Extracurricular activities - year 6

Before Harry knew it, it was the day of the Romania match and Harry, Cho, Fleur and Professor McGonagall left for the stadium. It was a modern stadium, built near a small wizarding village on the edge of a forest. It was very pretty area and easy to keep hidden from prying Muggle eyes. His friends went to find their seats and find Charlie Weasley. The coach gave a speech about playing hard and not letting the last loss get to them. France was to be announced first and once the team was on the pitch, they waited for Romania to all get out. The match was actually pretty easy for France and not that exciting. France ended up winning 250 to 50.

During the brief celebration after the match. Loud screams started coming from the village. One of the Romanian players flew by screaming, "Giants! Giants are attacking the village."

The coach yelled for the team to get inside. Harry wanted to go to his friends but kept hearing the screams coming from outside the stadium. "Potter, get inside," the coach yelled again.

Harry made up his mind and concentrated on how much he loved Cho and performed the message spell toward her. He then yelled back at the coach, "Make sure my friends are ok!" as he quickly flew off over the stadium wall.

Once over the wall, he closed in on the village and saw a group of about ten giants smashing the small buildings of the village. A number of homes had already been destroyed and were laying in ruin. Harry flew right by the face of one of the giants who looked up and yelled something. Harry stopped just out of reach and yelled, "I don't want to hurt you. If you stop, I won't."

The giant just laughed and said, "What could you possibly do to us?"

Harry raised his wand and yelled 'Agriva Chocle' and a large white circle stretched out over the area. The giants started yelling and covering their ears. After a moment, Harry stopped the spell and yelled at them, "I was given this spell buy Duram, leader of the Gulas clan. I don't want to hurt you. If you stop this destruction and sit down until the ministry arrives I won't hurt you."

The giant who had spoken earlier said, "Another wizard who uses that spell will hurt our families if we don't do as he says."

Harry could clearly tell that most of the giants in the group were not fully behind the destruction. "I believe you. You have to choose. I will try to stop you if you hurt these people. Duram knows that most of you are not doing this by choice, only out of fear for your family."

One of the giants in the rear yelled, "No! I want this to happen." That giant immediately started bashing on another house.

Harry raised his wand and said the Chocle spell again. All of the giants hand their hands to their heads in pain, even the ones who hadn't started attacking again.

"Don't attack any more," Harry yelled after stopping the spell. Almost instantly the one giant started to attack the house again, clearly ignoring Harry's warning.

Harry raised his wand and pointed it at that giant. "Stop now or I have to stop you!" The giant continued and Harry yelled, 'Agriva Fiola' and a sudden flash of blue light struck the giant and it just crumbled to the ground. The other giants started yelling and turned toward Harry as if to attack. Harry yelled back, "I'll do whatever I need to do to stop you."

The giant in front yelled something that Harry didn't understand and the rest of the group stopped coming toward Harry and sat down.

Harry held there for only a few moments until ministry wizards and Aurors appeared. He quickly explained what had happened and then went to the giant that had spoken to him. "Is there anything that Duram or I can do to help? I do understand about wanting to protect your family," Harry asked, trying to stay out of reach of the giant in case he attacked.

The giant thought and said, "Tell Duram that Miocle made an unwise choice and is sorry."

Harry flew back inside the stadium once Aurors had huge metal shackles on the giants. The coach and a few of the players were standing near the entrance to the team area. The coach started screaming as soon as Harry got close, "Potter. What did you think you were doing? I told you to get in here."

This was quickly followed by, "Mr. Potter. What did you think you were doing?" from Professor McGonagall. She sounded scarier than the coach did.

All Harry cared about was one thing. "Where's Cho? Is she OK?"

Harry saw Cho push by the coach and run to him. He hugged her tight and asked, "Still glad you came?" Cho didn't answer and continued to squeeze him. Harry continued saying, "Good thing Duram gave me those spells. I wouldn't have had any idea what to do without them."

When he got over to the others, Professor McGonagall started again, "Mr. Potter. You can't go off trying to take on everything by yourself. I know you're not afraid and fully expect to win but one of these times you won't be so lucky. What exactly were those spells you used?"

