Chap 21: Stag Domination
"Come on Ron, you still have to eat something before the game, eat this sandwich," Harry said, passing a green-looking Ron a sandwich, this was actually the first time Harry had ever seen Ron refuse to eat before, a feat he never thought was possible before.
"Yeah Ron, you have to eat for the energy," Cho encouraged, looking at him worriedly. Cho was once again sitting at their table, she however, was wearing one of Harry's jerseys, magically altered to fit her just right, a sight which makes Harry love her so much more.
"I don't want to eat," Ron said, looking very sickly.
"Come on Ronald, open your mouth," Hermione commanded, grabbing his sandwich and feeding him herself, Hermione apparently, was the only one who could make Ron actually eat, something that Harry and Cho were silently giggling about.
"Too weak to eat yourself Weasley," snarled Malfoy who walked to their table, immediately inviting glares from everyone at the table, "Need mudblood Granger to feed you?"
"Bugger off Malfoy, you can't catch a snitch for shit either, stop talking so much and perhaps you will be able to catch one someday," Harry retorted, "And also, 10 points from Slytherin was racist slurs."
"You better watch out Potter," he threatened, "you are not as protected as you think you are."
"Perhaps learn a thing or 2 about duelling first then threaten me, in case you forgot, you did lose a 4v2 earlier in the year, I don't know what's more embarrassing, losing that or having fewer catches throughout a career than me in my first year."
"You!" he snarled.
"Go back to your seat Malfoy, I don't want to hear anything about your father, you always bring him up when you are losing an argument," Harry said, waving him away and ignoring him. Malfoy on the other hand, was at a loss of words, turning red from the mix of anger and embarrassment as the entire Gryffindor table was laughing at him now.
"Watch out Potter," he snarled once more.
"You already told me that, if you don't have anything new to say just leave us alone," Harry replied, feigning a yawn, which was triggering enough that he stormed out of the Great Hall.
"He is really a git," Ron said, a small smile on his face finally.
"Indeed," Harry replied, "Come on, let's head to the pitch and get ready."
Around 45 minutes later, everyone was in the changing room, all wearing their full attire with equipment on, even the reserves were wearing their entire fit, all looking nervous but excited, other than Ron of course.
"Alright guys, this is it, all of our training in the past month leads up to this," Harry said in his most leader-like voice, "We all know how good we actually are, we have the best chaser trio in the school (he said as he pointed to Katie, Angelina and Alicia who were beaming), the best beaters in recent times and the best twins to ever play for Hogwarts (he pointed at Fred and George, who were flexing their biceps and acting like complete fools), we have the most promising keeper in school (he said as he pointed at Ron, who did a half smile), a reserve lineup which would start for any of the other team (he said as he pointed to the rest of the players in the room who cheered) and you have me."
"The best seeker in the school!" Angelina cheered.
"The youngest player in 100 years!" Alicia continued.
"A near 100% catch percentage!" Katie exclaimed.
"The first sponsored player in Hogwarts history!" Ginny added.
"The hottest person in the school!" Fred chimed in.
"The sexiest player Hogwarts have ever seen!" George continued.
"Ok ok relax now, Cho is the sexiest," Harry joked, resulting in the entire room shouting simp at the same time.
"Today when we go out, we go out as a team," Harry continued, "Whether we win or lose, we do it as a team, if one of us plays badly today (Ron gulped), we support him or her as a team, we encourage them to keep trying and if we lose, we come back together as a team and work together to ensure that we win the next time!"
"What are we!" Harry chanted.
"Gryffindor!" the team shouted.
"What do we do!"
"We win!"
"On the count of three, 3, 2, 1" Harry counted down.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the entire team shouted.
"LET'S GO AND GET MY SODDING CUP!" Harry shouted as the team cheered.
"Let's welcome the reigning champions onto the pitch!" Lee Jordan announced, "GRYFFINDORRRRR!"
"WE HAVE- THE DEADLY LIONESS TRIO! KATIE BELL! ANGELINA JOHNSON! ALICIA SPINNETTTT!" Lee Jordan exclaimed as the 3 girls burst onto the pitch, performing some basic tricks and theatrics, inviting the cheers of the crowd while the Slytherins booed.
"THE CHAOS DUO OF BEATERS- FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY!" Lee announced as Fred and George took to the skies, not doing as many tricks as they usually do.
"THEIR NEW KEEPER- THE MIGHTY RONALD WEALSEY!" Lee announced as Harry gave Ron an encouraging nudge before he took to the skies.
"LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THEIR NEW CAPTAIN! THE HISTORIAN'S NIGHTMARE! SEEKER HARRY POTTERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Lee announced, putting every last bit of energy he had into his announcement, Harry shot onto the pitch, horizontally to the ground before pulling into an almost vertical climb, performing a few loops before settling down, the cheers for him were the loudest however, the jeers were as loud. Harry didn't care however, he only cared about catching the snitch and winning. He then moved towards the centre where Montague was floating, glaring daggers at him.
"I want a nice and clean game from you 2 you understand!" Madam Hooch shouted, her gaze however, entirely on Montague.
"Captains, shake hands," she commanded as Harry took Montague's hand, both of them trying to crush each other's. Harry then flew back, giving Blaise a smile and a nod before he did, to which he replied with the same smile and nod.
"The captains have shaken hands, this only means one thing, THE 1995/1996 SEASON IS A GO!" Lee shouted as the Quaffle was released.
Almost immediately, Angelina swooped in and knocked the Quaffle over Katie, who flew off towards the left where Harry and Fred were, Harry flying in front to push away other Chasers and Fred flying close by, ready to protect Katie from any bludger, Alicia on the other hand, flew low while Angelina flew straight to the centre, a set play that they had trained for. As they got closer to the opponent's post, Katie suddenly shot to the right, taking the Slytherins off guard as they assumed that Katie was aiming for a by-the-line pass into Angelina, the most dangerous shooter. In this however, Angelina was the distraction and the real threat was actually Katie, Katie flew towards the centre as George knocked the bludger straight at the chasing Chaser, at the same moment, Alicia shot vertically up to disrupt the opponents' formation while Harry flew close to Katie and attracted the Bludger's attention, giving Katie an almost free run to the goalpost, only needing to juke an off-balance Chaser before throwing an accurate Quaffle into the Keeper's near post.
"Excellent team-play by the Gryffindors, using the 2 chasers and seeker as distractions and disrupters while Bell threw an excellent shot to the near post! 10 to nothing for the Gryffindors!" Lee announced, leading the Gryffindor crowd to cheer loudly.
"The Slytherins are on the attack again however, great passing between Zabini and Pucey, Pucey back to Zabini- No! Bell makes an important interception from behind, possession is back in Gryffindor and Johnson is racing towards to goal together with Bell, Spinnet is playing disruption and trying to hold back Zabini, Crabbe aims a Bludger at Bell, MISSED! Crabbe hits it absolutely wide, Bell is facing the keeper now, passes the Quaffle to Johnson- GOAL! Excellent counterattack from the Lions, 20 to nothing!" Lee announced as Harry cheered along with his team, making small hand gestures to Angelina who nodded, understanding his call for the next attack.
"Slytherin attacking again, Montague is flying down the wing with the Quaffle, Weasley hits a Bludger at him, DODGED! Great roll from Montague to dodge to Quaffle, NO! He loses possession to Bell, she is having a cracker of a game right now, throws it long to Spinnet who is on the wing, Johnson is flying right below her, Pucey goes in for the snatch, MISSES! Spinnet throws the Quaffle down to Johnson, Pucey is going for the recovery, supported by Zabini, Johnson would need help to get out of this situation, WHAT A PASS TO SPINNET, squeezed it past the gap between Pucey from above and Zabini from behind, Spinnet who rolled out of Pucey's way earlier after dropping the Quaffle to Johnson manages to roll into a position for an excellent one-two pass, Zabini and Pucey are too far behind now to stop her, one on one with Bletchley, SCORES! IT'S 30 TO NOTHING!" Lee announced as Harry fist-pumped the sky in support.
"Slytherin tries to attack again, Zabini has the Quaffle, excellent dodge of the Bludger hit by Weasley, Slytherin's beaters are really not providing their seekers with the cover they need, Zabini flies on, EXCELLENT JUKE OF THE FIRST CHASER, DODGES ANOTHER BLUDGER AND SHOOTS FROM RANGE, WHAT A GOAL! ZABINI PLACED AN EXCELLENT SHOT WHICH WEASLEY COULDN'T SAVE, WHAT A PLAY FROM THE PROMISING CHASER!" Lee announced as Harry cursed, Blaise did really make a play and a half. Harry however, was more worried about Ron as he flew to him.
"Nice try Ron, his shot was really amazing," Harry said.
"I should have done better," Ron sulked, "Didn't expect him to shoot from there."
"It's fine Ron, just take note of Blaise from now on, he can actually shoot a mean one from range, we are still 30 to 10, well 40 now," Harry said as Angelina shot in another after an amazing pass from Katie once again, "Don't beat yourself up now, you've got this."
Ron thankfully looked a little more cheerful now, face filled with determination, satisfied, Harry returned to the pitch to search for the snitch.
