"That's it Lucky, just focus and don't crash!" Sirius yelled unhelpfully to Harry from the edge of the warehouse the two were currently occupying. The only sound other than Sirius' yelling voice was the roar of 'Delilah' as Harry focused on steering her around the makeshift obstacle course the two had set up.
Sirius wouldn't let Harry take his dear motorcycle out on the streets yet, even if they could use magic to make it possible. He just didn't want to risk his baby being destroyed by an amateur driver, yet Harry remained adamant about learning to ride one. Harry had decided not to mention that it would be pretty hard to damage a motorbike charmed to be unbreakable.
The two had reached a compromise, they would find a rather large, abandoned warehouse on the docks, make an obstacle course with bright orange cone markers, and Harry could learn there. So far, Harry was enjoying the experience, and Sirius was relishing in the fact that he was able to spend time with his Godson again after so many years.
"I wonder if I can obliviated the existence of a nickname from someone's memory . . ." Harry wondered thoughtfully as he eased on the front brake to slow down and turn around one of the cones.
"Alright Lucky, pack it in, we should be heading back to the inn," Sirius' magically enhanced voice called from the other end of the warehouse "it's getting dark."
Harry grinned, the looked remaining hidden due to the helmet currently covering his face, and accelerated towards Sirius, who was starting to feel something was amiss. Harry figured he had a good enough handle on how the bike works to try this stunt.
"Harry, slow down!" Sirius yelled, as the boy rocketed towards his position at top speeds, gaining on him by the second "Stop the bike right now or I won't let you ride it again!" he roared.
"If you insist," Harry mumbled quietly, his voice unheard over the roar of the bike's engine. Harry found he liked driving a motorcycle, probably more so than he did flying a broom. The bike didn't offer much for manoeuvrability, but what it lacked in that field, it definitely made up for in the speed and acceleration departments.
Easing off the accelerator, he applied the back brake hard, forcing the back wheel to stop spinning and begin to skid along the concrete floor. Harry saw Sirius' eyes widen in shock when he saw what was happening. The dog Animagus covered his face with his arms and turned away, hoping to shield himself from the motorcycle projectile that was sure to come.
While easing the front brake progressively, Harry allowed the back wheel to skid out to the side until the bike came to a complete stop, a mere meter from Sirius' crouched position.
"You can come out now Padfoot," Harry said with mirth, while Sirius padded himself down, wondering why he wasn't feeling any pain. The man chanced a look at his Godson to see him seated on Delilah casually, the back tire of the bike still smoking from the skid while the bike was sitting innocently before him, sideways, with his godson leaning against it.
Harry almost laughed at the conflicted emotions passing through his Godfather's face: pride, jealousy, giddiness, outrage, indignation, and awe. Finally, he decided on one as a brilliant smile lit up his features. Obviously, his appreciation for anything reckless and fun outweighed any responsibilities he probably should have felt as Harry's Godfather.
"Merlin Harry, that was awesome!" he grinned "you're lucky you didn't crash and break my bike though, or I woulda thrown you into the bay," he joked, motioning to the water outside the warehouse.
Harry merely rolled his eyes "I knew exactly what I was doing, I've been testing the brakes all afternoon," he said "you know, I'm sure if you were a responsible Godfather, you'd probably be scolding me right about now and promising I'd never be allowed to ride your bike again."
Sirius shrugged "Probably," he conceded the point "but I figure, better you try that dangerous stuff while I'm around in a controlled environment, to help if anything went wrong, rather than you doing it on your own and breaking your neck in the process," he said dryly, as Harry just stared at him.
"That actually made sense," Harry commented with fake shock "are you feeling okay?"
Harry quickly dodged a playful swat from the man as he barked out a laugh "I guess I had a lot of time to mature in Azkaban," he said sombrely "that doesn't mean I'm not gonna shag every hot girl that comes into Moony Nights when I'm back in shape," he grinned "it's been far too long!"
Harry raised a brow "Sure you can get it up again old timer?"
"What?!" Sirius shrieked with indignation, not liking it one bit that his manliness was being challenged "I know you didn't just say that Lucky!"
Harry winced "Will you stop calling me that? It's such a ridiculous name," he said sourly.
"What else would you want? Kitty?" Sirius joked.
"My dad came up with all your 'marauder' names, didn't he?" Harry deadpanned. Sirius didn't answer, but his grin said it all "So, what are you going to do with your freedom now that you have it?" he asked, leaning against the bike and taking a sip from his flask.
Sirius shrugged "I don't know," he admitted "I won't ever need money, the Black fortune is probably bigger than the Malfoy's, and I was never one to be content with a boring job for the rest of my life . . ."
"Being an Auror again is obviously out of the question," Harry needlessly pointed out.
"That's the understatement of the year," he groused "I'm not exactly a big fan of the ministry at the moment. I'll probably help Monty with his little business, it has promise, and it sounds like fun."
Harry raised an amused brow "Monty?"
Sirius grinned "Short for Montague, it annoys Archie something special."
Harry shook his head in amusement "Remus told me something about Dumbledore offering you a job?" he asked, trying to sound interested "you going to accept that?"
Sirius shrugged "Yeah, the position of defence professor at Hogwarts," he said "Suffice to say, I have better ways to waste my time, and Dumbledore is still on my shit list."
"Understandable," Harry nodded "I'd be pretty pissed too if a man I worked with for so long allowed me to pass through the cracks without a Veritaserum trial, especially if he had the power to make it happen."
"That and I'd rather not be in the same country, let alone castle, as Snivellus if I can help it."
"Archades used to be his biggest fan, you know?" Harry pointed out "until he fucked up and practically overlooked Stephanie's safety."
"Oh, that bird Monty's always pining over?" Sirius asked "How come I haven't seen her yet? I figured she'd come visit during the summer, didn't they grow up together?"
"She had to stay at Beauxbatons to catch up with her peers in some of her classes," Harry said "they only have six years of school before graduating, so her peers were somewhat ahead of her."
"And you?" Sirius asked "Remus and Nymphadora tell me you're fairly decent with a wand, not to mention fairly determined to get better."