"The giants gave them to me professor. When I gave Duram the sword, he gave me spells that could be used to stop them. Harry got a very remorseful look and pleadingly said, "I asked them to stop. I didn't want to have to kill that one." Harry looked to see the coach and teammates looking at him very strangely. He just wanted to go home.

"Can we just go now professor? I don't want to talk about it here," Harry pleaded.

Before leaving, Harry went over to the coach and said, "I couldn't just let them hurt those people. Thanks for getting my friends."

Harry turned to walk to the floo and heard the coach say, "See you at practice Potter."

As soon as they got back, they all went to Professor Dumbledore's office to tell their versions of the story. After sitting down, Fawkes came to Harry's knee and he sat there stroking it. Harry remained quiet while the others told their story. "Harry. I asked if you agreed with their story," Professor Dumbledore repeated.

"Um... Yes sir," Harry said absent-mindedly.

"Are you all right Harry?" Dumbledore asked sounding concerned.

"I shouldn't have killed that giant. I should have used the other spell again," Harry said sounding defeated.

"Wouldn't the other spell have hurt all the giants?" Dumbledore asked without emotion.

"Yes but maybe it would have got that one to stop."

"Did you believe totally that the giant was going to continue attacking the house?" asked Dumbledore.

Harry thought for a moment before answering, "Yes sir."

"Then you did the right thing. From the accounts of what happened, you gave them all and opportunity to stop. Only one chose to continue and you did what you had to do."

"Sir, I should tell Duram what I've done. One of the giants gave me a message to give to him as well," Harry said slowly.

"Of course Harry, you can go now. It is lucky you were there Harry. From the accounts of the other attacks, they didn't stop until most of the villages have been destroyed."

Harry got up to leave and heard Cho say, "I want to come with you."

They walked down the path to the giants and Harry didn't say anything the entire way. The giant guarding the camp let them pass and Harry knocked on the large door to Duram's hut. Belissa opened the door and invited them in. Immediately Duram knew something was wrong. "What has happened Harry Potter?"

"Sir, we were in Romania for a Quidditch match and right after the match the small village near the stadium was attacked by ten giants. Some homes were destroyed and a few families killed. I went to confront them and told them to stop. When they wouldn't, I used the Chocle spell, which caused them to pause. I told them that you had told me of this spell and another spell that could stop them. One of the giants said they were being forced to do this because their families were being threatened. I told him the same dark wizards had killed my family. Another of the giants said that he was doing this because he wanted to and attacked again. I used the Chocle spell one more time and it caused pain to all of the giants. As soon as I stopped, the one started attacking again. The others weren't attacking anymore. I then used the Fiola spell on the giant that was attacking," Harry paused and then admitted, "I'm sorry sir but I killed the one."

"Why are you so troubled?" Duram asked not sounding upset with him.

"I should have tried to stop the one again without killing him. I shouldn't have been so quick."

"But, you would have caused great pain to all the others, just because of the poor choice of one. I think you made the wise choice. You showed him more mercy than other giants would have. I don't hold you at fault for that. I say we are fortunate to have met each other so you were prepared for that situation."

"Sir, one of the giants gave me a message for you. He said to tell you Miocle made an unwise choice and is sorry."

Duram thought for a moment and said, "Miocle was a friend and didn't want to stand up to the dark wizards in the beginning but was concerned for his family. Thank you for coming to tell me this. Don't be troubled by what happened. You said it yourself, we can be ruthless. That giant wasn't showing any mercy to the families in those homes. He had to be stopped."

"Thank you sir," Harry said and then left.

They walked back in silence until they left the forest. Cho stopped Harry and said, "Harry. He's right you know. That giant was going to kill more people. They're lucky Duram gave you those spells and that you were there. Your coach seemed really mad that you went after them. I don't know who was madder, the coach or Professor McGonagall."

"What about you? Are you mad at me?" Harry asked her looking deep into her eyes.

"Not mad, worried. I knew that Duram had given you those spells and I just hoped you had practiced them already. I don't think you're stupid or anything. I just don't want to think about you getting hurt," she said hugging him tightly.

"How could I get hurt? I have your good luck charm," he said trying to smile and kissed her. They walked back to the castle and went to his common room to sit with his friends. He had asked her not to mention the giants and to only talk about the match so all his friends knew was that France had won.

The Daily Prophet had a story the next day.