"Zabini is attempting another solo fly, dodges the first Bludger, but Bell is pressuring him a ton, he throws a pass to Pucey, Pucey passes it over Spinnet to Montague, Monatague is reaching the goal, GREAT BLUDGER FROM WEASLEY TO DISRUPT HIS ATTEMPT, Montague still has the Quaffle, Johnson moves in to block, Montague attempts to shoot at the despite the limited window, SAVED FROM WEASLEY!"
"LET'S GO RON!" Harry shouted, bringing a smile to Ron's face.
"I did not know that Weasley had the money to hire cheerleaders," Malfoy shouted at Harry.
"Why Malfoy, no one wants to cheer for you even with your money, truly a pity that money can't buy everything."
"What did you say?" Malfoy yelled, flying straight at Harry who took it face on.
"MALFOY FLIES STRAIGHT INTO POTTER, AGREESIVE AND DANGEROUS FLYING, FOUL!" Lee shouted which Hooch echoed, giving Malfoy a lecture while Angelina took the penalty, scoring it and putting them up 50 to 10.
Satisfied with his handiwork, Harry flew up to look for the snitch again. In his search for the snitch, Ron made 2 more saves despite conceding one, while Angelina and Alicia each scored 2 more, making it 90 to 20 before Montague called another time-out.
"Alright gather around guys, drink some water and chill for a while," Harry commanded as his players landed, "Great work so far guys, excellent shooting from you Angie, great distraction play from you as well Alicia, and Katie, you are having a life game, Ron, amazing saves, both goals were wonder plays from Zabini so don't be disheartened by it, Fred and George, great cover and disruption so far, overall really good teamwork guys," Harry said, encouraging his players.
"Just some adjustments though, Fred and George, focus less on covering our chasers, Crabbe and Goyle are hopeless at aiming, Katie, Angie and Alicia, just be more careful about Bludgers, Fred and George, focus the Bludgers at Zabini, if we neutralise him then their chaser line isn't really a threat anymore, Chasers, you don't have to really play set plays that much anymore, let's save our playbook for another team, just play more simple and more one-twos, otherwise, I think we are good, I will try to end the game as soon as possible now," Harry added.
"TOGETHER! 1, 2, 3! LIONS," they cheered one more time before flying out.
Gryffindor continued to dominate the moment the game resumed, Angelina immediately winning possession and Alicia scoring a wonder goal from range, his adjustment proved to be effective as Blaise was essentially taken out of the game with Bludgers flying at him constantly and his beaters not covering him effectively. They soon found themselves up 130 to 20 before Harry got bored of flying around and decided to have some fun. Subtly flying closer to Malfoy, Harry divided down vertically as if he found the snitch.
"Potter dives down! Has he found the snitch? Malfoy chases after him!" Lee announced
Diving vertically, Harry could feel Malfoy chasing after him, looking back from time to time, making sure that he was blocking Malfoy's view, as he got closer and closer to the ground, Harry pulled up in an almost vertical climb, pushing his new Nimbus Lightning 1 to its limit, while it isn't as responsive to changes of direction as the Firebolt, it still did its job excellently and Harry did hit the group. Malfoy on the other hand wasn't as lucky, he plummeted straight to the ground, bloodied up from a perfect Wronski Feint.
"MALFOY CRASHES! A perfect Wronski Feint from Potter sends him straight into the ground! He looks bloodied up pretty badly but he's getting back on his broom!" Lee announced.
Happy with his handiwork, Harry quickly looked around the pitch to search for the snitch, to his surprise, he saw a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye. Pushing his broom and chasing after it, Harry was uncontested the whole way through, Crabbe hitting a Bludger that went so off target that it hit Pucey instead who was trying to disrupt Harry's flight path. With the easiest catch of his life, he caught the snitch and raised it up into the sky, flying up to the sky with his arms spread out and doing a 360 using his feet to turn the broom.
"POTTER CATCHES THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS 300 TO 20! THIS IS SLYTHERIN'W WORSE LOSS IN IT'S HISTORY!" Lee exclaimed with the Gryffindor players cheering madly while Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff cheered in support of Slytherin's humiliation. McGonagall was crying tears of happiness while Snape looked murderous.
Landing on the ground, he was swarmed by his teammates, both the starting and reserve team running and jumping onto him.
"WHAT A WIN!" Angelina cried out in happiness, hugging Harry so hard that he couldn't breathe.
"That's a feint and a half Harry!" Ron yelled in joy, "Malfoy's jersey is now red."
At the mention of Malfoy, he started shouting at the group.
"You are lucky Potter!" He shouted.
