"Come up Lupa, let's go," Harry said as they left their dorm together. It was the day before their final game with Puddlemere United and to Harry's delight, it was also a Hogsmeade weekend, allowing Harry and Cho to shop for their incoming stay at the Dursleys, something that Harry was really not looking forward to. Thankfully for him, Cho would be there to spend the month with him, making the prospect a ton better, his ability to use magic outside of school after his emancipation made it better too. They however, wanted to go on a shopping trip to prepare for that as they would not have many opportunities to leave Privet Drive when they reach there. More details about their stay would be provided to them on a future date through Dumbledore but he has been missing for the past few days, something Harry attributed to him hunting for the Horcruxes and fighting the Death Eaters. Ever since the Battle at the Ministry, a fight that took down many Death Eaters, the Death Eaters have been surprisingly active, making small attacks and raids here and there, most of which in the muggle world where they would be uncontested. His group reckoned that the Death Eaters were doing this to keep the public afraid and on their toes especially due to the extensive coverage of the Battle, something Harry contributed to as per Dumbledore and Amelia's request, informing him about the benefits this can bring to the public. While Harry kept the part about him getting hit by the Killing Curse again quiet, that information somehow leaked out and he was now known as the Chosen One, not only because of the Prophecy (which they shared in limited detail with the public) but also because he somehow survived two Killing Curses.
Howling in excitement, Lupa followed Harry down the stairs and into the courtyard where Cho was already waiting for them. Unlike her usual perfect and flawless look, Cho looked slightly beaten up with a few bruises and cuts on her face with her hand bandaged up. Ravenclaw placed first in their group after a shock victory against Tutshill Tornados when Cho swooped in and caught the snitch before the score deficit grew too large for them. This however meant that they had to play against Puddlemere United where their luck ran out when a Bludger hit Cho in her pursuit of the snitch. This broke her hand and resulted in her falling to the ground and getting a few cuts and bruises. This gave Harry a huge scare but thankfully, she was already rather close to the ground meaning that the impact wasn't too bad. She ended up hospitalised for a night at Hospital Wing with her wounds healing up nicely, she however, was not completely healed up yet thus the cuts and bandage. With their star seeker being taken out of the game, Ravenclaw put up a good fight but was eventually crushed by Puddlemere when their seeker caught the snitch, eliminating them from the Tournament. On the side of the bracket, Gryffindor destroyed Tutshill 440 to 150, courtesy of another outstanding performance from Angelina who dominated the game again, Katie also had another life game, scoring seventy points and performing countless interceptions, leading to the dominant display from Gryffindor with Harry eventually catching the snitch. This set up a rematch between Puddlemere and Gryffindor for the trophy, something that Harry was confident that they could win. Due to the team having played so much however, Harry decided to remove most of their physical training session, instead sitting down with the team last night to discuss strategy and analyse Puddlemere United's game once more, practising adjustments they made to their set play before calling it a day.
"You look a lot better," Harry said as he made his way towards her, "the wounds are almost healed."
"Mhm, I used some makeup to hide the wounds though, did not want to go into public looking so beaten up," Cho said nonchalantly.
"You would still look amazing regardless," Harry retorted with Lupa howling with agreement, bringing a brighter smile onto Cho's face, "did you bring your bracelet?"
"Mhm," Cho replied, showing Harry the swan bracelet Harry gave her for Christmas, a powerful bracelet which could not only alert Harry if she was in danger but also provide her protection from some basic spells.
"Good, we gotta be alert when in Hogsmeade today, the Death Eaters are still out there."
"I'm not worried as long as you are with me," Cho replied as they entered the carriage, "you did prove that you are a better wizard than them at the Ministry."
"Well, I guess so, but if the best of their ranks ambush us, I'm fucked regardless."
"Well, you guys aren't alone," Hermione said as she suddenly entered the same carriage, following her were Ron, Daphne and Neville.
"Did not expect to see you guys here," Harry said as they squeezed into the carriage, "not crashing our date are you?"