France's Seeker Saves Village

A small Romanian village is lucky that Romania was hosting France at a new stadium just outside the village. After France easily beat the Romanian team, a group of giants attacked the village. While everyone else was running for cover, France's Seeker flew off over the objections of his coach to confront the attackers.

After casting some spells that no one could identify, Harry Potter convinced all but one of the giants to surrender. When one giant continued attacking, Potter cast another unfamiliar spell that caused the giant to crumple to the ground dead. No one has yet been able to identify the spells used. This reporter thinks the highest priority should be in determining the exact spells and in getting that information into local authorities' hands.

Witnesses say Potter then talked to the leader of the giant's group and to ministry officials who had finally arrived. Potter then returned to the stadium and left quickly before reporters could talk to him.

His and Cho's friends had been really good about not bringing up the attack or asking to talk about the spells and it was really helping Harry's mood. Harry felt better over the next couple days but got called to Professor Dumbledore's office one afternoon. Inside were Cornelius Fudge and Percy Weasley. "Hello Harry," Mr. Fudge said sounding very official.

"Hello sir. Hi Percy," Harry said, but Percy just gave a quick, "Hello."

"Harry. Mr. Fudge and Mr. Weasley are here to ask a couple questions about the attack," Dumbledore stated.

"Harry, we would like to know about these spells you used to stop the giants. They aren't something we've come across before," Mr. Fudge asked.

"Yes sir. I know two of them. One causes a great deal of pain to all giants within an area. The other is a targeted spell and actually kills them," Harry explained.

"Yes, that would fit with the accounts of what happened. How did you come to know of these spells?" Fudge continued asking.

Harry looked at Dumbledore who nodded. "Duram, the leader of the giants who are staying in the forest told me about them. My present to him was a sword and he said since I gave him a weapon that could be used to kill me, he would return the honor. Then he told me about the spells."

"Well I hope you can understand how useful these spells could be considering the recent attacks. We would like for you to tell us how to do them," Fudge went on.

"I'm sorry sir. Duram insisted that I not tell anyone, not even Professor Dumbledore. I can ask Duram if he would approve, but I can't talk about them without his permission," Harry said looking to Dumbledore for any signs as to what his Headmaster was thinking.

"Harry. You have to see the difference us having these spells would make. We could stop these attacks before so many people get hurt next time. If the villagers knew the spells themselves, they could keep the giants away," Percy jumped in.

"Villagers could also use the spells even when giants weren't attacking. They could even attack the giants with them. I would gladly tell you the spells if Duram approves. If he hadn't told me the spells, I couldn't have stopped the giants. I promised him," Harry firmly stated.

"Professor Dumbledore, can you please talk to about this? We are fighting for lives here," Fudge pleaded.

Dumbledore looked at Harry for a minute and said, "I support Harry in this. Giants are wary of trusting us as it is. We are fortunate that a large number have sided with us. If we betray their trust now, we risk losing any of their help. It is a decision for Duram and Harry."

"I would have expected more support from you Dumbledore. This is not going to sit well at the ministry," Fudge said angrily.

"Excuse me sir but we told you almost two years ago Voldemort was back and to start planning then. Professor Dumbledore asked you to make contacts with the giants at that time. You didn't believe us or provide support then," Harry said loudly, kind of surprising himself by speaking to the Minister of Magic like this.

"Harry! Don't speak to the minister like that," Percy yelled. Percy and the Minister both stormed out.

"Sorry sir, I shouldn't have said that. I was mad when he didn't believe me before and now that it's obvious Voldemort is behind the attacks he comes making me feel like I'm to blame," Harry said trying to get better control of his emotions.

"Politics Harry. You may ask Duram for permission to give the spells to the ministry but I doubt he will agree. Giants have good reason not to trust many wizards."

"Thank you, I'd like to go right now," Harry got up and left.

Before going to see Duram, Harry had an urge to get the parchment he had been given. He went up to his room and got the parchment out of his trunk. Thinking about Percy really got him angry. He wondered what Ron thought about Percy anymore. Harry grabbed his Firebolt so he could get to the camp quicker. Duram spoke up when Belissa let him in. "Feeling better about your actions Harry?" The giant had a fairly contented look on his face.

