodges another Bludger, shoots! No score! Stroyanova blocks! Ianov now has possession!"

Ianov flew fast, leaning down low over the broom and ducking beneath a hit from Atton. She corkscrewed, avoiding an intercept by Ginny, and straightened out, coming towards the goal posts at an angle. Oliver turned around the far post, ready to block but had to dive to avoid a Bludger hit by Angelov. Ianov flew to the other side and threw the Quaffle.

"Saved by Wood! What an amazing save! He caught it by the fingertips!" Kenneth shouted and people cheered for the amazing play. Oliver had managed to slew around and reached out, almost dangerously far, and hooked the Quaffle with his fingertips. He juggled it and caught it before cocking his arm back and threw it up before punching it hard with his other hand.

"Johnson recovers and has it in possession. There she goes but it looks like the Bulgarian Chasers are forming the Screen defense and Dimitrova is in overwatch waiting for a Bludger to approach and-WAIT!"

Iliev, the third Bulgarian Chaser, looked up and shouted with alarm, diving down at an incredibly steep angle. Ianov and Petrova, startled by their teammate's action, looked up and scattered, just barely avoiding a Bludger that came rocketing through their screen and breaking their formation. It was followed by Harry who pushed them apart even more and Angelina went through the newly formed gap, holding onto the Quaffle tightly. Harry flew in front of her, bobbing and weaving and he too spun in a very tight corkscrew, sustaining it for many feet. A shot from the other Bludger careened, missing him due to his actions, leaving Angelina a clear run for the goal posts.

Stroyanova looked at the approaching pair nervously, also noticing Ginny catching up to the other two. His eyes flicked left and right and he dashed left to block one form, only noticing belated that it was Harry and he tried to recover. It was too late. Angelina threw the Quaffle at the leftmost goalpost and it bounced off and went sailing through the middle hoop.

The crowd was louder than the horn blast that announced a goal being scored, cheering loudly and wildly. "First goal!" Kenneth shouted happily. "Bludger shot by White cracked the formation and Potter broke it wide open! Then a sustained roll turned into a distraction play and Johnson did a trademark ricochet shot and England is up, 10 to nil! Go England!"

"GOOOO ENGLAND!" the crowd cheered.

"GOOOOO ENGLAND! GO MUM/ANGIMUM!" the children in the box shouted, jumping up and down.

One of the most packed boxes in the pitch was almost as loud and boisterous as the entire pitch. The friends and family members of the Village players were packed into it and they all shouted with glee and pride as Angelina scored the first goal. They waved happily as she flew past, throwing air kisses and cheering when she did her victory lap.

"That's my girl!" George shouted.

"First goal!" Angelina yelled, high-fiving her teammates as they took ready positions.

"First of many!" Ginny yelled back.

"Let's keep it up team!" Oliver cried.

-0-

A roar of outrage filled the arena and the box was the loudest of all. Boos and angry shouts filled the air and Harry managed to climb back onto his broom and angled down to the ground, wincing in pain.

"And the referees are conferring," Kenneth said, voice filled with disapproval. "It can be ruled either way I think, unfortunately. Potter angled up to avoid a collision and flew right into a double Bludger hit, but the collision was engineered by Angelov I believe, deliberately flying to hit. Hard to argue though on the pitch and…no foul called." He shook his head as more people booed loudly and exuberantly.

"You okay?" Katie asked worriedly as she and the rest of the team's medical team ran to Harry as he landed.

"Mostly," he said through gritted teeth. "One got my leg and the other knocked me off, hit in the ribs."

"No broken bones," Tina said, waving her wand. "Thank goodness."

"Lots of swelling and soft tissue trauma obviously," Finn continued. "We can get you back into the game eventually but you need to stay put and let the potions and charms do the work."

"Krum's a Seeker only player," Harry said, sighing with relief as the healers got to work. "He won't interfere with the others."