"Did they now?" Harry sighed "I get by," he answered evasively "I mainly spend most of my time trying to find a cure for my mother," he lied smoothly. Well, it wasn't a complete lie, but he'd rather not advertise his skills with a wand, because apparently, people couldn't keep their mouths shut.
"You know," Sirius changed the topic, knowing Harry didn't like to talk about his mother "all those years I spent in prison, I was hoping one day I'd get out, and that when I did, I could help you be the best seeker Gryffindor has ever seen, imagine my surprise when I realize not only are you not a Gryffindor, but you're a Quidditch star . . ."
"Disappointed then?" Harry asked blandly, not really caring either way.
Sirius shrugged "Not really," he answered honestly "I would have cared when I was younger, but when you get older, you realize how stupid the house system is, not to mention house rivalry" he chuckled "being sent to Azkaban as an innocent man kind of puts things in perspective for you" he sighed "you start to realize how stupid some of the things you wasted your time with are, not to mention, your values become somewhat skewed."
"Oh?"
"Well yeah," he said "I figure that if we were all sorted as teenagers, we'd probably all be Slytherins, which teenager is not ambitious?" he asked "to sort someone based on the mindset of an eleven year old going into a strange and scary new environment doesn't seem like the smartest thing in the world, in retrospect."
"I agree," Harry said with a sigh "That and the way in which the House system is set up doesn't allow for much individual competition," Harry commented "and with no individual competition, students become lazy and complacent - happy with their mediocrity, rather than improving themselves to the best that they can be. What fault is it of the student's though when the school doesn't do anything to dissuade such behaviour so long as they do the work? That's the problem with the world, and the result is we get generations of graduates who can barely be considered above average magical users who have no ambition to realty make something of themselves – it's pathetic, really . . ."
Sirius just stared at Harry for a few moments in silence before responding "A little harsh there Harry," he pointed out "but fair, I have to say," he chuckled as a thought came to him "maybe you should start a school of your own one day, if you're so against the current system?"
Sirius let out a bark of laughter at the idea, obviously pleased with his own joke. Imagine Harry Potter, running his own school! The mere thought of it was hilarious!
Harry ignored him, as he stared off into the opposite direction of the warehouse, a vacant look in his eyes.
"We better head back, I have to get to training" Harry snapped out of his thoughts, reminding Sirius of the time.
"Oh, can I come and watch?" Sirius asked eagerly, having been a huge Quidditch fan for the majority of his life; he'd like to see how the pros go about their training. It had to be ridiculously more complicating and strenuous than what James had ever gone through . . .
"No."
"Aweso – wait, what?! Why not?"
Harry started up the bike and ignored Sirius' protests. The two sped off into the distance; any muggle that possibly could have been in the area would not have noticed the flying motorcycle heading towards London.
Harry pushed open the door to Moony Nights with his shoulder, entering the Inn with several bags held in his hands. A tinkling of a bell announced his entrance to the inn; it didn't seem too busy . . .
"Hewwo Mister Potta" a little girl, probably around five or six, ambushed him as soon as he entered holding up a picture of him and a marker "can you pwease sign dis fo' me?"
Harry wondered if he'd get in trouble with Redbridge if he kicked the brat in the face, but he was too tired to put forth the effort required to do so. Sighing, he moved the bags in his right hand into his left and took the marker before quickly scribbling his autograph onto the picture of him performing a 'Sloth grip roll'.
Hurrying passed the beaming little monster, not willing to admit that the brat was somewhat cute, Harry quickly tried to make it to the stairs, only to be ambushed by several more fans wanting a piece of him. Barely containing a groan of annoyance, he hung around for a few minutes signing a few pictures and shaking a few hands before ascending the stairs towards his room, not bothering with greeting Remus who seemed busy at the bar.
Harry unlocked the door to his room and was about to enter when he heard the faint sound of a male's singing voice. Frowning, and wondering how he could hear anything in the corridor when all the rooms were supposed to have silencing charms on them now, he quickly deposited the dozen or so bags right inside his room before following the voice.
Imagine his surprise when the closer he got to the sound, the more he realized that not only was it quite a good singing voice – if he judged it objectively – but it was coming from Archie's room, whose door was slightly ajar.
He pushed the door slightly so he could enter silently, wanting to trace the voice to its owner. The room itself was much like the others in the inn, rather Spartan with two beds (one recently added to accommodate for Cedric), two small desks and an enchanted window. Like every other regular room, there was also a door to a modest bathroom that the two boys shared. Unlike every other room though, there was an extra door, which was currently open, leading to Archie's brewing room. It had been installed the second Archie had moved in with the help of Lizzy and Remus and it is where Archie spent the majority of his time if he wasn't working or hanging out with Harry.
Imagine his surprise when he entered the room and saw Archie brewing for their new business and singing some random Wizarding song. Wizarding music, to him, was rather shitty, but regardless of the weird and obscure lyrics, Harry noticed that Archie had a really good singing voice, something he couldn't believe he hadn't realized until five years into their friendship.
Archie was currently standing beside one of his 'mass-brewing' cauldrons that reached up to waist from the ground and was as wide as a hula-hoop in diameter. He had a large, wooden stirring apparatus in his hands as he meticulously stirred the brew, casually throwing in pre-prepared ingredients from the table beside him when necessary. A quick tallying of the ingredients and how they were prepared and Harry was easily able to tell that Archie was making a zit-curing potion.
So lost in his thoughts and listening to Archie sing, he didn't hear Cedric enter behind him and exclaim his surprise "Harry, when did you get here?"
"Harry?!" Archie spun around quickly after making sure the potion would be okay to look at his friend in shock "how long have you been there?" he sounded incredibly embarrassed.
"Long enough," he said "You should probably close the door if you don't want people to hear you singing," If Archie was expecting to be mocked by his friend, he was sorely surprised "not that it matters, it's not like you have a bad singing voice . . ."
"That was you?!" Cedric asked incredulously "I thought you had Weedle Jefferson playing on the WWN, I didn't think that was actually you singing!" he exclaimed, as Harry finally realized that the song he was singing was indeed by the fairly new Wizarding music sensation, Weedle Jefferson.
