The next day, Dumbledore told the students that the troll has been dealt with and no one was hurt. But he held the information back that it was Harry who incapacitated the troll, which only let this information go through even faster, as it was normal with a school with teenagers.
Harry was bombarded with questions on how he did it, as almost every student besieged him on his way to classes or meals. Only the Slytherins held themselves back; Harry wondered if it was only because he was a Gryffindor. Or at least Daphne told them that this was the reason, beside from that, Malfoy was furious that Harry was getting all the attention. At least the library was still a place of peace for him and his friends, as the other students did not like Madam Pince, the librarian. She had the tendency to show up out of nowhere and tell them to be silent in her library. For Harry and the others, it was all right as they liked to read in silence, only speaking with each other when they had a question about their assignments and hoped that the others had the answers ready.
It was on a Friday morning as Harry became a huge package from multiple owls, with a note attached to it. The owls did not wait for him to give them something and took flight once again, so Harry began to read the note. "Good morning Mr Potter, DO NOT OPEN at the table! I would prefer you open this package somewhere private. It contains your new broom, a Nimbus 2000 as a seeker needs a fast one. Like we discussed a few weeks back. Headmaster Dumbledore wants to remind you that this is an exception, and he does not want every first year to want one too." Harry took the note and put it into his pocket, as he heard a sneer behind him and saw a hand grabbing the package. He was just a moment to slow to pull it back, so he turned around and saw Crabbe and Goyle with Malfoy between them, holding the package and feeling it.
"This is a broom, Potter. They are forbidden for first years, so this time you will be expelled!" Malfoy threw it back to Harry, who caught it one-handed right as Professor Flitwick came down from the staff table to see what the commotion was about.
Malfoy pointed at Potter with a victorious look on his face, "Potter has just got a broom! That-" But Professor Flitwick cut Malfoy off before the young boy could make himself look like a fool.
Flitwick was smiling at Harry knowing what the boy was holding, "Ah yes, I was informed about the special circumstances Mr Potter. Do you already know what kind of broom it is? And would you have enough time to train with it for your game tomorrow?"
"Yes, Professor. It is a Nimbus 2000 and my participance tomorrow should have been a surprise, but it seems that the school already knows that I am the new seeker from Gryffindor. And all that thanks to Malfoy here. If he would not have thrown Neville's remembrall, I would had not made the team." The face Malfoy had now was almost as funny as it was as he was beaten in the race in the beginning of the term. Almost all Gryffindors at the table began to laugh, even Neville had a small smile on his lips.
"Hey Harry, I see you got the package. Please come to the pitch in the evening today so you can get used to the new broom." Oliver came over and put a hand on Harry's shoulder as if he wanted to underline the position Harry was in comparison to Malfoy. Meanwhile Malfoy was once again frozen almost solid, which had gotten a sigh from Crabbe and Goyle as they nodded to each other and picked him back up for their first class. Harry was going up to the dorm to put his broom onto his bed and then was running back for the first class of the day.
The day flew by until they were in the dungeon for Potions. Snape once again had written the ingredients and the steps for the potion on the board and began to pace between the students to see if they could do it right. He seemed to pay special attention to Harry, looking into his cauldron and his scales to make sure that everything was by the book. Harry was just cutting up some roots, as they both heard something whizzing by. They both looked up just in time to see that something flew into the Neville's cauldron, splashing the contents around the table. Harry was ready to jump in front of his friends, but the liquid just froze in the air because Professor Snape had cast a spell to stop it from landing anywhere. Neville was walking back, shaking in fear as he thought he had done something wrong. But something had caught the attention of both Harry and Snape as it hovered just above the cauldron.
"I hope you all remember what I told you in the first class of this subject. If I would ever catch someone to make such a prank with a potentially dangerous potion, I would act according to the school rules. Now, as my position as a head of House as well as a teacher allows me to interview you all in presence of the headmaster, you all stay in your seat until I return. Am I understood?" The students nodded all and began to whisper with each other as soon Snape left the room.