"Lizzie, go," Shelia said.

"Really?" Elizabeth asked, eyes wide.

"You're better at Seeker interference," Shelia said without hesitation. "Plus he hasn't flown against you. He won't be used to you and your skill set."

Elizabeth's smile was wide and malicious. "I'll run him ragged and one of you will be full to catch the Snitch!"

"Go get 'em," Harry grinned. "But if you can get the Snitch, get it. No one here cares about glory."

"I care," Shelia protested.

"Shelia cares but she also cares about the team winning," Harry amended.

"Yeah that's right," Shelia nodded. "Go on Lizzie, annoy the shite out of him."

"You got it!" Elizabeth jumped on her broom and flew straight into the air, angling straight for Krum.

"You think that was the right choice?" Miranda asked, looking through her omnioculars.

"We'll soon find out," Shelia said, "but I think so. What do you think?"

"About the same," Miranda said. "She'll be completely new to Krum and she's talented for sure, but isn't quite the same as you two."

"No, but she has her own strengths," Harry said confidently. "And I really think she's going to rattle him some."

-0-

Krum glanced over before turning sharply, avoiding Elizabeth's flight path. He continued on at an angle before realizing that Elizabeth was tailing him closely. He flew an evasive pattern, jinking and shaking and grew annoyed when Elizabeth was following him well. He dove, taking a steep angle, and then climbed at a steeper one, putting on a burst of speed. Half-way across the pitch, he saw that Elizabeth was still following him.

"And we have Crowley on the pitch now, subbing in for Potter," Kenneth said. "She's doing a good job at keeping pace. Of course we've seen her in the UK league and she's brilliant at Seeker interference and looks like she's looking to show what she can do here!"

Krum saw a glint of gold and turned to chase it, only to veer off when Elizabeth flew in and blocked his path. He looped her, putting on a burst of speed and then dove when Elizabeth attracted a Bludger to fly towards him. Dimitrova hit it hard, knocking it away, clearing the road for Krum, only for his road to be blocked by Elizabeth once more, looping around him and flying in front of him and braking, making him twist. By then, the glint of gold had disappeared and Krum swore loudly in Bulgarian.

"You are very annoying!" he shouted in English at a grinning Elizabeth.

"And you don't even know me yet!" Elizabeth shouted back cheerily. "I can be a lot more annoying!"

"What is your name?" Krum asked, fighting a smile.

"Elizabeth Crowley," Elizabeth said as she once again interfered with his flight path, dodging back and forth in front of him before flying alongside for a moment.

"Would an autograph convince you to stop?" he shouted, half-sincere.

"Depends on whose autograph!" Elizabeth shouted back as she dodged him trying to veer into her flight path.

"Mine of course!" Krum shouted, feeling vaguely nettled.

"No thanks!" Elizabeth smiled cheekily. "Wait, maybe. I can trade it for one of Harry's. I mean he'd autograph anything I'd want but still, can't have too much now, can you? Duck!" She dove sharply and Krum had to barrel-roll to avoid a Bludger. "I'd take one of Shelia's too, come to think of it!" she said before suddenly diving away from Krum.

Krum followed after her, intent on disrupting her catching run. Yet when she suddenly stopped and flew away placidly, he realized her ploy and that it took him to the other end of the pitch. "Very annoying," he growled.

-0-

"Oh wow, she's really getting to him," Shelia grinned, looking through her omnioculars and watching Elizabeth and Krum. "He looks very irritated."

"She's so sweet though," Harry frowned, flexing and stretching his leg slowly.

"To you," Katie snorted. "I've heard stories of what Lizzie does to other Seekers. And heard some of the insults. They're great."

"She's never insulted me when we play against each other," Harry protested.

"Because she likes you," Sita laughed. "And respects you."

