Hi everyone. Here's the newest chapter for April. Hope y'all like it.
I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE ORIGINAL HARRY POTTER characters, however some OCs are my own.
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"Turns out all we needed was a little more of this." – Stoick The Vast, How To Train Your Dragon
Chapter 33
First Triwizard Quidditch Match
Dumbledore stood in front of Harry, the normal twinkle in his eye present as he looked down at the teenager. Ron stood next to him with a proud expression on his face, clearly thinking that he had won.
"You're going to force me to allow him on my team?" Harry repeated, crossing his arms as he looked between the two of them, the annoyance clear on his face. Draco and Blaise shared a look behind him, the three of them heading out to meet with the rest of the team for practice. Dumbledore had stopped them, insisting that he needed to speak with Harry alone, however, Draco hadn't felt comfortable with the thought of leaving his twin alone for even a minute. It didn't matter if they were in the middle of one of the hallways near the Great Hall, the meddlesome old man had shown just how far he was willing to go to get what he wanted.
"Now my boy, think of it less of forcing and more as…playing a game with your friends. I heard from Molly how much fun you and Ron had during the summers when you visited the Burrow." Dumbledore objected, attempting to keep the situation under control. He hated that once again he was having to step in so the youngest Weasley didn't fail and further ruin his plans. He needed one of his pawns close to the boy to keep him in line, however, since the end of summer all of his plans seemed to continue going wrong. He'd lost control of Harry. Remus, Nymphadora and Sirius had proven to be no help in keeping the boy in line. Lucius Malfoy had grown to be even more of a thorn in his side, sticking his nose where it didn't belong. He still hadn't managed to figure out what Voldemort was planning since the half-blood had remained silent the mess with Quirrell during Harry's first year. Nothing was going his way, and he was growing tired of it.
"That's the problem headmaster. Ron isn't my friend, and I don't trust him to be on my team." Harry objected, refusing to back down. He wasn't going to let Ron or Ginny on his team because they would spend more time fighting for his attention or fighting with the Slytherins he'd grown to consider his friends.
"He can be on mine." A voice suddenly stated behind them. Harry glanced over his shoulder, frowning as Viktor Krum walked towards the group. The Durmstrang's champion stopped beside him, crossing his arms as he watched the Hogwarts headmaster. The older teenager had hated having to watch the younger wizard participate in a dangerous tournament that had been meant for 17 and older. When the deputy headmistress had suggested the quidditch tournament between the three schools he'd thought it would be a good idea. It gave the other students a chance to participate instead of just watching the chosen three. Plus, he'd thought it would give the young lord a chance to have some fun during the whole farce. If there was something he could do to ease his stress then he could put up with dealing with having the distasteful 4th year on his team.
"Mr. Krum, I assure you that isn't necessary. Harry would be more than happy to have Ron play on his team. Right Harry?" Dumbledore questioned, attempting to hide his annoyance at another plan starting to fail. Ron stared at the professional quidditch player with a star struck expression, clearly liking the idea of playing on his team more.
"For the last time. I will not. Now if that is all Headmaster, my actual teammates are waiting for me. So, if you will excuse me." Harry stated, not bothering to hide the bite in his tone. He glanced at his brother and Blaise before walking around the duo blocking their path. As they walked away Harry couldn't help glancing over his shoulder, watching Krum speak with Dumbledore. He couldn't understand why he would offer to take Ron, but he wasn't going to question it.
"Was that weird to anyone else? I mean Weasley isn't a very good player so why would Krum want to let him on his team?" Blaise questioned, clearly trying to figure out what had just happened.
"I don't even think Krum has seen Ron play so it really doesn't make sense?" Harry muttered, his frown increasing. Draco reached out to flick his brother, affectively jerking him from his thoughts.
"Whatever the reason, the weasel isn't our problem. I can't believe he ran to Dumbledore. What is he? 5?" Draco complained. Harry only nodded along, releasing a sigh.
"It doesn't matter. We have our first match tomorrow. And I think Professor McGonagall said we would be going against Krum, so I want to get a bit more practice with the entire team in. I might work with my practice snitch after." He sighed, reaching up to push his hair out of his face.
"We've got this. You're an amazing seeker and the rest of the team is pretty awesome too." Blaise stated, puffing out his chest with a grin. Harry couldn't help laughing, shaking is head at his friend's antics.
Harry sat on his broom, searching the pitch for any signs of the snitch. Krum was hovering not too far away but seemed to be watching his team play more than actually trying to end the game. Draco and the other chasers had managed to score 70 points compared to the other teams 60, however, neither team was giving an inch. Since the match had begun both teams had been battling it out, showing they were pretty evenly matched.