"Who do you think did it again?" Ron sat next to Harry; a bit surprised that Harry had such a quick reaction to the small explosion. Harry had the same question, asking Callie via his thoughts for her recording. She showed him the trajectory the projectile had to take to land like it did. NotHarry was not surprised as it seemed that Malfoy had once more tried to bully a fellow classmate just because he thought he could. Harry told her to send the report to Cortana and in addition to Headmaster Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers.
Soon afterwards, Dumbledore and Snape as well as McGonagall, as this was still a shared class between Gryffindor and Slytherin, began to ask questions if someone saw something. It happened as they began to question Harry, as he felt a small pressure inside his head which subsided the moment it began. He told Callie to scan his brainwaves for any anomalies, as Snape walked over to Malfoy and began to question him. Dumbledore had a somber look on his face, as if he knew what would happen next.
"Mr Malfoy, we have multiple witnesses that this firecracker came from your direction, care to explain how?" Snape stood tall before Malfoy, but somehow Harry could sense that Malfoy would come out of it almost scot-free.
"I don't know Professor, maybe someone had it hover over to us before he let it fly. I suspect Potter, because we all know how good he is with the levitation charm." He shrugged, not sensing that he just exposed himself.
Snape put his hand on the table and leaned in. "If you would have paid attention to class and where I was, you would know that Potter could not have done it, as he had just begun to cut the roots for the potion as I was standing by his table. You will come here tomorrow to your detention, and you will clean this room." He turned back to the class and dismissed them. As he had not taken any points from Slytherin, the Gryffindor students found it a bit unfair, but at least he would be punished.
That evening, Harry was out with the team getting used to his new broom while Hermione was talking with Lavender, Parvati, and Daphne about today's class in the library. But Lavender had soon other topics to talk about, most common some juicy gossip about some students and teachers. Hermione was not keen on this gossiping, but she would be lying if she said she had no fun doing it. Some rumors were just too funny to pass up. Daphne had to leave soon for her common room, as the Slytherins were down in the dungeons, which was a long way until curfew. So, the three Gryffindor girls were now walking and talking up towards the tower, as the topic landed on boys and if they had crushes inside the school.
"I have to tell you, since Harry has saved us from that troll, I see him like a knight in shining armor. He has so much confidence and has the maturity not to flaunt his fame everywhere like Malfoy. And those green eyes, they are to die for." Lavender began to swoon about him, fanning some air to her face with her hand. Parvati nodded and Hermione had just the smallest of blushes on her face, remembering how he stood outside the bathroom, the unconscious troll behind him and his smile to reassure them that they were now safe. Also, behind him stood Chief Wulf in his armor, an assault rifle in the relaxed position and she did catch herself seeing Harry in the same armor and helmet on his hip, smiling at her. Her blush deepened with that fantasy, and she also fanned herself some fresh air with her hand. This motion was of course noticed by the other two girls, and they began to giggle, with Hermione soon joining them.
Soon they were inside the dorm, getting ready to sleep in anticipation of the first Quidditch game for the season. Harry soon was inside his dorm too. He was still a bit nervous for his first game, but he was sure that he would make his father proud. While he trained with his team, they showed him the trophy room once, where he found out that his father was once one of the best chasers in years. Since Harry was a seeker, he didn't dare to compare to him, but he just wished he could see him at least fly once. Callie tried to calm him a down, assuring him that he will do alright, and he should get some sleep. Harry told her not to worry and placed his glasses on his nightstand and rolled over in his bed, closing his eyes.
That night he had a dream of him flying, chasing the golden snitch in a game held in giant stadium. As he chased it up into the sky, he heard the spectators cheering all the players on to give their best. The snitch was a sneaky one and flew right and left, up and down leading both Seekers on in hope to lose them. But both players in chase of it did not let up and were now side by side into a full dive towards the ground. Harry accelerated even more, getting in front of his rival, as he stretched his arm to catch the snitch. As he closed his hand around it, he felt it trying to escape but failing in its endeavor. Harry pulled out of his dive, raising his hand to show that he had it, cheering with the crowd for a good game played. As he looked around, before his teammates surrounded him, he saw all his friends from school in the crowd, clapping in happiness that he won. Also next to them were Yen and Geralt, the latter just grinning as he had never shown many emotions, just like John almost never did. But what surprised him were those two next to them, a woman with long red hair and a man with unruly black hair and Harry knew instinctively that those two must have be his real parents. He almost cried from his own happiness, seeing that his wish got fulfilled in a way, even if it was just a dream.