"Well not us at least," Daphne said, holding the hand of a slightly red Neville, "we are going on a date."
The entire carriage stared at the pair of them with deep interest and excitement, Harry, Cho and Hermione already knew that this was coming, Ron however, looked astonished.
"Wait, you 2 are… are together?" Ron said in disbelief.
"Yes," Daphne replied, "as of yesterday, we are officially dating."
"What- Huh?" Ron said in utter disbelief.
"Oh come on Ronald, you are not actually that blind are you?" Hermione said in exasperation.
"Matter of fact Hermione, I reckon he is," Harry chuckled before turning his attention to the new couple, "congratulations you two."
"Thanks," Neville replied, face still red.
"I assume that he was even redder when you asked him out wasn't he?" Harry asked Daphne who looked satisfied.
"Very much so," Daphne smiled back, still clutching Neville's hand tightly.
"Since when?" Ron said in disbelief as he had an in-depth discussion with Hermione.
"Ron, you are actually as blind as a bat," Cho sighed, "what about you two then, going on a date?"
Much to the group's amusement, Ron and Hermione turned redder than Neville at that moment.
"Er… no, just going as friends," Hermione replied.
"Yeah, yeah, what she said," Ron gulped as Harry suppressed his laughter.
"Whatever you say then, just don't disrupt our date," Cho continued, looking satisfied with her work. Finally reaching Hogsmeade, The group left the carriage, each going their own way to shop. Intending to stay among the crowd to be safe, Harry and Cho did not venture as far as they normally do, This however, this had the impact of gaining too much unwanted attention, with both attracting many eyes and even the occasional ask for an autograph, something that both gave which would boost their public image (they are celebrities now after all). Harry had not seen Hogsmeade this crowded in a long time, a large part of the increased crowd was due to the Invitational Tournament Finals being the very next day, attracting many wizards, both local and from overseas to Hogsmeade, the tourist town right beside Hogwarts. The Hogsmeade stall owners also played a part, playing huge discounts on their products for the course of the weekend with some setting up stalls to sell souvenirs related to the Tournament itself. Observing some of the shops, Harry could spot a large quantity of Gryffindor jerseys inside.
"I have no idea how we are going to conduct our shopping with so many people here," Harry whispered to Cho after signing their 7th autograph.
"Neither do I," Cho sighed, "at least we have the whole day for this."
"Agreed," Harry sighed, pushing on with their shopping. Heading into another clothing shop (Cho still insists on getting Harry more outfits), they glanced through the shirts on display. At this rate of shopping, Harry's entire old wardrobe was going to get completely replaced, with the new additions fitting him perfectly and looking a lot more fitting for a Brand Ambassador. Seeing that he was essentially a billionaire, this shopping did not make anything resembling a dent in his bank account.
Harry's eyes however, soon caught something instead. Deep in the shop, Harry saw a familiar blond girl together with a familiar tall, thin man with red hair.
"Bill?" Harry called out to the pair, "Fleur? What are you 2 doing here?"
"Harry! Cho!" Bill called out, making his way towards them, to Harry's surprise however, Bill was holding Fleur's hand, "How have you 2 been?"
"Pretty good," Harry replied, attention still on the holding of hands, "er… are you two…"
"Dating?" Fleur replied with a small giggle, "Yes Harry, we are."
"Congratulations!" Cho exclaimed with excitement, "When did this happen?"
"During last summer," Bill replied, a warm smile on his face, "we met at Gringotts."
"What were you doing at Gringotts?" Harry asked Fleur, "I thought you returned to France?"
"I did," Fleur replied, "but I decided to return to England to work to improve my English, ended up taking up a part-time desk job at Gringotts."
"Your English is a lot better now Fleur," Cho replied, leading to the smile on Fleur's face growing brighter. Harry could also feel her Veela magic becoming stronger, surprisingly however, it had no pull on him. Observing his surroundings however, Harry could see that every wizard in the shop had their eyes fixated on her now.