"You want to know why I accepted the red one." Krum stated, pulling Harry from his thoughts. He hadn't realized the Durmstrang champion had flown closer, settling at his side.
"A little bit. Especially since he's not actually playing." Harry agreed, glancing over to where the reserve players were sitting. Even from their current height he could see how Ron had his arms crossed and he could guess he wasn't too happy.
"Because you should get to enjoy this." Krum responded, offering him a smirk before dropping into a dive. Harry faltered for a moment, caught by surprise at the comment. He watched as the professional player performed a stunt on his broom, earning a roar of cheers and applause from the audience.
Daphne sat in the stands, watching the match with a gentle smile on her face. It made her happy to see the joy on his face or to hear his laughter. It was something she'd worried was gone with everything he'd been forced to endure during their years at Hogwarts, especially just in the last few months. She'd seen the change in Draco too, watching as he started showing his actual emotions when in the safety of their common room rather than always hiding behind the pureblood mask. She glanced at her sister as Astoria released another yell, jumping up in joy as Draco flew past, passing the quaffle to Adrian. Astoria had cheered every time Draco had scored or passed to one of his teammates.
"Hello Astoria, Daphne." Luna Lovegood greeted, her soft voice seeming to cut through the noise around them as she claimed the seat next to the Slytherin 2nd year. Astoria offered the 3rd year Ravenclaw a wide smile before turning her attention back to the match. Daphne watched the odd girl for a moment before shaking her head. She'd seen Harry speaking with her several times and while she always found the younger witch odd, he defended her by saying she was just a little different. She saw the world different than they did, it didn't mean she was crazy. Honestly, she found it sweet that he'd taken the girl under his wing, often inviting her to their study sessions in the library or out near the lake.
"Harry is playing exceptionally well today isn't he?" Luna commented, her piercing gray eyes watching both seekers. The crowd broke into gasps as both Harry and Krum suddenly dropped into dives, both seeming to have caught sight of the snitch. Daphne couldn't help biting the inside of her lip as she watched, worry evident in her eyes to those who knew her. Even though she'd watched Harry pull off the dive several times, it still scared her, worried he wouldn't pull up soon enough. She'd attended enough professional matches with her father and older brother to know just how much damage hit the ground at their current speed could cause.
"AND HARRY POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" Lee Jordan announced, cheering for his past house mate. She released the breath that had gotten caught in her throat, pressing her hand against her chest as he leveled out, raising his hand above his head. A broad grin was clear on his face as he clutched the snitch, his hair tussled from the wind wiping through his hair.
"That was awesome! I can't believe you beat Viktor Krum!" Draco cheered as he landed, dropping his broom as he raced towards his brother. Harry laughed as he was tackled by Draco followed by Blaise, closing his eyes as Fred and George joined the pile on the ground. Viktor landed on the pitch, walking towards the group.
"That was some impressive flying Lord Potter. I look forward to our rematch." He stated, holding out his hand. Harry smiled as he climbed back to his feet, reaching out to accept the handshake.
"Can't wait." He responded, offering a grin.
"Congratulations superstar." Daphne offered as Harry stepped out of the locker rooms. She reached up to push his wet bangs out of his face, laughing as it spiked up. Harry watched as she pulled out her wand, casting a quick drying charm.
"The Slytherins want to throw a party to celebrate the first match. Figured I'd invite this amazing seeker and his lion twins." She teased.
"Did I hear that right Gred?" Fred questioned, walking up behind Harry.
"I think we did Forge. The snakes are inviting us into their domain." George responded. Harry couldn't help laughing at their antics, shaking his head. He knew he could always count on the Weasley twins to make anyone laugh, whether it was with their pranks or just being themselves.
"You guys go ahead. I have something I need to do first." Harry commented, glancing past them. Lucius and Narcissa stood near the stands, waiting for their sons. Daphne smiled, gently kissing his cheek before walking towards the castle with their friends while Draco and Harry walked towards their parents.
"You both played wonderfully today." Narcissa exclaimed, smiling as she pulled both her sons in for a hug. Harry relaxed in her hold, enjoying the feeling. His mother's hugs were one of the things he cherished, not realizing how much he'd craved a kind touch after growing up with the Dursley and going without any for so long.
"I agree. Now I believe we have some guests waiting on news as to how the first match went." Lucius offered.
Marvolo glanced up from the book he was reading, having claimed one of the plush chairs located in the Malfoy library. Izzy had popped into the room with the portraits of James and Lily. He'd spoken with the two Potters a few times since the magic had finally activated, however, he still felt the pain knowing he'd taken loving parents from an innocent child, even if they hadn't been his birth parents.