"Let's keep the tactic going," Miranda said and she blew her whistle loudly, flicking her wand. A large board on the Team England side of the pitch lit up and Elizabeth's number flared into existence upon it. Elizabeth saw it and came flying down. "We're subbing you out for Shelia, keep you both relatively fresh and constantly on Krum to buy time."

"Sounds good," Elizabeth said easily. "He's not easy to tail."

"What've you been saying to him to piss him off?" Shelia asked as she mounted her broom.

Elizabeth's face was a picture of intense glee and insincere innocence. "That I'd trade his autograph for Harry's and yours. I also asked if that's how he gets his dates too and how many of them don't want his autograph either."

"I love you," Shelia cackled. "And now I know how to annoy him." She flew off swiftly and went straight for Krum.

"Now I know Shelia is a master at taunting," Harry smiled. "I never got the knack for it though, not like her."

"You're not mean enough," Miranda said dryly. "And I hope you stay that way."

"Oh she hit a nerve," Angelina said, looking up through her own omnioculars. "His face is red and that has nothing to do with flying. I know that angry flush."

"You'd think he'd be good at ignoring taunting with all the years he's played," Cailey remarked.

"Probably different kinds of taunting," Katie grinned. "Men usually taunt on wand size, broom size, and ability to fly and all that and it's probably easier for him to ignore them. Being taunted by women like Shelia and Lizzie is something else."

"You'd really trade one of his autographs for mine?" Harry asked, bemused.

"Without hesitation, you're cooler," Elizabeth said stoutly.

-0-

"Another score by Weasley!" Kenneth announced to cheers. "England is up, 150 to 100, but a Snitch will still decide the match!"

"I think I'm fit," Harry said, bouncing on his feet and stretching. "I can finish things."

"Good. No more interference plays and team plays. Seek and snatch," Miranda said. She blew her whistle and Shelia came flying down. She and Harry flew past one another and they slapped hands as the others cheered loudly.

"He looks so angry, what did you say this time?" Katie asked eagerly.

"I asked if this was the first time he ever had two witches constantly come back for more because he can't satisfy either of them," Shelia said smugly and the others roared with laughter. "Then I said we were only going back because it was our jobs and it wasn't the pleasure of his company or his abilities."

"It's a wonder you're still married," Miranda laughed.

"I love my hubby," Shelia sniffed. "He and Harry are the only ones I don't say stuff like that to because they're delicate."

"They are very annoying," Krum said to Harry as Harry approached.

"Really? Not to me I guess," Harry grinned. He did not wait for a reply and flew past swiftly and Krum growled and followed. The two dueled in the air some, weaving about each other to disrupt flight paths and patterns before they split off from one another to avoid a Bludger. A glint caught their eye and they both went for it, bending low over their brooms.

"Oh I think something's happening!" Kenneth shouted excitedly. "Both Seekers are flying fast and they might see the Snitch!"

Harry tracked the Snitch and dove after it, flying straight down. Krum did the same at a slightly different angle, leaning down to eliminate drag and resistance. Harry jinked around Ianov who tried to block Harry's path, looping around the opposing player. Krum dodged Ginny doing the same.

The Snitch stopped the dive and flew fast, perpendicular to the ground but a scant few inches over it. Krum swore and pulled up sharply, avoiding a collision with the earth and pursued. He adjusted the angle of his broom, having gained height with the evasion, and angled back down and started to reach out.

Harry, having seen the Snitch level out barely above the ground, twisted and mimicked the Snitch's path. Instead of pulling up however, he leveled out with him flying upside down, his legs clamped tightly around the broom and his feet hooked around the stirrups. Feeling the blood rush to his head, feeling the grass on the pitch barely brushing his hair, he wrapped his left arm around the broom stick and stuck his right arm out, palm flat. He flew under a shocked Krum and when he felt metal on his right hand, clenched his fist and twisted with his body and left arm as hard as he could, managing to come right-side-up and flew into the air, feeling the wings of the Snitch beat against his fingers.