"But working at Gringotts is a little low for a witch of your talent no?" Harry asked, being a Triwizard champion automatically meant that she had the talent to become one of the most powerful witches in the world.
"Yes, but for now, Gringotts will do," Fleur replied with a smile.
"So I assume that you both are here for the game tomorrow?"
"We are," Bill confirmed, "the entire family will be coming as well, even Charlie and Percy."
"Percy?" Harry asked with some surprise, knowing that he had a falling out with his family.
"He is," Bill replied with a relieved smile on his face, "he made up with the family a week ago, apparently Amelia encouraged him to make up with his family, Percy still holds a high-up position even after Fudge's resignation and having tensions between him and members in the Order would cause some unnecessary issues, apparently Percy's girlfriend encouraged him too."
"Penelope?" Harry asked.
"Oh no," Bill replied, "they broke up soon after leaving Hogwarts, Percy has a new girlfriend, her name is Audrery, I met her recently and she is a very nice girl, surprised that she can take Percy's bullshit though."
Harry and Cho laughed at this statement, both understanding what exactly Bill was saying.
"So, how have you 2 been doing?" Bill asked both of them.
"Been great honestly," Harry admitted, "not really stressed about O. , I should do pretty well for that."
"Definitely," Bill replied before lowering his volume and speaking again, "after seeing the magic you did during the Battle, I'm convinced that you are one of the most powerful wizards in the Order."
"Thanks Bill,'' Harry replied with a smile, "but I can't get too cocky, I will definitely excel in DADA, Charms and Transfiguration, especially the practical side of those, for Potions, Ancient Runes, Astronomy, Herbology and Arithmancy, I gotta be more careful."
"Well said Harry," Bill agreed, "what about your preparations for tomorrow? Ready to destroy Wood again?"
"Yeah," Harry said with a smug smile.
"Go beat him for Gryffindor," Bill encouraged him, "Charlie says that he can't wait to watch you fly, the Wireless and the news have been speaking about your performances like you are Krum."
"Indeed," Fleur agreed, "Gabrielle has been talking about you non-stop in the letters, she's been keeping up with your performances through the Wireless, I think you have just made her obsessed with Quidditch."
"Just doing my job," Harry said with a chuckle, "is she coming to watch the game?"
"Oh yes, Papa and Mamam are coming with her, they will arrive at the Ministry through a Porkey soon, Bill, we should go and pick them up soon."
"Yeah, we will make our leave now, good luck for tomorrow Harry."
"Gather around guys," Harry called out to his team. The Gryffindor team was now in the changing room, minutes away from the start of their final game of the season. Harry was dreading the start of this game, not because it was for the trophy but because it was the final game for Angelina, Alicia, Fred and George, four of the most important people in his life for the past five years, supporting him through his Hogwarts days and through his quidditch career. Observing his team's body language, he could sense some worry and nervousness among the players, his starting seven however, looked completely focused and ready.
"This is our final game of the season," Harry continued, "the final game with this team with four of us are leaving Hogwarts at the end of this year, before we head out today, I just want to say that I'm proud of all of you, we have accomplished so much together, dominating the season and breaking records, thank you for all your hard work and passion which made all of this possible."
The entire team broke out in applause and cheers. Before Harry continued.
"Today, we can potentially make it a flawless season, going eleven for elevenand winning both trophies, but that's not my focus, in my eyes, we have already succeeded today, the main thing I want all of you to do, especially the four of you leaving," Harry said, looking intently at his four seventh-years, "I want you all to go out and have fun today, lose or win, I don't care that much, I just want all of us to spend this last few hours as teammates together and celebrate the journey that we have finished together."
"Understood captain," Angelina replied, smiling brightly at him, "that's what the captain wants but as the vice-captain, I want the cup as well, so let's go out and get my sodding cup!"
"OUR SODDING CUP!" the team cheered together much to Harry's delight.
"TOGETHER!" Harry shouted, "3, 2, 1! GRYFFINDOR!"
"AND NOW! THE HOME SIDE, GRYFFINDORRR!" Lee roared as the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.