Archie's face had turned as red as a tomato "Can we forget this ever happened and get back to the issue at hand?"
"There was an issue at hand?" Harry asked, enjoying his friend's discomfort "Stop being a baby, you snuck up on me playing the guitar, now I returned the favour."
"You play the guitar?" Cedric asked, just as incredulously as he asked Archie if he sang. Harry just didn't seem like the musical type.
"That's different, you're good at that!" Archie countered, ignoring Cedric who was still trying to wrap his mind around the situation.
"Both Cedric and I attest to your better than average singing voice, so I hardly see the difference . . ."
"It's better than that!" Cedric exclaimed "You really have no reason to be embarrassed Archie, it was really good!"
Archie mumbled something under his breath, still not entirely comfortable with the situation "My mother used to sing to me as a child, she'd try and get me to sing sometimes too, I do it often when I think I'm alone . . ."
Cedric and Harry simultaneously decided a change of topic was necessary.
"I got the parchment you said we'll need!" Cedric exclaimed suddenly, showing a large roll of parchment "for the catalogues!"
"Excellent," Harry approved "I was wondering when you'd start that, are you going to be making them then?" Harry asked the Hufflepuff.
"Yeah," he said sheepishly "I'm not as good at brewing as most people, I can still make the simple stuff, but I'd feel a lot better if I could contribute more, you know?"
Harry nodded as Archie smiled "Don't make them too flashy, but make sure they still look good. Also, make sure it's too the point and that it says somewhere on it that we sell the cheapest potions on the market!"
Harry nodded "Emphasis on the cheap," he reminded tiredly.
"Where were you all day by the way?" Archie asked Harry "I was looking for you at lunch, Stephanie sent another letter . . ."
"Shopping," he answered "I'm never taking Nymphadora with me again," he said tiredly "she insisted on coming with me on her day off; I'm not exactly a stranger when it comes to clothes shopping, but that girl is ridiculous . . ."
"You mean to tell me you spent all day clothes shopping?" Archie asked in disbelief "you're the worst!"
"You decided how many schools you're going sell to?" Cedric asked, unrolling the parchment on his desk and getting out some artistic supplies.
"Well, Hogwarts of course, and every other school on the continent with both males and females . . ."
"Archades, that's around thirty schools," Harry reminded him "not that it matters if you actually think you can meet the quota, I just thought I'd remind you."
"Really?" Archie asked surprised "I figured it'd be more . . ."
"You two seem to have things under control here," Harry observed as the elves were diligently slicing and dicing the ingredients in the brewing room "I'm going to go and get some sleep, don't disturb me unless it's absolutely important . . ."
"Don't you have training tonight?" Cedric asked, figuring that with what time it was, Harry wouldn't get much rest anyway.
"No," he answered "our game against the Czech Republic is tomorrow so coach gave us the night off."
"Did you know Remus is going to play the game on the WWN downstairs when it's on?" Archie informed Harry "He's lowering the price for drinks too;" he sighed "we're going to be so busy . . ."
Harry decided to leave the two boys to their own devices, thoughts of a night in silence with his studies at the forefront of his mind.
The room was practically overflowing with people, all dressed in different variations of white and red, some even choosing to prove their devotion by painting different parts of their body in those colours also.
By the time it was eight o'clock, Remus had to actually start refusing people entry. Every table was filled, no chairswere left empty. Strangers were sitting beside each other to make sure every bit of space in the whole room was utilized efficiently, talking animatedly while waiting for the broadcast of the game to begin. Werewolves chatting with Vampires; Goblins taking bets from all; Wizards and Witches mingling with the other species as if it were the norm; there was no discrimination here, a perfectly joyous occasion where all species could get together and enjoy one thing that brought them all happiness. It almost brought a tear to Remus' eye.
Sirius, Archie and Cedric, along with Lizzy, Ringo, Poppy and Chappy were helping Remus out to the best of their abilities, working as hard as they could to keep up with orders and serving drinks from the bar. Cedric was pleasantly surprised to see his mother and father arrive earlier, proud to see him hard at work and making his own way in the world so early. His mother, Dorothy, had expressed her disappointment that she couldn't have her 'Ceddy' around whenever she wanted at home, but she was just as proud as Amos, his father.
Unfortunately for those close to Harry, they were not able to attend the games personally as none of the games were scheduled to play on British territory until the final – the organizers didn't want anything to damage the grandiose stadium until the most important match of the cup. Harry had explained to them, quite annoyed with how many times he had to repeat himself, that he was unable to procure any tickets for them unless it was indeed in England. The home countries had enough problems with providing seats for their own people, and there was no way Harry's family and friends would be able to get a ticket ahead of the die-hard fans who had booked their place months in advance.
Remus, though, along with everyone else, was hoping England would make the final, so they could finally watch Harry play on an international level; even if England lost though, Harry had assured them that he had already more than enough tickets held in his name should he want them.
"Archie!" Remus yelled as loudly as possible, his voice barely audible to anyone who wasn't listening out for it above the joyous fans "Table nineteen is still waiting on their drinks!"
"I'm on it!" Archie confirmed, before heading out though, there was a rather high pitched whistle from behind the bar that caught Archie's attention. Looking to a rather elaborate contraption which had several brass and 'organ like' pipes connected to a trunk sized box beneath the bench, he saw one of the pipes release some red smoke which formed into a number. It was the number eight.
"Cedric, table eight is ready to order their main meal!" Archie informed his friend, who was helping the elves quickly, and efficiently, clean the dishes with the use of magic in the kitchen "go take their order, I'm busy!"
"No problem Archie, are you guys okay by yourselves?" Cedric asked the elves beside him, who were all dressed in aprons and had little elf sized gloves covering their hands.
"We is fine Cedric, you go do what Archie ask," Lizzy smiled at him, answering for the other elves, as Cedric removed his gloves and exited the kitchen into the main area where everybody else was eagerly awaiting for the game to start.