The next morning Harry woke up early due to his nervousness before the game started. Once Harry put his glasses on, Callie told him that he should meditate before breakfast, she explained it would help calm his nerves down. Harry saw Callie's advice had merit because he remembered seeing Geralt meditate before training; while Geralt was by no means nervous but the meditation did have a benefit on his performance afterwards. Sitting cross legged Harry closed his eyes and slowly breathed inhaled and exhaled until he felt his mind calm down.
While he was meditating, he remembered his dream and smiled with a small tear in his eye. Unbeknown to Harry Callie was able to relive the dream with him. Understanding the significance of the dream Callie decided to save it to her memory. She knew how fleeting dreams were and they are almost impossible to remember vividly. While Callie was recording the dream she was analyzing it. She knew, before Harry went to bed the previous night, that Harry wished his parents could see him play. The human mind, as Callie understood it, was a complex machine. Dreams, Callie knew, are one of the most those complex benefits. She knew, for instance, they are memory consolidation but how Harry was able to age his parents was a mystery to her. Callie debated with herself over the idea of sending a report of Harry's dream to Doctor Halsey as she would be scientist would be most intrigued by this development.
As he finished his meditation, he looked around the dorm and saw that the others began to wake up, so he decided to head out for breakfast. He knew that he needed the energy for his game later, but his appetite was almost instantly lost as he sat down at the Gryffindor table inside the Great Hall. It was not the weather that worried him, it was nice and sunny outside, but he did not know why he was so afraid. Harry had to admit that the other students, mostly Slytherins, told him that he should watch out that he didn't fall from his broom. Some even told him that they would run around with a mattress on the field, just in case they needed to catch him. Those remarks were normally accompanied with laughter for the obvious taunts.
His team mates meanwhile did all they could to take his mind of things, telling him that nothing serious would happen, as the teachers were watching to and Madam Hooch would be the referee, and she takes the rules very seriously, almost going as far as freezing the balls in midair when she sees a foul. So, they would be as safe as they could be. But just to be sure, they did teach him the sticking charm he could use to hang onto his broom just in case.
Soon, Oliver gathered his team and told them to go in the locker room down by the pitch and make themselves ready to fly. Harry had to run up to the dorm one more time for his broom, but he had time until the game began. On his way up, he met the other students, all hyped up for today's event, carrying multiple flags in the house colors for the two teams, Gryffindor and Slytherin. It seemed that even the teachers were not immune to the excitement before the game, as he saw Professor McGonagall wearing a scarf in the colors of Gryffindor around her neck. She smiled at him and wished him a good day, again something Callie recorded and sent it to Cortana for more proof that McGonagall could smile.
Soon, he arrived in the locker room by the pitch, going to his locker and putting his broom to the side. He opened the door of his locker and took out the uniform and protective gear and began to put it on his body. Somehow, he was reminded that it looked just like one of the armors John's friends used, if he could call it that. The marines, Callie told him they were called that way, seemed to hold John in high regard, just like a child would do for his parents. But those marines were all grown-ups, so why they did that, Harry does not know.
Oliver now stood before his team, getting ready for his pre-game speech. Fred and George were rolling their eyes, as they almost know it by heart. "Well, here we are once more, ready to fly out and show them what we can do. We have the better chasers, the better beaters, the best seeker I've seen until now and me. We can win this match against Slytherin, their captain is just a brute and does not know how to utilize his team, so we need to be swift and decisive. Destroy their defense and get that Quaffle through those hoops and Harry, catch that snitch and assure us the victory. Let's go people."
Oliver took his broom and stood by the exit from the locker room, telling Harry that they would leave one after another as they were called from the announcer. One by one, they left until only Harry remained.