"Noted Malfoy, I would check the mirror first if I were you," Harry retorted, laughing at him.
"Weasley got saved by you Potter again, he would have been humiliated if you didn't catch the snitch," he snarled.
"Are you even watching the game Malfoy? You were losing 150 to 20 before I caught the snitch, did the fall give you a concussion or something?"
"You!" Malfoy shouted, storming towards him.
"Fuck off Malfoy, you are actually pathetic," Katie said in contempt, pulling Harry away.
"Shut the fuck up you dirty mud blood otherwise I will cut your dirty tongue off and-" Malfoy threatened, before being interrupted by Fred and George who jumped at him. Harry seeing this, instinctively casted a Shield Charm between Malfoy and the twins, bouncing both of them back before they could hit Malfoy, Angelina and Alicia then ran and held them back, both of which were looking murderous while Malfoy looked even paler.
"STOP THIS NOW!" Dumbledore's voice boomed, running up to the scene together with McGonagall and Snape, most annoyingly, Umbridge too.
"Weasley, stand down now!" Dumbledore shouted, which the twins complied with, no longer struggling against Angelina and Alicia
"This is outrageous behaviour from you 3 students," Dumbledore said strictly, "Your Head of Houses with the handing out of your punishments."
At this moment, Harry heard a high-pitched voice of Umbridge speak, immediately knowing that that was not good news.
"Allow me Headmaster, but I believe that would not be necessary, the Weasley twins have shown aggressive and violent conduct which I believe should warrant the handing out of permanent bans from playing in Hogwarts again," she said, leading to shocked stares from the team and McGonagall, "I believe that Mr Potter should also be stripped of his Captaincy for failure to restrain his teammates and for dangerous and unsportsmanship like flying from him during the game which resulted in terrible injuries for Mr Malfoy."
"Professor," Harry replied calmly. "I believe that there are some errors in your judgement."
"Are you questioning my authority Potter!" Umbridge yelled.
"Oh no Professor, I would never dare to question the authority of the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts (a few of his teammates silently giggled at that), I do however believe that you are mistaken when it comes to the situation here."
"I believe that I am absolutely correct!" Umbridge growled.
"Oh come on Dolores, a crucial aspect of teaching would be to listen to our students, many times in my long career have found myself benefitting from listening to my students' opinions," Dumbledore remarked, smiling widely at Harry, "explain what you mean Harry."
"Well I believe that Professor Umbridge here did not get a full picture of the situation, you see, Mr Malfoy had made threats to my fellow teammate Katie Bell here, I do believe that he said this and I quote, 'Shut the fuck up you dirty mud blood otherwise I will cut your dirty tongue off', apologies for the language but I do believe that Mr Malfoy here made racist and dangerous comments which threatens the livelihood of Ms Katie Bell here, we also have additional reasons to be concerned as in case your forgot, Mr Malfoy did attack Ms Greengrass and I earlier this year, he had continued to make threats towards my friend group and I, since I do very much consider Katie as my friend, I believe that this threat was indeed really real," Harry said, "The twins here launched into an attack here to prevent Mr Malfoy from doing something that would threaten their friend Katie Bell and while I do not agree with their actions, they did not connect any punches and instead, was thrown back by my Shield Charm which threw them back, I do also believe that by preventing my teammates from hitting Mr Malfoy here, I am performing my job as their Captain."
"Very well said Mr Potter," McGonagall said, a smug smile on her face.
"And about the dangerous play, what I pulled off is called the Wronski Feint which is a professional move that seekers perform," Harry added.
"I know what it is!" Umbridge snarled impatiently.
"Ah then I believe that you should understand that since it's a completely legal move in Quidditch itself, it does not actually get considered as dangerous play, am I right to say that Madam Hooch?"
"Correct," Madam Hooch replied.
"IT'S STILL A DANGEROUS MOVE, MR MALFOY COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED HERE!" Umbridge shrieked.
"And if he did, it would be of his own decisions and choices as he chose to follow me into the dive, I did not force him into the dive, his crash was completely because of his lack of skill on the broom," Harry said in a matter-of-factly way.
"YOU BASTARD!" Malfoy yelled, running towards Harry before being held back by Snape.
"15 points from Slytherin for language and aggressive behaviour," Snape said, glaring at Malfoy who backed down.
"That also reminds me, Mr Malfoy here did make an illegal move where he rammed right into me which could have easily thrown me off the broom and fall to my death, Madam Hooch, that is an illegal move isn't it?" Harry asked.
"Rightly said Mr Potter."
"In that case, I would have to question why despite the many offences that Mr Malfoy have made today, why you did not ban him or take points off him and instead, targeting the Gryffindor team instead?" Harry asked, feigning curiosity.