Remus could be found near a jukebox sized contraption that was almost completely made out of expertly crafted mahogany with several speakers fixed into its body. The contraption was the current top of the line radio system that was hooked into the WWN. By top of the line, it basically meant that it was the loudest with the clearest sound, though Remus would gladly throw it in the trash – despite the two thousand galleons it cost him – if someone gave him a working surround sound system hooked up to a projector that would work here and show the game. He really did miss the muggle world sometimes . . .
This particular 'system', while not as good as its muggle equivalent, boasted the ability to produce a surround sound effect without the use of wires. With one quick look around the inn, one could easily see roughly a dozen smaller speakers floating in different, strategically placed, locations around the inn to provide maximum coverage to anyone, no matter where they were seated.
He really wished Harry was here to help him set this thing up, but after a few hours, off and on, working on it, he was certain he had finally succeeded. According to the time too, he couldn't have timed the completion of the set-up any better.
Amongst the excited chattering of the crown, everyone quieted down when they heard the expensive system come to life.
"- so without further ado, we'll cross over to our friends in the Czech Republic, Robert Seacrest and Eddie Chase, who will be commentating the MASSIVE game all of England will be listening to tonight," whatever the commentator continued to say was barely audible over the thunderous cheer of the people within Moony Nights "and with that, I bid you all a good night, and one final message to our boys and girls over in the Czech Republic – TEAR THOSE CZECHS APART!"
That statement brought more cheers of approval from the loyal English fans at the Moony Nights inn. Remus was glad that the transmission was coming in loud and clear, but he'd still prefer a freaking muggle surround sound system.
"Welcome sports fans," the voice of Seacrest, a famous sports commentator from America greeted "Eddie and I are coming to you LIVE from the Czech Republic, this Quidditch pitch may not be as large as the one we visited in Brazil, but where it lacks in seat numbers, it more than makes up for in sheer beauty, don't you think so Eddie?"
"Oh most definitely Robbie," Chase agreed "would you look at that brilliant screen flying around above us? It's a brilliant, and recent, invention by the famous Australian witch, Casey Andrews, for the use of the World Cup specifically!"
"How does it work?" Seacrest asked with fake interest, obviously for the listener's benefit and not his own.
"That is a very complicated question to answer Robbie, my friend, but I'll give you a simplified version. Think of how a Pensieve can show anyone a memory they have deposited into the memory bowl, this works in a similar way."
"Wait,"Seacrest interrupted "Are you trying to tell me that there are people watching the game from strategically placed positions across the stadium, and streaming their memories INTO the screen?!"
"That's exactly what I'm trying to say Robbie, those pretty tubes transporting that shiny silver substance aren't just for looks. The screen is already being fed memories from hundreds of different witches and wizards from all sorts of angles! This could be the magical world's answer for the muggles' Talleyvawsion!"
"That's 'Television' Eddie, Merlin you Poms are hopeless!" Seacrest joked "Though this magnificent invention will definitely make watching these games all the more pleasurable! Don't forget sports fans, Pensieve memories can be viewed from all angles as long as the wizard or witch providing the memory has actually seen the action take place!" he informed excitedly "And by the look of that huge bowl attached to the back of the screen filled with memories, we'll have some killer replays to show our audience! It's too bad you all at home can't see this creation, it truly is remarkable!"
"Now hold on right there Robbie!" Chase interrupted "Miss Andrews has assured the International Quidditch Federation that she also has a way to mass DUPLICATE the memories for distribution and sale! So cross your fingers folks, because you all just might be able to see this game too in a few weeks time for a price!"
"For a price, of course!" Seacrest laughed "Oh, I'm sure the coverage will be spectacular, but enough about that Eddie, let's get on with the team line-ups!"
Another cheer rose up from the patrons of Moony Nights, many of them breaking out of their shock at the revelation of the Australian witch's new invention.
First, of course, the commentators introduced the home team's players. The Czech Republic had a World Class team, just like every other team in this competition had. The commentators spent a good majority of their time reporting on Czech's veteran star chaser, Patrik Nedvěd. The man had the highest amount of assists in the competition, and his goal scoring tally was second to only one . . .
The cheers in Moony Nights increased when the commentators began to introduce the English team. The fans would roar in approval of their heroes the second their names were mentioned.
"Now we move onto this newly born English team, Eddie, I don't recall a time England has ever looked so dangerous!"
"I agree with you one hundred percent Robbie, and it's all thanks to one teenager!" the cheers in Moony Nights became deafening when Harry was inadvertently mentioned.
"Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves there Eddie!" Seacrest laughed joyously at his partner's excitement "First, let's go through England's line-up, starting from their keeper Scotty James!"
"Yes, good old Scotty. He may be as old as my father, but the old timer is as reliable as ever, having the fifth best record for goals saved out of all the keepers in the competition!"
"To put that in perspective for you sports fans, there's still technically seventy two teams left in the competition until the next phase is drawn, even though this match is the last of the group phase!" Seacrest told the uninformed listeners "It's no wonder Redbridge hasn't seen fit to replace him!"
"Yes, but rumours have been telling us that this is his last campaign, regardless of the result," Chase sighed dramatically "We'll definitely miss him, but there are plenty of hot prospects coming through in the United Premier League!"
"Most definitely," Seacrest agreed "Now onto the Beaters, the famous killer harpies from the legendary Holyhead Harpies, Stephanie Broadchest and Alexandra Watson!"
"The last person to insult Stephanie because of her last name was reported to have had to escape the vicious beater's wrath via broom, while forced to dodge bludger after bludger sent at him for over an hour!"Chase informed the humoured listeners "I wonder who would have the guts to do such a thing, especially in a place where Stephanie had access to her full beater's kit!"
"I wonder indeed" Seacrest joked "it would have to be someone with excellent flying abilities, someone with the sheer audacity and lack of respect to do something to someone lesser men would fleer in terror from! A few names come to mind!" The two commentators shared a laugh, while Remus palmed his face and let out a loud groan.
"Let's not forget Watson though, just as vicious and just as determined to protect her team mates . . ."
". . . AND DESTROY HER OPPONENTS!" Chase eagerly cut in, earning an approving roar while Seacrest chuckled "seriously though, the two of them, while not having the highest bludger saves, certainly make up for it with bludger connections! They're now third to only the likes of Bulgaria and Brazil!"