"And know welcome the youngest seeker in a century, the beater of dark lords, the one and only HARRY POTTER!" Harry mounted his broom and flew out, making an extra round under loud cheering of his housemates in the stands, as he took his position on the field before the game began. The players from Slytherin also flew into the pitch, showing their perceived superiority as they flew circles around the Gryffindors as fast as they could, trying to confuse them before the game. As both captains landed next to Madam Hooch and shook hands, Harry looked for the other seeker. He soon found him, looking at a relative, to the rest of his team, a slim boy with flying goggles over his eyes and looking down to the chest with the balls inside it. Harry knew that he would make himself ready to fly after the snitch as soon as it came out of said chest, so Harry did the same. If what Oliver told him was true, his broom would be faster so he should have one advantage at least.
As Madam Hooch used her whistle to start the game, she opened the box with the bludgers and snitch and tossed the Quaffle up the air. Harry followed the snitch with his eyes as he accelerated towards it, just like the other seeker did.
Callie had her own sensors offline while Harry played, as he wished to do it that way. He did not want an unfair advantage to see the snitch through his glasses while it flies away from him. But as the first bludger was coming towards him, she activated the sensors again, so she could at least warn him if one was too close for comfort. But because that bludger had dispersed both seekers, they both had lost sight of the snitch, so Harry nodded to the other seeker in respect and began to patrol the field for its reappearance.
While he flew around, he tried to listen to what they others were doing. It seemed so far his team was rather good, as they gained an early lead.
"And that is another goal for Gryffindor. Wow, those chasers from Gryffindor don't mess around and are rather attractive too."
"Mr. Jordan, please keep it factual."
Harry was looking down to the commentor box and saw a boy who was always with Fred and George, so he had to be a Gryffindor too. McGonagall was sitting beside him, which was maybe the reason the magical microphone caught her voice too.
"But I did give the facts, Professor, they are attractive. But I understand what you mean, as the captain from Slytherin gets the Quaffle and races of to the side of Gryffindor, but is intercepted by a well-aimed bludger from Fred Weasley…or is it George? Even I can't tell them apart. I sometimes wonder if even they could." Lee was almost laughing, as one Chaser from Gryffindor, Angelina Johnson, grabbed the Quaffle from Marcus Flint, the captain from Slytherin, as he had let it fall out of his hand while he avoided the bludger.
Suddenly, Harry saw something golden in his peripheral vision and decided to fly as fast as he could over there. But he was intercepted by Flint, who was grinning at him, showing Harry that he saw it too and was making sure that Harry lost the snitch once more. That he almost rammed Harry of his broom did not escape Madam Hooch, because of this foul Gryffindor got a free throw, which Angelina tossed it and scored another goal.
Meanwhile Harry did was back on a patrol round, as he noticed that his broom was handling strangely. It did not turn like he wanted and slowed down on its own, before it accelerated once more abruptly. Now Harry was sure that his broom tried to throw him off and asked himself how that was possible. Thanks to the charm the others had taught him though he was not afraid to fall, as his left hand was in a way glued to the broom handle.
But as it bucked so hard that he did slide of and was now holding with the charmed hand, he began to become a bit nervous. Fred and George where now directly under him, as all in the stands noticed that Harry had some problems where something like that had never happened before. Marcus Flint meanwhile took the chance and scored multiple goals, as the broom suddenly stopped and just stayed in the air with Harry. He climbed back up and was glad that it seemed to be back to normal. Then he saw it once more. The golden snitch, directly in front of the box where the teachers sat. He also saw that Snape was putting out a small fire on his robes as well that Quirrell was a few rows lower down as when the match began. But he accelerated either way to full speed, as he noticed that the seeker from Slytherin had also seen the snitch.