"THE MOST TERRIFYING TRIO IN HOGWARTS HISTORY, YOUR CHASERS, ANGELINA JOHNSON! ALICIA SPINNET! AND KATIE BELL!"
"THE DUO OF BLUDGERS THEMSELVES, FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEYYYYYY!"
"THE IMPENETRABLE WALL, RON WEASLEY!"
"AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE STAR, HARRY POTTER!"
Harry's players flew out one by one, taking into the sky to take on their final challenge as a team, a rematch between them and Puddlemere United. Meeting Wood in the centre again, both exchanged some banter before shaking hands and returning to their halves.
Harry watched as the Quaffle was released and Angelina chased after it once again. Using her body to shield it like she always did, Angelina managed to gain possession of the Quaffle, using her body to shrug off the Puddlemere's chaser before flying straight down the middle. She however, had to abruptly change her direction when a Bludger from the Puddlemere beater flew straight at her, this gave Puddlemere a perfect opportunity to steal the Quaffle, Harry however, dived down sharply in front of the closest chaser to buy Angelina some much needed time, giving her the opportunity to throw the Quaffle to Katie who caught it and began her run down the middle. Fred this time, managed to cover Katie from another Bludger, allowing Katie to take on the opposing chaser one-on-one, Katie however, struggled to get past this chaser, being unable to feint him. Alicia thankfully came in to support Katie, gaining possession before making her run, successfully getting past the closest chaser. Spotting Angelina on the right wing who had recovered from her first tussle, Alicia managed to get the Quaffle to Angelina who cut in for a shot, firing a curler into the left hoop, just out of Wood's reach.
"BRILLIANT SHOT FROM JOHNSON! After a tough opening for Gryffindor, Spinnet manages to get a pass to Johnson on the right who cut in and fired a stunning curler into the left hoop, no wonder she is so sought after by Quidditch teams right now, she is truly one of the most promising players to come out of Hogwarts."
Laughing at the commentary, Harry could not help but feel proud of Angelina. Since the start of the Tournament, many teams have approached Angelina for a contract with many reaching out with a first-team contract. Angelina however, seemingly had her mind set on her favourite team, Tutshill Tornados, while the deal isn't completed yet, Angelina's future in Professional Quidditch was already certain.
Picking out a brilliant pass to a Puddlemere Chaser, Puddlemere quickly resumed their attack. George however, had a different plan, already predicting where Wood would throw to and firing a Bludger straight at the chaser who was hit square in the chest, dropping the Quaffle. Katie quickly swooped up the Quaffle and made her run on the right, using Alicia for a quick one-two, soon reaching the other end of the pitch with no chasers challenging her. Turning in, Katie managed to make enough space for Alicia behind and threw a back pass to Alicia who cut in and fired a shot at goal, this time however, the shot went just wide.
"Brilliant play from Gryffindor, Spinnet however, just missed the goal by a few centimetres, better luck next time!"
Restarting their attack, Puddlemere faired better than the last time, managing to get the Quaffle out to their most dangerous player. He however, decided to take an early shot after facing much pressure from Angelina. Ron however, successfully caught the Quaffle without much trouble. Immediately restarting the attack, Ron threw the Quaffle at Harry, a set play that they had run before, using his broom, Harry directed the ball back to Angelina who beat a very confused chaser and made her way down the left. Using a quick setplay, Angelina managed to get the Quaffle to Katie in the centre who feinted a shot at Wood before passing it back to Angelina who finished the move against an out-of-position Wood.
"GOAL! Amazing teamwork on display from Gryffindor, someone should just sign their entire team at this rate, they are unbelievable!" Ash commented.
Harry's search for the snitch seemed rather futile at the moment, constantly changing his position on the pitch while staying involved in the game, Harry was still unable to spot the snitch, Puddlemere's seeker was seemingly facing the very same issue. Deciding to stay slightly more involved in the game for the moment, Harry returned to the game while keeping an eye out for the snitch. The score at the moment was forty to nothing. While Puddlemere was definitely defending better, with Gryffindor needing to pull out all of their set plays and use a lot of teamwork to score, it was clearly evident that they hadn't figured out their attack, struggling to even place shots on Ron.