"We continue on with this star studded line-up with England's chasers, and while all three of them are spectacular in their own right . . ."
". . . You'd have to be to play on an international level," Chase cut in once again.
"I agree, of course, but there's one person we all know has stood out like an overpowered Lumos spell in the darkest of dungeons, but we'll leave him for last" Seacrest commented "first up, we have the English team captain, the interceptor, the great Frank Cole!"
"He'd be happy with his team's performance this campaign, especially now that he's been made captain after Beach's retirement from international Quidditch!" Chase affirmed "and though not the best player in the competition, his interception rate is still amongst the highest in the competition!"
"That it is Chase, now, onto the only female chaser on the pitch today, Katherine Young!"
"This will be Kathy's third campaign, and you can tell she's just as eager to win as ever. Now that England is tipped by experts to at least make the final next year, her desire to bring home that cup is all the more apparent!"
"Indeed sports fans, and in this campaign, her teamwork with fellow Chaser and captain Cole have provided England, and more specifically, their new Quidditch star, with an endless amount of assists!"
"Yes folks, you know who we're talking about, because he's apparently all us 'Poms' are talking about these days!"
Seacrest laughed "That's an accurate description; we are of course, talking about England's new hot-shot Chaser, and highest scorer in the competition, Harry Potter!"
Remus almost fell off his chair when he was met with the roar from the patrons in his inn, his sensitive hearing enhanced by his curse having taken some damage from the onslaught. He was sure it would take some time for the ringing to stop.
"Yes, yes, Harry Potter, England's newest recruit, and dare I say, reason for their success?" Seacrest ventured. None of the fans seemed to mind the description.
"That's a fair statement, especially since Potter is on the top of the goals scored tally by more than twenty three goals!" Chase supplied some statistical information.
"Not only that, he's third in the competition for Quaffle intercepts, fifth for goal assists and first for Seeker blocks! Harry Potter is truly one of the best players in the world at the moment, and the best part is, he's only recently turned fifteen! Yes sports fans, you heard right, he's the same age as other young superstar Victor Krum!"
"Technically, Krum is around a year older, but you get the picture folks!" Chase laughed "Quidditch is being overrun by these young chaps in this day in age; I won't be surprised if in twenty years time, they'll all be under twenty five!"
"Neither would I Eddie, Quidditch is quickly becoming a physically demanding sport with players like Krum and Potter showing their athletic prowess in the air and on a broom."
"Oh, most definitely Robbie, I remember when I used to play at Puddlemere, none of us were as fit as these chaps, I can assure you" he chuckled "Do you think England has a chance to win the cup next year with this team Robbie?"
"Oh, the dreaded question, you know, you're not the first to ask me this recently, and you most definitely won't be the last . . ."
". . . OUT WITH IT MAN!" Chase interrupted, sounding impatient, though you could tell the two were joking with each other.
"I know I'm going to regret this in the morning, but I definitely think England stand a good chance of winning this campaign . . ."
Remus pre-emptively blocked his ears this time, and it wasn't a moment too soon as the deafening roar of those within the inn almost burst his eardrums, even with his hands covering them. He did have to laugh though at Sirius cheering the loudest out of all of them, proclaiming to the world that he was Harry's Godfather over and over to anyone that would listen.
"Last, but most certainly not least, England's seeker, the legendary Albert Shearer!" Seacrest introduced "The man is a living legend amongst English Quidditch, but I must say, his performances haven't been up to par with what we've usually come to expect from the man."
"Unfortunately, I agree with you Robbie, this is to be Shearer's last campaign too, the man is a genius on his broom, but he just isn't what he used to be in his old age. It would be spectacular for him to go out with a bang though if England wins the cup!"
"It's so weird hearing them talk about Harry so reverently," Archie said to Cedric, the two able to have a small break from work now that everyone was listening to the broadcast so intently "he's still just Harry to me, but apparently, everyone in the country sees him like some sort of hero."
"It is rather funny," Cedric admitted "I haven't even heard anyone mention Longbottom since coming to work here; all people seem to talk about is Quidditch these days. It was different at home, my parents used to always sing Neville's praises."
"England hasn't been in a position to win the World Cup in over a century though, so it's understandable," Archie reasoned "are you still going to try and play Quidditch professionally when you graduate?"
"That is the plan," Cedric blushed "I don't think I'm on the level of Harry or the others though . . ."
"Nonsense," Archie admonished "first of all, you play different positions, and secondly, Harry's only playing for the money," he leaned in close to Cedric and whispered "he's going to quit after this campaign, he only signed on for one anyway."
Cedric frowned "I would say that's a shame, but knowing what I do about him, he has more important things to worry about," he then grinned "though it would be nice to see England win that cup again."
"Oh, we'll definitely see it!" Archie cheered as the commentators got back onto the topic of Harry, comparing his campaign to the Czech Chaser, Nedvěd "and we'll get tickets to it as well!"
"And here come the Czechs, lead by Nedvěd!" Seacrest introduced, as loud Czech music played in the background and everyone in the room jeered.
"Look, it's the English . . . hold on, I don't see Potter!" Chase said frantically "Oh, wait, there he is, and WHAT AN ENTRANCE!"
"This is stupid, we should be able to watch it," Sirius grumbled with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Don't worry Padfoot, you heard what they were saying earlier, we may be able to watch it yet if what they say is true," Remus placated his friend "and if it really works as well as they make it out to work, I'm sure Harry will get something to play it for us anyway."
That seemed to be the right thing to say, because Sirius cheered up considerably "Lily did show me one of those televisions when we were younger, it was awesome!"
Remus chuckled "They've gotten much better in the last decade, it's a shame muggle technology doesn't work in here, because the things they can do these days would blow your mind!"
Sirius seemed to be trying to recall something as he frowned "You know, I think I remember Harry talking about a theory he had regarding muggle technology and magic," his frown deepened, clearly having trouble recollecting "it was confusing, and it made no sense to me, but the guy running the bookstore across the street seemed to be able to follow . . ."