"Yes sir a bit," said Harry before continuing. "Sir, the Minister of Magic just asked me to tell him the spells I used to stop the attacks so that he could give them to the Aurors"

"I expected he would Harry," Duram said, still not looking worried.

"I wouldn't tell him without your permission. So that is why I'm here," Harry said, still not sure how to proceed.

"Are you here asking my permission Harry?" Duram asked looking intently at Harry.

Harry thought for a minute and said, "I did tell the Minister I would ask your permission."

"Hhhmm. What would you advise me to do in this situation?" Duram asked, sounding a bit like Dumbledore.

Harry was kind of confused. Before Duram seemed very opinionated and wouldn't need any advice. "I wouldn't give the permission sir. I'm afraid the spells would not be used only for defending against attacks. I don't trust politicians sir. In fact, I would like to give the parchment back to you for safekeeping. I just have a feeling it would be safer with you," Harry handed the parchment back to Duram.

Duram turned to Belissa and said, "Didn't I tell you?" Harry looked confused but Duram continued. "Harry. Giants often believe in fate and a controlling hand. Somewhat like the centaurs believe the stars tell them things. Many, in fact most in my clan thought I made a mistake giving you these spells. We have seen signs that say a wizard will betray us all. Most thought you would be that wizard. We would never be sure that we could trust any wizards if we didn't take a big enough risk to be proved wrong or right. I will keep the parchment safe and am happy that you made this choice. I think we will be able to convince other giants who had not totally chosen the other side to commit to us. I'm afraid I can't do anything about any discomfort the Ministry may cause you."

"That's ok sir. I'm not too worried about the Ministry. I don't think Professor Dumbledore would let anything too bad happen to me."

Harry went back to the castle and found Ron and Hermione who had just come out of the Defense class that Harry had missed to meet Dumbledore. "So, what was it about?" Ron asked. Harry told them about Percy and Fudge wanting the spells.

"If it would stop further attacks why didn't you give them up?" Ron asked sounding like he would have just handed the spells over.

"Because Ron! You know how most wizards are; they hate giants and just think they're ruthless. If every wizard who hates them knew the spells, they wouldn't just sit back and wait to use them in defense," Hermione said not waiting for Harry to respond. He was glad she said this because it was exactly what Harry thought.

"That's exactly what I told Fudge! Not all giants are like that," Harry said and Hermione looked really smug.

"Still, you're going to let villages get trampled because you're worried about someone torturing a giant?" Ron said seriously.

"You met Duram and Belissa. Would you want them tortured or killed?" Harry asked, still not believing his best friend was acting this way.

"Well no, unless they were attacking," Ron answered.

"Exactly. But if someone who knew the spells just hated giants they could torture them and even kill them without any reason. That's what you-know-who is doing to them now," Hermione exclaimed.

"I still don't know. Can't say that's the choice I would have made. You saw the books and heard the stories, they're really ruthless," Ron stated.

The trio hadn't discussed the giants anymore. A couple days later they were sitting at breakfast when Harry heard a lot of mumbling and turned to see Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Fudge, Percy and another ministry official standing behind him. "Harry, could you come with us for a minute? These men want to ask you some questions," Dumbledore asked, not sounding happy at all.

Harry followed them out and heard everyone mumbling behind him. They kept walking and went into the Gryffindor common room and up to the sixth-year boy's room. Then Fudge spoke, "We understand that Duram did not give permission for you to give the spells to us. Therefore, the Ministry feels we need to take the following action. We are exercising our authority over the security of this school and request that you give us the parchment that the giant gave you."

"I can't do that sir," Harry stated, almost in shock at what was happening.

"You really don't have a choice at this point Mr. Potter. Either you hand it over or we will search your belongings until we find it," Fudge demanded.

"You are welcome to search my belongings sir but the parchment isn't there. I gave it back to Duram for safekeeping," Harry said calmly but didn't catch the slight grin that came to Dumbledore's face.

Fudge looked angry but Percy looked like he would go into a rage and said, "How did you know we were coming? Did those Unspeakable friends of your find out and warn you?"

"Mr. Weasley, I'm sure that no one contacted Harry about your visit. Harry, when did you return the parchment to Duram?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"The same day that Mr. Fudge and Percy came asking about the spells. When I went to ask permission to reveal the spells, I just had a feeling that the parchment wasn't safe anymore," Harry replied looking his Headmaster in the eye.