"What are you insinuating?" Umbridge snarled.
"I'm insinuating that you are exercising favouritism, I do hope that the Headmaster and professors here agree," Harry said, looking straight at Umbridge who was glaring at him now.
"YOU-" Umbridge yelled before getting interrupted.
"I believe that Mr Potter is very much correct here," Dumbledore said, "Minerva, Severus, Rolanda, may I know your opinions?"
"I believe that Mr Potter is absolutely correct here," McGonagall said.
"I too," Madam Hooch agreed, leaving Snape who Harry knew was going to disagree.
"I agree too," Snape said softly, shocking the entire Gryffindor and Slytherin team.
"That's the majority then," Dumbledore said, nodding his head before turning to Umbridge, "Dolores, I'm suspending your right to take points from students till I believe that you are capable of exercising your responsibility properly."
"WHAT! I AM THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS, YOU CANNOT DO THAT!" Umbridge shrieked.
"Being the High Inquisitor does not give you any authority over me, it's simply a role where you are given the responsibility of inspecting the standards of teaching."
"CORNELIUS WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS!"
"Oh I'm sure he will, do bring along Madam Bones and some reporters when we have another chat, I do expect it to be a fruitful one," Dumbledore said with a smile, leading to Umbridge storming away in anger.
"Minerva and Severus, I would leave you 2 to hand out the punishments," Dumbledore said, "I shall bring the reporters in for the press conference
"Mr Wealseys, due to your aggressive action and violent conduct, I handing you both a one-game ban," McGonagall said strictly.
"But Professor-"
"Don't but me, you 2 should know better than to engage Mr Malfoy in a fight when Umbridge is already targeting your house and Harry, be thankful that Harry casted the Shield Charm to prevent you from actually hitting Mr Malfoy, I expect better behaviour from you 2 in the future!" McGonagall lectured, to which both twins apologised.
"Mr Potter, I would award Gryffindor 25 points for your actions today at stopping a fight from breaking out and showing outstanding control when dealing with Mr Malfoy and Professor Umbridge," she said, smiling at Harry, "You all should go and celebrate your win today, truly an excellent display from the team."
"Thank you Profesor, but what about Malfoy, he did say some messed up things to Katie and his behaviour is just getting worse," Harry asked.
"Do not worry Mr Potter, I will ensure that he gets punished appropriately, in fact, I do believe that Severus is doing just that right now," McGonagall responded, looking at Snape who was lashing out at Malfoy who looked stunned and terrified.
"Off you all go then, go for the press conference and enjoy your afternoon, do not forget about your patrols though Mr Potter," McGonagall said, looking at him sternly.
"I won't Professor, it's with Cho today," Harry replied, resulting in McGonagall smirking at him, waving him away.
"Eventful gameday isn't it?" Ron asked, placing his arm around his best mate's shoulder.
"Indeed, let's go and entertain some reporters and enjoy the afternoon" Harry said, joining the overjoyed team that he had built.
Due to the new changes to the inter-house tournament, there was a new implementation of a press conference at the end of every game to help the students improve their image and hopefully, attract more sponsors to support them. Reaching the entrance of the conference room, the team was greeted by Dumbledore who was standing there waiting.
"You are all here, excellent," Dumbledore commented, "before we enter, I will brief you all on what to expect, since most of you are minors, you will all be protected against the reporters and you can refuse questions that they ask if you do not believe that they are appropriate, I will be in the room with you all as a moderator and I will keep the press conference on Quidditch, Harry, you have experience at attending press conferences and I would seek your assistance at protecting your teammates, if any of you feel uncomfortable, let Harry know and he will handle it, I would do my best to not interject during the conference but Harry, if you need my help, let me know and I will step in."
While Harry was not worried about attending the conference, instead being reluctant due to his detest for reporters, his team looked pale and worried, all unsure of what was installed for them.
"Guys, I know that this is all your first time and you are all super worried, but trust me, you are the one in power during the interviews, they can't spin shit like Skeeter does, just go in and be yourself, I would answer questions on the team and you can add on if you want, we are in this together alright?" Harry comforted leading to the team nodding nervously.
"Well said Harry," Dumbledore beamed, "Now, shall we get this over and done with as soon as possible?"
Stepping into the room, Harry was immediately blinded by flashing lights, something that he had fortunately expected, unlike his teammates who were stunned by them. Taking their seats, Harry sat in the middle with Ron to his left and the twins beside him while Angelina sat on his right with Alicia and Katie sitting next to her.