"Mister Yates?" Remus asked, sounding surprised "I didn't know he and Harry were on speaking terms let alone close enough for Harry to discuss magical theory with him," what Sirius didn't know was, Harry rarely ever spoke to anyone regarding anything about advanced magical theory.
"I got that same impression, but he was trying to prove he wasn't there on Ministry orders and was trying to buy as many books as possible on the subject," Sirius chuckled "when he wants something, that kid can be pretty determined. . ."
"I hear you Padfoot, I hear you," Remus chuckled "have I told you the story about how Harry convinced me to train him to become an Animagus yet?"
Sirius' eyes lit up with delight "You have not, you can tell me after the match though, it's about to start!"
"And there it is sports fans!" Seacrest announced "The Czech Minister of Magic has begun the game, and we're off!"
"Already Potter is on the prowl, nabbing the Quaffle right out from under Nedvěd's nose and heading towards the Czech goal at blistering speeds, boy does Nedvěd look peeved. . ."
The back entrance to the Moony Nights inn was Harry's new method of entrance now that he practically got ambushed by fans whenever he entered through the front door; easily accessible for him by transforming into his cat form and leaping across shop roofs until he could drop down in the small alleyway behind the inn.
Covering his face with the hood of his jacket, Harry swiftly entered the empty kitchen and walked through the bar into the dining area. Red and White streamers were still littered across the place from their win no doubt; fans are still celebrating on the streets of Diagon and Knockturn Alley now that England had made it to the final sixteen of the World Cup for the first time in over a century. They had sealed their entry with a convincing four hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty victory. Nedvěd's face when Shearer had finally caught the Snitch and ended their slaughter was priceless.
Bypassing several passed out patrons still hanging around after last night's victory; Harry quickly ascended the stairs and went straight to his room. He needed a nice, long, hot shower to ease his muscles.
After his shower, he quickly got dressed in some casual clothes and removed a large box from his closet before heading out of his room and towards Archie's.
The door wasn't open or slightly ajar like last time, so he settled for knocking on the door three times, rather loudly. If Archie was brewing, he probably wouldn't hear the knock if it was too soft.
He didn't have to wait long for the door to swing open, but he was met with a sight he didn't expect, a half naked girl around his age looking at him tiredly.
Frowning, Harry peered at the door again that the girl was holding open to see if he had the right room, he did. . .
"Can I help you?" she asked, sounding rather peeved. Harry couldn't really blame her; she probably thought he was some sort of pervert. After all, she did only seem to be dressed in a poorly buttoned up shirt, a man's shirt. What the fuck? He wondered how long it would take for her to recognize him.
"I'm looking for Archades," Harry answered her, not really sure how to handle the situation "unless you won this room from him in a game of strip poker, he should be in there. . ."
She didn't seem impressed by his humour "I don't know any Archades, you know, you were rather rude knocking so loudly on the door so early in the morning," she was frowning. Harry wondered what would happen if he simply pulled authority and threw her out of the room, he did technically own it after all.
"Whose 'zat?" a muffled voice came from within the room, one that Harry clearly recognized.
"Cedric?" Harry pushed right passed the angry girl to see the Hufflepuff tangled in his bed sheets, completely naked. Luckily for him, Cedric was lying face down.
"Harry?" he asked tiredly, as he began to turn around.
"If you want to keep what make you a male, you will stay face down on that bed," Harry snapped, which finally caused Cedric to wake up and take in his surroundings.
"Harry!" he shrieked as he fell off the single bed and covered his privates with the pillow "it's not what it looks like!"
Harry looked at him with a raised eyebrow before looking around the room once again. The girl's panties were thrown to the far side of the room, her bra was sitting closer to the bed; the girl, now tapping her foot with her arms crossed against her barely clothed chest looking at him with righteous indignation; the girl was completely naked underneath that shirt. Harry allowed himself to assess her objectively, she was rather good looking.
Cedric clothing was strewn all over the room in different states of ruin, all of them looked to have been destroyed by some sort of large cat that had torn them from his body. His desk and everything that was on it looked to have been upturned as well, oh, he had a good idea what this scene looked like.
"Is that so?" he asked Cedric dryly.
Cedric blushed slightly as he too looked around the room, the girl only got angrier "Okay, so it is what it looks like. . ."
"Cedric!" the girl shrieked "tell this pervert to leave your room!"
Cedric scratched the back of his head sheepishly "Sarah, technically, it's his room," he explained to the attractive, mostly naked, girl "that's Harry Potter. . ."
Harry was amused at how the girl's head snapped in his direction so quickly that she probably pulled a muscle. The girl looked mortified, and Harry wasn't sure whether it was because she was practically naked in front of him, or because of how she treated 'Harry Potter'.
"H-Harry P-p-potter?" she stuttered in shock before shrieking loudly and running into the bathroom and locking the door behind her.
"Well, that could have gone better. . ." Cedric muttered as he looked to the locked door, and then Harry "Hey, great game by the way mate! It was crazy last night; you had to see the celebrations!"
"So it would seem," he said amusedly "where's Archades, this is for him," he motioned to the box in his hands.
"Oh," he looked sheepish again "he said he'd find another room to sleep in, apparently he didn't much appreciate us barging in and doing, well, you know . . ."
"Do you know where?" Harry asked impatiently.
"Oh, Sirius' room I think," he said sheepishly.
"Right," Harry was about to turn away "I'll leave you and the pillow alone now," he grinned as he dodged the feathery projectile on his way out.
Harry continued down the hallway and travelled around the bend to where Sirius' room was. Right outside the door, lying on the floor with his night clothes on, a single pillow and a very thin sheet in a very uncomfortable position was none other than Archie, trying to sleep.
Harry slowly approached the boy, inspected him quickly to make sure he was asleep, before kicking him swiftly in the ribs, causing to awaken with a yelp of pain.
"Ouch, what the fuck?" he grumbled sleepily "It wasn't enough you kicked me out of your room you piece of – Harry!" he exclaimed happily "when did you get here?"
"This morning," he answered "interesting sleeping arrangements . . ."