"I don't believe you," Percy spat. "I know you found out we were coming."

Mr. Fudge spoke up, "Now, now, Mr. Weasley. I don't see how Harry could have been warned. He also has to know that his story could easily be verified. Harry, I would like to ask you again to reveal the spells. It is in the interest of wizard safety."

"I can't tell you sir. I think giants would be much less important than identifying all the Death Eaters and also than locating Voldemort before he fully recovers. If he was hurt worse than I was last year, I think we missed a perfect opportunity to track him down," Harry said back as confidently as he could.

This seemed to sting the Minister. Fudge knew Harry was right but was still upset that Harry wouldn't reveal the spells. The Ministry officials left but Dumbledore remained behind. "What's going to happen now Professor?" Harry asked sounding worried.

"Hard to say Harry. They have no legal way to force you to reveal the spells. If it was just Cornelius, I'd guess he would let it drop. Mr. Weasley's actions surprise me though. He doesn't seem like he will give up easily."

"Percy doesn't surprise me that much. He's always been really aggressive about impressing people in the Ministry. And, he's never liked that people in the Ministry have known me just because of my scar. But he does seem to have gone off a bit on me." The two left and Harry caught up to his friends in the class that had already started. After class Harry told Ron and Hermione about what happened.

"They wanted to search your stuff? That's not right!" Hermione said in total disbelief.

"They wouldn't have wanted to search it if Harry had just told them," Ron added. This attitude was beginning to irritate Harry.

"So, you'd just turn on your friends anytime if the Ministry asks?" Hermione asked angrily.

"Not my friends, but giants, sure," Ron responded.

"What about Hagrid?" Hermione replied.

"Umm. Hagrid's not full-giant."

"I bet the spells would affect him as well."

"Let's change the subject you two. I'm not telling, I promised Duram," Harry said and they went to lunch.

Cho came over to sit with him asking about what happened. Harry filled her in and she felt the same way he and Hermione did. "You can't trust the ministry to do what they say," Cho admitted.

"But you're thinking about working there," Harry questioned.

Cho hit him and said, "I don't know what I'll do yet."

A few days later it became clear that the ministry wasn't going to let it drop when the Daily Prophet came.

Who's Side is He On?

The loyalties of the-boy-who-lived have come into question again after he refused Ministry requests to reveal the spells used to stop the giants in the Romania attack. Potter said he promised the leader of one of the largest clans of giants that he wouldn't tell anyone the spells. It seems Potter thinks more of the leader of the giants than he does the Minister. When the Ministry finally made a move to search for the parchment the spells were written on, they found out Potter had been one step ahead. Somehow Potter had found out about the search and had given the parchment back to the giants, supposedly for 'safekeeping'. This reporter would think that Potter should be doing all he could for the Ministry to keep the wizarding world safe from these ruthless giants.

When you add this latest relationship to Potter's long list of questionable friends and abilities:

With so many questions about his character, why he continues to be given special treatment should be looked into. This reporter hopes France is fully aware of the background of their seeker.

"Ron. Tell Percy 'thanks' next time you see him. This is going to help me out a lot," Harry said angrily.

"Why would you think Percy had anything to do with this?" Ron snapped back.

"Because he called me a liar and said in front of everyone that he bet I knew they were coming to search my stuff."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you did. You do seem to have the inside track down there you know," Ron spat back.

This totally stunned Harry. Percy didn't surprise him much but Ron he couldn't believe. Hermione jumped in, "Ron. What are you saying? You know Percy wants to move up as fast as he can. You said it yourself, many times."

"I can say it, he's my brother," Ron replied hatefully.

"And, at one time, I thought I was your friend," Harry said firmly and walked out.

Harry stayed away from them both for a while. He was looking forward to practice and was glad to get out of the castle. His teammates kept glancing at him strangely then the coach spoke up, "Ok, we played well and beat Romania. I don't ever want to see you leave the field like that again Potter. You're a Quidditch player, that's all. You could have been hurt and that would have impacted the team."

"So, I should have just let more people get hurt? How can you say that?" Harry asked.

"Ministry officials can handle things like that. And, now there will be more security. You're here to play Quidditch, nothing more," Coach said.