"Good afternoon reporters, I am the Headmaster and as agreed, I will be moderating the press conference today and I would implore you to stick firmly to the topic of Quidditch, I would also like to remind you that half of the players are minors and the questions should be given to them appropriately, I would step in should I find anything inappropriate, otherwise, first question please," Dumbledore said, leading to many reporters raising their hand and Dumbledore calling one to start.
"This question is to the entire team, how are you all feeling after such a dominant showing today and what do you think your title chances are?" The reporter asked politely, a welcomed change for Harry who had to deal with some rude ones at his first press conference.
"Urm, I'm very happy with our victory, everyone really played at their best today and made all our training sessions in the past 2 months absolutely worth it, in terms of title chances, if we continue to play at this level, I do believe that we will have a very good chance at raising the cup again this year," Harry answered before turning to his teammates, giving them a nod of encouragement to speak.
"Er, I agree with what Harry said," Angelina added, "It's not every day that you hand someone their record loss, but we shouldn't get complacent and think that we are perfect as we are, there are still some areas that we can improve at which I believe that we would."
"Next question please?" Dumbledore said after every member gave their response, all relatively similar to Harry and Angelina's.
"Good afternoon all, this is a multi-part question that I believe every reporter here also wants to ask and find out, with this being the first press conference for all of you besides Potter, I would like to ask all of you individual questions to better understand you as a player, perhaps I would start from my left, Ms Katie Bell, you displayed incredible talent today on the pitch, making the most interceptions and snatches during the game while making the most assist as well, can you share with us about your thoughts on your performance today?" The reporter asked.
"Urm, I believe that I played very well today, probably one of the best games of my life," Katie replied awkwardly.
"Do you believe that you can keep this performance up for the subsequent games or do you think that this is a once-in-a-lifetime game for you?"
"Er… I think that I can definitely keep this up, maybe not every game but for most games, I do believe that I can do that, I don't think that this is once in a lifetime game for me and I certainly hope that I continue to improve and play better."
"If I may add something to Katie's answer," Harry added, capturing the attention of the reporters, "As the captain and a fellow teammate in the past 4 seasons, Katie has always been improving and I think that between the last 2 seasons, she had made incredible leaps in terms of ability, she had always shown that she was talented at Chasing and I have no doubt that we will see this from her again."
Katie beamed at his comments, nodding her head in appreciation before the reporter asked one more question.
"Last but not least Bell, may I know whether you are considering going professional after you leave Hogwarts?"
"I'm not very sure whether I would pursue a professional career, I guess these 2 seasons will determine whether I would go professional, I definitely would not rule it out, hopefully I get scouted by a team or get a sponsorship deal in these 2 seasons to make the decision a lot more easier for me," Katie replied, sounding more confident.
"Thank you Ms Bell, I would now move on to Ms Spinnet, along with Ms Johnson, you have been consistently one of the highest-scoring Chasers in the inter-house tournament, today however, you showed a new side to your game with you performing many disruption plays successfully, any comments on this change in play style?"
"Urm, when Harry became the captain, we went through the playbook that Oliver had last year and we adapted most of them into our current playbook, we then realised that Oliver hasn't really used disruption plays that much in his strategies, mostly preferring Angelina and I pairing up because we have great chemistry while Katie plays more defensively and more as a linker, Harry then decided to try something new by forming some disruption plays and since Angelina is the primary goal scorer and Katie is better at precise passing then me, Harry decided to play me as the disrupter and that worked out pretty brilliantly for us, this game had a lot more disruption plays because Slytherin defends using physicality more, trying to jostle us off course and tackle, by using more disruption plays, we can unsettle their defensive shape which makes it easier for us to attack which definitely worked out today," Alicia responded, a lot more composed than Katie.
"Do you think that this will work against the other 2 houses?" Another reporter asked.
"We will have to see I guess, we have largely focused on Slytherin so we haven't really prepared for the other 2 houses," Alicia asked smartly, refusing to divulge information without rejecting the question.
"And similar to Bell, do you think that you would go professional?"
"I don't think so, I don't see myself training that hard as a career, not saying that I'm lazy or anything, just that I don't enjoy doing that for a career, I enjoy playing Quidditch matches but training for one daily isn't something for me, I probably would want to go into Department of Magical Games and Sports because I still love Quidditch and working on something related to it is a dream," Alicia answered, the room filling with murmurs, impressed at her honesty.
"Thank you Ms Spinnet, let's move on to Ms Johnson, Johnson, you have been the top scorer in the tournament for the past 3 seasons and you don't seem like you are slowing down at all after watching you today, any comments on your abilities throughout the year and whether you would go professional?"