Archie chuckled nervously "I'm assuming that if you're here, you know about Cedric then?" he grinned "lucky bum."
"I dropped in for a bit, yes," Harry grinned "Stacey, I think her name was, didn't seem too happy to see me. Quite rude of her, first she calls me a pervert, and then she runs and locks herself in the bathroom when she learns my name."
"It must be your animal magnetism," Archie chuckled "well, nothing much to tell here. Sirius blames not being able to get laid on me being in his room when he got back, and not on the fact that his," he raised his voice "ribs look like you could play the xylophone on them!"
"Shut up Monty, we're still not talking!" a muffled voice from within the room called out.
"He's right Sirius," Harry called through the door with amusement "unless you can find a necrophiliac; you're not getting any for a long time."
"Hey, if you find a vampire sexy, does that technically make you a necrophiliac?" Archie asked from the floor with a worried frown.
Harry was about to call him an idiot before the words died in his mouth. They were technically dead . . .
"You'll never be able to look at Lucile the same again," Harry told Archie sagely as he heard hurried footsteps approach Sirius' door.
"Harry!" Sirius exclaimed happily, he was dressed in some black silk pyjamas "good job last night! You should have seen them all singing your name!"
"Thanks," Harry turned to Archie "this is for you, I believe I missed your birthday yesterday."
"It was your birthday yesterday?" Sirius asked, shocked that no one had done anything for the boy.
"Oh, I guess I forgot," Archie said with a frown "I've been so busy lately," he took the box from Harry's hands and opened the lid to see several bottles and jars with different animal body parts, or rather organs. He could tell they were from some sort of serpent, but he couldn't tell which.
"Basilisk, Archades," Harry answered the unasked question dryly.
"All these," Archie said in a state of shock "are Basilisk potions ingredients?" he said, unsure of how to proceed.
"Everything I could literally bottle from the beast is in there, I don't know if some of the parts are actually useful, but the majority of them should be. Needless to say, I shotgun the venom, everything else is yours though."
Archie was still in a state of shock, but he wasn't so shocked that he couldn't spot the other package inside the box along with the ingredients. This one was wrapped in brown paper and was much smaller than the box the ingredients came in.
With shaky hands, Archie untied the string from the package and ripped off the wrapping to reveal an ornate black box, the likes of which he had never seen before. The box itself was probably more expensive than anything he owned!
Slowly, and reverently, Archie opened the lid of the box and gasped at the sight within. It was a knife, but not just any knife. A single edged blade that curved up at the tip, attached to a handle made of, what he assumed to be, ivory. What caught his attention though was the actual material the blade was made from. It shined with a bluish silver gleam that made you want to turn away and shield your eyes if you stared at it for too long. Did he mention that the edge of the knife looked so sharp that it could cut through solid bone like a hot knife through butter?
"It's Mithril," Harry elaborated, causing Archie to gasp in shock, while Sirius looked on curiously.
"Harry, I-I can't accept this," he tried to return the knife to Harry, but to Sirius' and Harry's amusement, he may have stretched his hand out, but the knife never left his hand.
"Think of it as a thank-you for risking your life to fight the Basilisk," Harry said dryly "The Goblins were mighty reluctant to craft that for me, but luckily for me, I had a certain diary I had no use for anymore that they were more than happy to accept as a trade. So technically, it cost me nothing."
"What's so special about Mithril? I mean, it looks awesome, don't get me wrong, but it's just another metal right?"
Archie was still looking at the knife reverently, but apparently he was still coherent enough to answer Sirius' question.
"Metals are usually measured in density when it comes to how valuable they are for crafting weapons," Archie explained, Sirius already looked confused.
"The Density of an object is the ratio of the amount of matter in an object compared to its volume," Harry informed his intellectually challenged godfather.
"Right," Archie agreed "well, there's three types of metal in the world that any weapons crafter would kill to use, and they literally did kill to use them thousands of years ago," he began to twirl the blade around his palm, showing his expertise in handling a knife of that size (it didn't much surprise Harry considering he's probably had a knife of that size in his hand for the majority of his life) "the three metals are Orichalcum, Adamantium and Mithril."
"I thought those were just things you'd hear in fairy tales," Sirius said with a frown "I remember Orichalcum coming up once or twice when my mother used to tell me stories of Atlantis as a child," he explained "a horrible woman she may have been, but she did love her legends. . ."
"There's always some fact in most legends, especially in the Wizarding world," Harry wisely stated "Orichalcum was said to be used by the Atlantians to build their most precious buildings, and it was said to be a reddish gold colour."
"Yeah," Archie agreed "Adamantium is said to be found at the bottom of the deepest seas, the pressure created by the water naturally created the metal over thousands of years, only to be found by the Atlantians as well."
"It was said to be lighter than Orichalcum, so the Atlantians probably used it for their warrior's armour," Harry theorized "not much is said about it.
"Right," Archie continued "then there's Mithril, the only natural metal of the three, and by natural I mean, it was created because of a phenomenon of nature. The Dwarves were the first to find Mithril veins and it sparked many wars between them and the Goblins over who would control the mountains which housed the rare metal."
"Mithril is supposed to be the rarest of the three," Harry continued "its density is even greater than Orichalcum's and Adamantium's making it the super metal of the three, that, and the most sought after."
"How did you manage to get your hands on that knife then?" Sirius asked perplexed, if it was as rare as it sounded, it mustn't have been easy.
"With great difficulty, I assure you," Harry began "I won something of great value from a Goblin before my last school year that was a family heirloom of his," Harry explained "he wanted it back, and I wanted some of his Mithril, he agreed to craft me a small knife for the book back."
"All that for just a book?" Sirius asked astounded "what was it? The first Playwizard magazine ever created?"
"The diary of Salazar Slytherin," Harry deadpanned, causing his godfather's eyes to widen comically "Goblins are notoriously good when it comes to crafting weapons, you'll find you won't find a better knife for prepping your potions – oh, and it's got runes crafted in it to keep it clean and make it unbreakable, not that anything could break it, but you never know. . ."
"Harry, I. . ." Archie began only to be stopped by Harry.