The snitch was once again diving down, with both seekers just behind it. Harry was just a bit faster as the other seeker and pulled slightly ahead. The snitch pulled out of the dive just before it hit the ground, as it assumed that the seekers with their greater mass could not turn as tight as it could. While that was true for the Slytherin seeker, who hit the ground hard enough to fall from his broom, Harry could make the maneuver with just his feet gracing over the ground. Soon he caught up with the snitch and lifted his right arm from the broom and held his hand out. Just as Harry was about to close his hand around the snitch, a bludger hit him square on his back, throwing him off his broom and towards the ground. For his luck he was not even 1 meter up in the air as he crashed down, having problems with his breathing. He stood back up and began to cough, until a small, golden ball with wings landed from of his mouth into his hand.
"And that is the end of this match! Harry Potter has caught the snitch in a spectacular fashion while he fell from his broom and assured his team the victory." Cheers could be heard from everywhere in the stands, if you count the corner were the Slytherins are in, in an almost ear shattering volume. His teammates were running over to him for a group hug, laughing all the way. Harry was just glad that he had done it and won the first match he played, as he was sure that the other seeker who had more experience than him would just fly faster and catch the snitch right in front of his nose. As his air was almost cut off from the chasers, he noticed that his housemates were looking at him with pride, but Hermione also had a bit of concern in her eyes, so he made a mental note to ask her later what was wrong.
Later that day, after they had a small laugh as Snape grabbed Malfoy by his robe and told him that he still had detention to attend to and dragged him to the potions classroom to clean up the mess he created the day before. Harry had eaten enough and was almost ready to sleep when Hermione came over to him with Parvati and Lavender asking him if he had some time. He just assumed that they wanted another session with Callie and agreed and as they still had time until curfew; they left the common room and were now going to the library.
When they arrived there, it was almost empty as everyone would have taken some time off from studying. Only Daphne was there at their usual table, looking a bit sullen at a book about brooms.
"Hey Daphne, how are you? Are you alright?" Harry asked her, now not so sure that it was about a session with Callie the other girls wanted to talk about. Daphne put the book down on the table with the page open about the spells that made a broom work as intended. He began to read it as Hermione told him what she saw during the match.
"Harry, what your broom did was not a malfunction, it was more like someone jinxed it, so I looked with the help from Hagrid's binoculars over the stands to watch for someone having eye contact towards you, and I saw Professor Snape looking straight at you and murmuring a spell. I was sure that he had something to do with it, so I sneaked over there and set his robe on fire. That way he had to take his gaze away from you caused the spell to be broken. And it seemed that I was right, then as soon as he was looking away, your broom was back to normal."
"That coincides with the lore about brooms, it seems that as soon a spell is no longer cast, it will fall from the broom, and it will handle like before it was cast." Daphne told them, pointing to a section on the page which outlined the effect of spells.
After some silent conversation with Callie, Harry took the projector with her matrix out of his pocket and placed it on the table. "Now Daphne, what you will see soon can't leave this circle without my permission, is this clear? You must know that we trust you with this." Harry stared at her, hoping that she did not lead them on because she was a Slytherin trying to spy on them.
She nodded. "If you wish to keep it a secret, I will never tell anybody what we talk when we are alone. Because you and your friends are the first people I met in this school, who are not too stubborn that this 'your house first' mentality is just stupid. Aside from Tracey of course, but we've been friends well before Hogwarts. If you wish I will swear on my magic."
Harry was taken aback. He never heard of someone go this far, but maybe he needed that right now. Someone inside the house where Snape was the head of house.
"You don't have to go that far but thank you. So, if you want someone else to know, let's say in case you need help with figuring out something and we cannot do that, please ask me if you can tell this person. But he or she has to keep it a secret until I say otherwise. Do you agree to that?" Daphne nodded once more.
Callie told him that she had she had asked for permission to show herself to Hermione, Parvati, Lavender and in case if needed to Daphne too, so there was at least nothing lost. She also told him that she had her sensors on during the game, just in case a bludger was coming too close, so she could freeze frame the moment he saw Snape on the teachers' box as his broom began to behave differently. As Harry got the conformation from Daphne that she will keep it a secret, Callie scanned if someone else was in the area. As the readings came that they were alone, she activated the projector and stood in between the five children who now were in her care.