"Urm, I have been really happy about my performances throughout the year, feels like all my hard work had paid off, in terms of going professional, I'm really hoping that I get the opportunity to, something of a life dream for me, hopefully my performances for the rest of the year would convince the teams that I'm capable enough for the league," Angelina replied optimistically.
"Any specific teams that you are hoping you get to play for?"
"Not really, I would love to get signed by the Tornados but for the other teams, I don't have a preference, as long as I get to play, I'm happy."
"Last question Johnson, many touted you as the successor to Wood after he left Hogwarts 2 years ago, do you have any comments on Harry becoming the captain, disappointment? Anything?" A reporter asked.
"I don't really feel disappointed or anything, obviously I would have been amazing to become the captain but I understand the decision, with 4 of us leaving next year, having Harry as the captain to gain experience and rebuild the team is wise, additionally, Harry has proved to be an excellent captain for u, not only tactically wise but also when it comes to motivating us, keeping spirits up and supporting us, I don't think Gryffindor or any of us could ask for a better captain than Harry," Angelina replied, smiling at Harry who blushed a little at the compliments.
"Thank you Ms Johnson, moving on to Mr Potter, catching the snitch again makes it 6 catches out of 7 games, an outstanding record for a seeker at Hogwarts, any comments on your record and ability?"
"The record is pretty amazing if I do say so myself but having a 100% record would have been better (a few chuckles broke out in the room), but regardless, I think that what I have accomplished in my 5 years is amazing and I hope that I would continue doing that well for my last 3 seasons."
"Mr Potter, you were given the captain's armband this season, any comments on the pressure or responsibilities and how you are dealing with it?"
"I don't feel that much pressure really, it isn't really different as compared to when I was playing under Wood, obviously there is some added pressure due to the responsibility of preparing the team well for the games and making the right calls during it but I have an amazing team who are more like friends by my side and an amazing vice-captain in Angelina who really helps to ease the pressure," Harry replied, resulting in Angelina blushing at the praises.
"Mr Potter, you were recently announced as Nimbus' Ambassador at the school level, any comments on the partnership and on their new broom, the Nimbus Lightning 1?"
"Nimbus have been an amazing partner, they took my feedback about their broom and are still making adjustments and running tests in their factories to improve on their broom, their representative and the person who I work the most with, Marcus Wood, has also been brilliant, very kind, friendly, good at listening and professional, about their broom, my opinions have not changed about it since my last press conference, it's really a good broom and I'm happy to be flying it."
"Last question Mr Potter, it's common knowledge now that you are dating fellow Ravenclaw captain Ms Cho Chang, any comments on how that would affect the dynamics between both teams, especially when you 2 eventually face each other in February?" A reporter asked, making Dumbledore raise an eyebrow, looking at Harry who decided that the question was harmless and answered it.
"Well, I'm not giving any personal details about our relationship, it's our private matter, but when it comes to Quidditch, we are both very professional and competitive, we both really want to win and prove that we are better than the other and that our house is better, I don't think that it would affect anything negatively, just that both teams will probably be friendlier with each other meaning that the game will not be a dirty one," Harry responded professionally, to which Dumbledore nodded to, satisfied with the way he handled the question.
"Thank you Mr Potter, let's move on to Mr Ronald Weasley, Mr Weasley, this was your debut game and you performed rather well today despite the lack of shots at you, any comments on your performance?"
"Er… I think that I played alright, like you said, not really many shots at me today thanks to everyone around me playing outstandingly, I probably should have done better for the first goal though," Ron said critically, though it seemingly did not dampen his spirits…
"Mr Weasley, as you would know, there are a total 4 Weasleys inside the team this year with 2 new additions, how is it like to play with your siblings?"
"Er, it's rather interesting actually, we played Quidditch together growing up and we have a pretty good idea about each other's abilities and tendencies so it helps in practice and games, personally, having siblings in the team makes me want to push myself harder also because I'm more competitive when I'm around my siblings so it really helps me to improve as well," Ron replied truthfully.
"Adding on to the previous question, with 4 Weasleys in the team and Mr Potter being close friends with you and your family, do you believe that there is some favouritism when it comes to team selection?" Another reporter asked.
"Allow me to take this question since I'm the captain," Harry immediately interrupted, seeing Ron's perplexed expression, "I would have to firmly add that despite the amount of Weasleys in the team, I chose all of them due to their talent at the game rather than their surname, I'm sure everyone here is familiar with Fred and George's ability at beating, they have been playing for 6 years and are arguably one of the best duo the school have ever seen, as for Ron, I think that most of you see today that he has potential to be top tier, while I believe that he still needs time to fulfil his potential and need more game time to get rid of the anxiety and jitters, I believe that he will prove to be crucial to the team's success for this year and possibly the next, while none of you has seen Ginny play, trust me when I say this, she is going to dominate the game similar to what Angelina is doing right now, the only reason that she isn't starting is that my starting Chasers are some of the best, if not the best at what they do in Hogwarts, I believe that Ginny can start for other houses and with the fact that she can play seeker quite well as well, she earned her place in the team."