"Find what I asked you to find for me if you want to pay me back," he said blandly "I'm sure that's a fair trade if you insist on being an idiot."
Archie smiled up at him, not one of those idiotic grins he always has plastered on his face, but a true smile "Thanks Harry, I mean it."
"Yes, well, I'm going to sleep, I'll see you all later."
Sirius was still peering intently at the bluish silver knife as Harry travelled back to his room. He hadn't had a chance to rest since his game and he was tired.
It was the morning that Harry would need to board the Hogwarts express and head back to school that found the green eyed teenager in a muggle doctor's office.
Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. The hospital he was in was muggle enough, but the doctor himself was a squib. His name was Nathaniel Anderson and he was recommended to him by Allison earlier in the week for a second reference regarding his disease. The girl spoke very highly of him and said that the man knew enough about the magical world to be able to assist if he could.
"So, Harry Potter is it?" The man asked, trying and failing to hide his surprise when he saw Harry's name on the sheet of paper he was referring to "How can I help you? I hear you requested me specifically . . ."
"I know you're a squib doctor," Harry said dryly, "it's why I requested you specifically. Suffice it to say, I have a problem and I think the muggle methods may be the best way to help me at the moment."
"Oh?" The doctor asked, steepling his hands in front of his mouth, his curiosity having overridden his shock at who he was speaking to at the moment "what problem is that?"
"I assume you know of 'Dolorius Occlumathornia'?" Harry asked the now shocked once again doctor rhetorically "I happen to have contracted it in my month stay in Azkaban; I was wondering if there's any muggle medications that could help me delay the effects for as long as possible?"
The doctor leaned back in his chair, seemingly in thought "What effects may that be? Forgive me, I am aware of the 'disease' as you put it, but I am not aware of how the Wizarding world sees it, only how I personally see it."
"Apparently my brain is going to have a meltdown in three to four years," Harry said dryly.
Harry was surprised when the doctor let out a bark of laughter "It amazes me how wizards still refuse to evolve into this new world. They say your brain will have a meltdown, I say that you'll suffer from a severe aneurism when the magic overflowing in your brain finally causes too much stress on your blood vessels."
Harry snorted "That explains the migraines;" he said more to himself than the doctor "I don't suppose you have a method to slow down my untimely demise then do you?"
"You're taking this remarkably well for a fifteen year old," the doctor observes "care to explain why?"
"Not really," he answered "but I do believe I have found a cure, that's all you need to know."
The doctor sighed and flipped through Harry's magical and muggle medical file, the two were distinctly different in detail, with the muggle one, in his opinion, being much more useful for judging his patient's health. Wizards really need to learn biology and proper medical procedures if they want their population to actually increase and stay increased for any period of time.
"I'll need to take an MRI of your brain, but as you have already guessed, there may be a problem with that if your magic interferes with its power."
"I figured something like that would happen," Harry conceded "if I were to tell you I knew a spell that would allow the MRI machine to run on magic, would you let me cast it?"
The doctor looked to Harry in surprise "How long would it last?"
"Theoretically?" he asked "Indefinitely."
"Wouldn't people notice one of our most expensive and energy demanding machines no longer running on electricity?" he asked, sounding just a tad bit excited.
"I'll also put a muggle notice-me-not charm on the machine so no one will question the machine's ability to function without electricity, I can do it now actually, if you'll let me?"
The doctor coughed "I hope you're aware, Mister Potter, that should this fail and the machine become ruined, you are liable for damages, contract or not. Those machines are expensive."
Harry nodded "Of course, if you'll show me the way?"
After a rather long walk, the two finally arrived in the MRI room. The doctor stepped aside so Harry could perform his magic uninterrupted.
Harry cast a quick locking charm on the door so they wouldn't be disturbed before turning to the large, cylindrical like machine, and waving his wand in many intricate patterns while chanting a spell under his breath. The good doctor could barely make out what he was saying, but he guessed it sounded like Latin.
Magic steadily flowed out of Harry's wand and into the machine in a yellow light, growing in brightness as he reached the apex of his spell. Finally, with a final jab towards the machine, a burst of yellow light flooded the room, causing the doctor to shield his eyes, signifying the end of the spell.
"I believe now would be the best time to check if the spell worked, doctor" Harry motioned to the machine when the doctor could see again. The doctor nodded and rushed into the room adjacent the machine's where several computers were turned on and running.
"Amazing," he heard the robotic voice of the doctor say through the speakers "It's working, It's actually working! And your magic isn't affecting it at all!"
Harry watched the machine be tested, the bed going in and out of the cylindrical hole in the machine showing them both that it was indeed working. While the doctor was testing the machine, Harry cast a quick notice-me-not charm on the entire room, including the doctor's current room, which didn't exactly turn muggles away from the room; it just reduced their need to know anything about it. If it actually caused any problems, he could always remove it.
"Thank you Mister Potter, I mean it," the doctor shook his hand "unfortunately, we can't give you that scan today, it would be too suspicious for someone to arrive without a life-threatening disease and attain an MRI scan, I'll have to book you in two weeks from now, is that okay?"
Harry frowned "I'll be at Hogwarts."
"Can't you get permission from your guardian and the headmaster to leave for the day? This is rather important . . ." Harry shook his head in the negative.
"No one but you and one other Medi-witch know of my disease, and I intend to keep it that way. In fact, I intend to swear you to secrecy after out appointment is over."
The doctor nodded his head in understanding "Do you have no other way to get here then?"
"I can make a portkey," Harry said warily "it's illegal, but so long as nobody notices it should be okay. However, our next appointment will need to be a month from now if I am to use it and come back before my absence is noticed."
"Ah, I see," he nodded "then you can go and I'll see you in a month then; I'll send the exact details to you via owl mail, if that's okay?"
Harry nodded "Just send the date and time of the appointment, nothing else should be in the letter, not even your name."
The doctor nodded "It's done, I thank you again Mister Potter and I'll see you in a month's time."
Harry left to buy some shoes as his cover for being gone that morning from the inn. Hogwarts once again loomed on the horizon, but this time, he had other, more important things, on his mind.