"POTTER HAS IT!" Kenneth screamed and the crowd jumped to their feet at the display of flying. "WHAT A CATCH! He flew upside-down to not come off at a bad angle and to maintain speed and flew for many feet like that! He caught the Snitch and the game ends with England 300 and Bulgaria 100! England wins!"

Harry turned around, both arms up in the air and he roared in victory, the roar echoed by his team and the crowd. He punched the air with the hand holding the Snitch, his heart beating as wildly as his hair stood. Angelina reached him first and hugged him and screamed with joy as the others hit them one by one and they flew to the ground in one large group.

"Daddy is the best!" Dahlia and the others shrieked, jumping up and down in the box. "He's still the best in the world!" they cheered.

"Bloody hell," Sirius said, clapping wildly and grinning. "What a flyer!"

"That's our Harry!" Samantha cheered, hugging Jean and Andromeda as they too jumped up and down.

"Awesome catch!" Shelia shouted as she and the others joined the team in the middle of the pitch.

"Couldn't have done it without you two!" Harry shouted back and hugged her and Elizabeth at the same time.

The two teams met and exchanged words and handshakes, the Bulgarian team looking a little glum and understandably so. Krum gave the Seeker team a wry look. "A good catch," he said to Harry. "And very…effective tactics by you two."

"Thanks!" Elizabeth said cheekily.

"It will not work in the future," Krum declared.

"We'll see about that," Shelia said smugly.

Krum snorted and shook their hands warmly. "Good luck with the rest of the Cup," he said. "Do not lose, please."

"Wasn't planning on it," Harry smiled, an arm around Shelia and Elizabeth.

-0-

"You know, I'm used to this because of one of you," Miranda sighed, a sound of bone-deep suffering. She crossed her arms and looked through the bars and glared at the individuals within the cell.

"It's in my contract," Shelia said, unperturbed and looking smug and remarkably hale. "I'm allowed minimum one fight a month that necessitates being fetched from enforcement authority with minimal scolding."

"Is it really?" Elizabeth asked. "I need to renegotiate."

"Someone explain what happened." Miranda held up a hand. "Check that, Harry, explain what happened."

Harry looked slightly sheepish. "Well, we went to the local bar to celebrate the win, as per tradition, and we didn't think the other team would be at the same bar. We went to the one beside our hotel and I thought they were staying at a different one. Turns out they came out to this one thinking we'd be there and they wanted some revenge."

"Of course they fucking did," Miranda groaned, rubbing her eyes. "Continue."

"We were sticking to ourselves, chatting with the local fans, and they came up and started saying some stuff, the usual trash talk and sour grapes and all that," Harry continued. "We were ignoring them, really!"

"Who threw the first punch?" Miranda asked flatly.

"One of them, Adamski I think? He and Shelia were getting into each other's faces and he was pissed she got the Snitch from him. I was pulling her away and I think he meant to hit her but he ended up hitting me instead," Harry said.

"And you hit him back?" Miranda asked, glaring at Shelia.

"No I didn't," Shelia sniffed. "Someone beat me to it this time."

"Sorry Coach," Katie said weakly.

"You?!" Miranda gasped.

"He hit my Harry!" Katie said angrily. "It was a cheap shot and I wasn't having that!"

"It was awesome!" Elizabeth gushed. "She smashed him in the face with the bottle and took him to the ground and wailed on him!"

"Then I got stuck in," Shelia said. "When that fat bastard tried to hit Katie. And seriously, he was one fat bastard. It took me and Lizzie together to throw him."

Miranda stared at them unblinking for long moments before sighing once more. "And then the fight got broken up by the local enforcement and everyone involved got thrown into a cell. Wait, what are you doing here then Harry?"

"I said I'd go with them," Harry said.

"And they let you keep your wand? They took everyone else's," Miranda said.

"Yeah I thought that was weird but didn't question it," Harry shrugged. "I healed up everyone's injuries and we've been sitting here waiting."