Harry watched as Katie managed to pull off another snatch, starting their counterattack, throwing a short pass to Alicia, Alicia quickly beat the chaser marking her with a brilliant feint, she flew down the middle with Harry flying in to provide his support. George made another crucial interception of the Bludger, sending it straight at the opposing chaser's formation. In another brilliant set play, Fred was at the other end, quickly sending the Bludger at the reforming formation, successfully hitting another Chaser. This gave Alicia the space she needed to fly in for a one-on-one against Wood. Giving Wood no chance, Alicia fired a well-placed chip shot over Wood, going into the middle hoop. fiftyto nothing.
After a timeout from Wood, both teams returned to the air. Seeing that they were still dominating the game, Harry did not make any changes to his setup, instead emphasizing his beaters protecting his chaser as Puddlemere's beaters were finding some success in their shots. Resuming play, Angelina quickly got possession of the Quaffle again, deciding that she was going to take no prisoners on her last game, Angelina burst down the middle with a blistering pace. The chaser who tried to go in and stop her was bodied out of the way by Angelina with a surprised look on his face at her strength. With a few distraction plays from Katie and Alicia, Angelina managed to get closer and closer to the goalpost, successfully holding off the opposing chaser using her body, Angelina managed to spin out of the tussle and fired a shot at the near post, Wood however, managed to save it with his fingertips. Katie however, was quickly on for the rebound, however, instead of shooting, she feinted and passed it back to Angelina who had an open goal and scored.
"BRILLIANT GOAL FROM GRYFFINDOR, Johnson went solo for the build-up and a smart pass from Bell after Wood's save secures Gryffindor their sixtieth point!"
Puddlemere however, wasn't going to be denied for that long, finally scoring their first point, Ron however, almost saved the shot, his fingertips grazing the Quaffle which unfortunately was not enough to completely change the Quaffle's route.
Deciding that the opposing seeker was too free however, Harry decided to play some games with him. Acting like he spotted something in the distance, Harry suddenly dived after it, completely committing to the dive. Seeing this, the opposing seeker went after Harry. Using his body, Harry positioned himself well to block the view of the seeker behind him. As they got closer and closer to the ground, Harry suddenly pulled up, barely avoiding the ground. The seeker however, wasn't as lucky, plummeting straight onto the ground.
"BRILLIANT WRONSKI FEINT BY POTTER! Mr Forsen might require some medical attention after that dive," Lee announced. Watching Madam Pomfrey tend to the seeker, Harry felt a slight tinge of pity and regret but quickly shook it off. This is Quidditch after all.
When the game finally continued, Puddlemere's seeker looked in better condition than after the crash. Offering him an apology when he was on the ground, the seeker thankfully accepted it, admitting that it was his fault for falling for the feint (yes Umbridge, people getting injured from Wronski Feints are injured because of their own doing).
"Thankfully, Forsen is alright and fit to continue, let's get back to the game then," Ash said as the whistle blew again.
After another thirty minutes of the game, it was clear that Wood's timeout worked as Puddlemere was fairing better than before. Gryffindor however, was still in control, the score was now 130 to 50. At this moment however, Harry spotted a flash of gold in the sky. Willing his broom to go at its maximum speed. Harry took off after the snitch, Forsen similarly went after the snitch but was quite a bit behind. The game was Harry's to lose. Flying after the snitch, it quickly reacted and flew evasively. Harry however, managed to track it well, predicting its movement to the right and quickly snatched the snitch out of the air. Raising it into the air, the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers. Flying straight back down to celebrate with the team, Harry could see the rest of the team run onto the pitch in celebration as his team landed. They jumped straight onto Harry's back, pushing him onto the ground as he was squashed under the weight of his overly excited teammates.