"Marvolo." James greeted, nodding his head in acknowledgement to the Dark Wizard. Lily offered the man a kind smile, a smile that looked so much like her mother's in Marvolo's eyes.
"Harry managed to out play Viktor Krum. He was magnificent." Lucius announced, stepping into the library followed by his family. Draco grinned, clapping his brother on the back as Harry offered them a shy look.
"Oh, that's wonderful sweetheart." Lily exclaimed, clapping her hands together. James offered Harry a proud smile.
"Both boys and their team played very well together. It was an enjoyable match to watch." Narcissa added, sitting on the couch next to her husband's godfather's chair. Draco quickly claimed one of the open chairs, leaving Harry to seat open next to their mother.
"How has school been? We haven't really had much time to talk since we woke up." Lily questioned, hoping to finally get to talk to the boy she viewed as her son. She knew she hadn't given birth to him and that he did call Narcissa mom, but she did raise him for the first year of his life. She'd blood adopted him with James and did view him as her child.
"Well…until recently attending Hogwarts wasn't that great. Dumbledore always seems to push me into some type of adventure or confrontation. Even though I'd love more than anything to avoid all that. I made the mistake of turning Draco down our first year when he offered me friendship, convinced by Ron that he couldn't be trusted. Which I regret. Between the fight with Professor Quirrell, barely making it out of the chamber of secrets alive and nearly losing my sole to dementors, it really hasn't been that great." Harry replied, shrugging as he spoke. He didn't really like thinking about the last couple of years, but he was slowly getting to the point where it didn't bother him nearly as much as it had when everything first came to light. James frowned as he listened, thinking about what he'd learned from Marvolo and Lucius in his attempt to understand what all was going on, what they'd missed since…dying. He'd grown up looking up to Dumbledore, his parents always talking about how great a wizard he was. When they'd gone into hiding James had had some time to think about everything, to sit and talk with Lily about how he was feeling. They'd both decided they didn't want to fit on either side, that Dumbledore wasn't as good as he made himself out to be and Voldemort at the time had seemed too chaotic for them to trust. He jerked from his thoughts, realizing he'd zoned out during Harry's entire visit as he hugged the Malfoys goodbye, waving at their painting with a kind smile.
"Such a kind young boy given everything he's been through." Lily sighed, watching him disappear in the green flames of the floo.
"What is being done to make Dumbledore and the Weasleys pay?" James questioned, looking between Lucius and Marvolo. He didn't want to think they would just let the old man get away with stealing from his son, that they would just let Albus and Molly continue to think that they'd won.
"Right now? Nothing. Harry has been working with his account manager on fixing his accounts. They've been making notes of anything they find that Dumbledore had his fingers in. He wants to wait until after the tournament to bring it before the Wizengamot." Lucius explained. He'd been working alongside his youngest with the Goblins, determined that they found everything they could use against the meddlesome old man.
"How could everything have gotten to be so bad?" Lily whispered. Narcissa offered the young woman a comforting smile. She understood how Lily felt, remembering all the feelings she'd had to work through when learning the truth about everything Dumbledore had done. James only frowned as he tried to work through his thoughts. The knowledge that his unease around the old headmaster hadn't been unreasonable made him wonder, if they'd left sooner, if they hadn't let Albus convince them to hide in Godric's Hallow…would they still be alive?
Harry smiled as he walked next to Draco through the halls of Hogwarts back towards the Slytherin dorms, listening to Draco recount their actions during the match. He was still riding on a high, having enjoyed getting to play against such a powerful and talented player as Krum.
"Today was unbelievable." Harry breathed, releasing a chuckle as his brother pushed him. He couldn't help thinking about just how far they'd come in just one school year. Draco stood at the stone wall that hid the Slytherin common room, proudly offering the password. He was excited to officially show Harry his common room, ignoring the fact Harry technically saw it with Weasley their second year.
"I can't believe you managed to beat Viktor Krum." Draco laughed, once again repeating his shock.
Remind: You can find me on Facebook under the name Snowbeam
You can also join a discord server that is easier to reach me that both readers and writers alike are welcome to join. C8zrjDCtRa or click the link on my linktree / StarStruckPanda
I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and please remember that reviews are always appreciated. I always read through all of them and try my hardest to respond to all thoughts, opinions, suggestions, questions, and any comments about mistakes I might have made. However, please remember that flames are not needed. I know this type of story is not for everyone and I would be happy to give possible suggestions to other fics I've read that might be a little more up someone's alley.
I truly appreciate all my readers for sticking with me as I continue this story.
Until Next Chapter,
Snowbeam12