"But Mr Potter, I received insider information that there was favouritism during the tryouts," the reporter continued.
"May I ask if the insider is Cormac Mclaggen?" Harry asked back, stunning the reporter.
"Because if it is, Mclaggen performed worse than Ron during the tryouts itself, he saved fewer shots than Ron and performed worse in the game, while he performed better than Ryan during the tryouts based on shots saved, my reason for excluding him from the team is due to his ego and arrogant nature, something that would greatly affect the team dynamic if I chose him, just to put into prespective, Mclaggen tried to teach everyone in other positions about how they should play, even taking a beater bat to show Jimmy how to hit it correctly which resulted in the Bludger flying straight at my face rather than at the target, thankfully I dodged the Bludger just in time so I wasn't gravely injured, overall, I believe that Mclaggen has talent but does not have the attitude to utilise it if he manages to control his ego, I would not mind choosing him next year over Ryan if he performs better but that's for next year," Harry replied, leading to nods of approval from the crowd.
"Well let's move on to the Weasley twins then, Fred and George, due to your similarities in taste and preferences, we would just address the question to you 2, firstly, you 2 are one of the greatest duos that Hogwarts has ever since at the Beater role, any comments on how you two work so well?"
"Urm, I think as twins, we oddly have some sort of telepathic ability when it comes to playing the game,"
"It helps us work together better,"
"Hit Bludgers with more teamwork,"
"Play combinations better,"
"And win together." They both said, bouncing back and forth to prove a point which amused the crowd.
"Another question, there was a confrontation on the pitch today between Mr Malfoy and you 2, any comments on what happened?"
Fred and George looked at each other before turning to Harry for help, who noticed Dumbledore glancing at him, letting him know that he was there if he needed any help, Harry however, had already mentally planned for this question.
"I would answer for the twins because the confrontation was actually more between Malfoy and I instead, this is a disciplinary case ongoing in Hogwarts so I won't comment much on it, but the gist of it is that Malfoy was unhappy after the loss and the Wronski Feint hence he was triggered, saying some stuff that he shouldn't about my fellow teammate Katie, Fred and George got worried and defensive for Katie resulting in them jumping in and to prevent an escalation, I casted the Shield Charm between them and Mr Malfoy, bouncing both of them back, overall, the twins, while having good intentions in their mind, acted too rashly in that situation, as a resulted, they will be banned for the next game against Hufflepuff which i believe is the appropriate punishment," Harry said.
"Any information about Mr Malfoy's punishment?"
"That is his private matter and if you would want to know, you would have to ask one of the Professors or ask him later," Harry replied calmly.
"Do you think that their suspension would negatively affect your performance against Hufflepuff?"
"I think that it will definitely weaken us a little, not because Jimmy and Ritchie aren't good but because Fred and George are on a different level, Jimmy and Ritchie are excellent at beating as well and with more intensive training in the next few weeks, I believe that they will perform up to standard so I'm not very worried," Harry responded, satisfying the reporters
"Well I believe that that is the final question we can have today, thank you for your questions today, please wait for 5 more minutes for the Slytherin interview, Gryffindor team, please," Dumbledore said, leading them out of the conference room.
"Great work Harry," Dumbledore commented after they exited from the room, "you controlled the interview wonderfully today."
"Thank you Professor, just doing my best for the team," Harry replied humbly.
"Always so modest," Dumbledore chuckled, "Off you all go then, I'm sure that there is a party waiting for you back in your common room."
"Ah yes Mr Weasleys," Dumbledore called out to the twins, "Do save a Butterbeer for me, you seem to have quite a stash kept away in the castle, I would pay of course."
Fred and George became pale, staring blankly at Dumbledore before slowly nodding and walking away.
"How does Dumbledore know?" Fred said to Harry when they were out of sight.
"He knows everything in the castle Fred, he just chooses not to say anything unless it actually threatens the student's wellbeing," Harry responded.
"At least he seems to be chill about it," Katie commented, "Let's quickly go back and party, I would need a nice long nap afterwards, that press conference took everything out of me."
"It wasn't that bad no?" Harry asked back.
"Of course it isn't bad for you Mr PR man," Alicia commented, resulting in everyone roaring in laughter as they made their way back to the common room.