Miranda just shook her head. "Alright, well, you lot are lucky that everyone said Team Poland started it so no charges are pressed on any of you and it's being labeled as self-defense. Let's get out of here."

"Did you see the other team?" Shelia asked as they were let out of the prison cell. The guards smiled and applauded as they left and wished them luck for the rest of the tournament.

"Yeah and you lot seriously kicked their arses," Miranda said with begrudging amusement. "They really lost that fight."

"We sure as hell did," Shelia said proudly. She put an arm around Elizabeth's shoulders. "You can scrap with me anytime. I like you, you fight dirty."

"Shorter people have to," Elizabeth said, beaming.

-0-

"AND CROWLEY HAS IT!" Kenneth shouted. "What a catch! She beat out Fernandez in the flight and caught it right under his nose! England has the Snitch and win the match, 270 to 170! Congratulations Miss Crowley!"

Elizabeth was mobbed by Team England, first burying her beneath a massive dogpile before throwing her up into the air as she cried and laughed. She had started the match against Argentina and Harry had subbed in some to give her a break, before she went back out. She flew a spirited aerial duel with the Argentinian Seeker before looping around and catching the Snitch from beneath him, ending the game.

"See?!" Harry shouted into her ear over the screams and cheers from the crowd and the team. "I told you you'd do it! I told you!"

She said nothing back, out loud anyways. Her hug and her face saying all she needed to say.

-0-

"WHAT DID I SAY?!" Oliver shouted as they convened in the locker room.

"BACK-TO-BACK!" the team and everyone with them shouted back. "ENGLAND AND THE CUP!"

"We're going back to the Cup game!" Oliver howled and the others roared back. "We're back in the finale! Where are we going?!"

"TO GREECE!"

"And what are we going to do?!"

"WIN!"

"WHO OWNS THE CUP?!"

"IT'S OUR SODDING CUP!"

"Hell yeah!" Oliver cried. "I knew we'd make it back and we're going to play the best damn Quidditch the world has ever seen!"

The door to the locker room banged open and one of the aides ran in. "Germany defeated Vietnam!" the aide shouted.

"Looks like we know who we're playing against then," Oliver nodded. "They have a really tough team this year."

"We're tougher," Katie growled and the others agreed with her loudly.

"We're going to the Olympic site to score another victory!" Angelina shouted.

The subsequent cheers filled the locker room and even hours later, even when the room was empty, the sound of their cheers and the warmth of their spirits were still faintly there.

-0-0-0-

odonnellzoo99 - Aside from the random characters that barely warrant a name, I like to give characters some agency and reason to belong and to be there. Elizabeth is a League Seeker so she has the chops, and I have mentioned it before, but I'm surprised so many people liked her and it's been fun to bring her in more.

TheSphynx - Sometimes I stare at my chapters for a while and have to read them briefly to figure out where to slot in the next one into the timeline.

poka - As an American, I sometimes wonder if I should include more American teams or things like that and it feels weird too so I get you. I hope you enjoyed today's chapter.

Ghostwriter - Thank you.

Jessica Dallas - Hopefully you enjoyed today's chapter. I really liked the opening game and thought it hit the mark how I wanted.

DOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - Hope you liked the game. Thank you.

alix33 - Team England for the Cup!

ttaM livE - I firmly believe that as well. Some characters from my favorite bits of media feel so real to me.

guest - Thank you. I try to come up with good names. It's hard sometimes but rewarding when it lands well.

AshokaTheGreat - I have no plans lol. Very much writing from the seat of my pants. I usually have a goal or a moment that I want to hit, then I write until I get there. Sometimes, I am surprised by what appears on the page. Sometimes I have to go back and edit but luckily some of my best stuff has happened like this. I'm grateful for the very kind words and high praise. For this particular story, I literally usually come up with a title or a scene and then write around it to justify it. I do plan out a little my other fics though.