"WE DID IT!" Angelina squeaked with happiness, "FLAWLESS SEASON!"
"TWO TROPHIES," Alicia shouted, embracing Angelina as they both got up and bounced with excitement.
As the team continued with the celebrations, Harry could spot the Tournament organisers along with a crying McGonagall and Dumbledore who had finally returned to the school after what Harry assumed was Order business. Together with them was a huge trophy and medals. Giving each of them (including the reserves) the medals, Harry then went up to receive the trophy together with Angelina, both took the trophy from Dumbledore before returning to the team.
"After a hard-fought tournament where many students and players showed their capabilities and calibre, we have come to the end of the tournament," Lee commentated.
"After a long game and a strong display from both sides, we finally can crown the first Hogwarts Invitational Tournament Champion." Ash continued
"Presenting you your champions, GRYFFINDOR!" both shouted. At that cue, Harry raised the trophy up together with his team with every one of them jumping with joy. Fred and George popped two bottles of Butterbeers at the same time and started pouring it over Harry and Angelina, both of whom yelped in surprise but accepted it.
After a few photo-taking sessions and their press conference, the entire team was led into another room where their friends and family waited. Opening the door of the room, Harry was greeted by a large group of people with all the player's families coming to celebrate with them. On Harry's side, Harry could spot his entire group of friends, the Weasley family who were finally back together, by Percy's side, Harry could see the woman who Harry assumed was Audrey, next to Bill stood Fleur as well as her family with Gabrielle looking overly excited. Beside the Weasleys were Cho and Mr Chang, Lupin, Tonks and last but not least, his godfather, Sirius Black. Approaching all of them, Harry first embraced Cho tightly, before going up to all his friends and family. First up, Sirius, Tonks and Lupin.
"You flew like how I remembered James flew today," Sirius said, beaming at Harry.
"Indeed," Lupin agreed, "good job Harry."
"Amazing Wronski Feint by the way," Tonks smiled.
"Thanks guys," Harry replied, giving each a hug before turning to Sirius, "I'm going to be earning so much from jersey sales after this."
"Says the billionaire," Sirius snorted, "at this rate you are going to be richer than the Black family in no time."
"Indeed," Harry chuckled before moving on to the Weasleys, embracing Mrs and Mr Weasley first, Harry moved on to Percy.
"How are you doing Perce?" Harry asked Percy with a bright smile.
"Pretty good these days," Percy replied with a slightly awkward look, "look Harry, I'm sorry for everything the Ministry did and my part in it this year, I was an idiot."
"An idiot," the twins echoed from nearby which made the teens laugh.
"It's alright Percy, the main thing is that you are back now," Harry replied warmly before turning to the pretty red-haired woman next to him, "I would assume that you are Audrey?"
"I am," she smiled back, "how did you know?"
"I met Bill yesterday at Hogsmeade and he shared it with me," Harry replied.
"Ah fantastic," she replied, "good job for today by the way, you played amazingly."
Moving onto the final Weasley, Harry met Bill and Fleur along with her family.
"You took destroy Wood very literally today didn't you?" Bill teased, "You almost killed his seeker."
"Killed is a strong word, injure is the more apt description," Harry laughed before embracing him.
"Great job Harry," Bill said as they broke apart.
"Good to see you Fleur," Harry said and gave her a hug before turning to her family.
"Hello Sir, Mam, and you Gabrielle," Harry said.
"No need for that formality Harry," Mr Delacour said, "you did save our daughter last year."
"Gabrielle wasn't exactly in danger technically."
"Still, you had the intention of saving her, for that, you would always be welcomed at our house," Mrs Delacour chimed in.
"Thank you, and oh yes Gabrielle, I've got something for you," Harry said, pulling out a signed jersey and handing it to Gabrielle, "Fleur told me that you were a fan so here's a gift for you."
"Thank you!" Gabrielle squeaked with joy as she examined the jersey, giving Harry a hug afterwards.
"I bet that a win never felt so good before," Cho said as she snuggled next to Harry.
"It has never."