Harry was really trying to hold his tongue. If the same thing happened again, he would do the same thing over. But, he really liked playing Quidditch and didn't want to risk that by getting into an argument with the coach.

Harry didn't have a very good practice since he was still thinking about what the coach said. He couldn't wait for it to be over and while walking back inside he heard, "Schoolboy. You're not going to do what he says are you?"

"Hey Kristi. No, I couldn't do that. No reason to tell him that though. What's the chance of something like that happening when we're around again anyway?" Harry said still sounding depressed.

"From what I hear, the chances are pretty good. You're like a magnet for stuff like that," Kristi said and pulled the Daily Prophet out of her pocket. "Good thing people in France don't care what they say about you over there. Is all this true?"

"Yes, but I am on the right side. And, they don't know or don't print the half of it." Harry looked at her seriously and said, "So, what do you think about my loyalties?"

She obviously didn't expect that question but replied, "I think you're ok. This stuff doesn't fit looking at you. Don't worry about the coach. You should have heard him and your Professor in the locker room. They were both worried but your Professor told him not to worry that you had handled much worse than giants before. Your little friend knew you'd be ok too."

This made Harry feel better. Especially hearing the Professor McGonagall had confidence in him. He went back to school in a better mood. He saw Hermione coming toward him and she walked him back, "So, how was practice?"

"It was ok. Coach yelled at me for going after the giants so I didn't play very well today. How were things here?"

"The usual. Any chance of you talking to Ron?" she asked giving him a half-glance

"So, that's the real reason you came to walk with me." Harry saw her lower her head. "That's ok, I'm still glad you're here. No, no chance."

"I think he feels really bad about saying that. He felt he had to stick up for his brother."

"I can kind of understand that. But, as long as Percy is causing me problems, I don't see things getting better with Ron."

"You know he kept asking me today if you told me the spells. He doesn't seem to believe that you hadn't."

"Did he happen to get an owl this morning? If so, I bet it was from Percy. You know Ron wouldn't mind the spells becoming public even without Percy."

"He did get an owl, but I didn't ask from whom. How do you think we can fix this?"

"I don't know. This one involves family. Imagine how it would have been if I had dated Ginny and then did something to mess it up. The whole family would hate me."

They went to sit outside on the steps and talked for a while. Harry was always amazed at how much Hermione knew. Cho and her friends came out after a while. "So, this is where you've been, hanging out with another woman," Kelly said, trying to sound mad.

Hermione grabbed his arm and said, "That's right." Cho sat on the other side of him and they all talked for a while. Cho and her friends were going to Hogsmeade the next day and asked Harry and Hermione if they wanted to go. Harry quickly agreed but Hermione said, "I don't think Ron will want to come so I'll stay."

Kelly said, "Don't let him spoil your fun. Come with us."

Hermione seemed tempted but said, "Not this time, thanks."

They were all surprised with how Harry got treated in Hogsmeade. He had been treated like a celebrity with people pointing and giggling. Today, people were still pointing, but they weren't giggling. It looked like they were all mad at him for not giving the Ministry the spells to use on the giants. Even Rosmerta wasn't as friendly as normal when serving them. "Turned on you pretty quick," Kelly said noticing the difference.

"That's ok; I agree that you shouldn't tell them the spells," Cho said and surprisingly all of her friends agreed. Harry told them about Percy and then about Ron. One of Cho's friends said, "We can all be kind of nutty when it comes to family. It'll work out." But, all of her other friends couldn't believe Ron would act that way to his best friend.

The next week, Dumbledore told Cho and Harry that Duram had wanted to speak to them. They both flew out right after classes. Once they arrived at the camp, they could tell the giants were preparing to leave. Duram confirmed this. "Yes Harry, we are going to go back to our land. Another large clan has chosen our side as well and we have formed an alliance. Together we will have sufficient forces to not let the Dark Wizards and the giants they control overrun us. There are still attacks, and the Dark Wizards are trying to convince more giants to follow them, but if our two clans show an alliance, we don't think many more will leave. It has been our honor to know you and Miss Chang. You will both be welcome in our land anytime."

"Thank you sir. I hope that we will be able to make the journey. I appreciate your trust in showing me the spells. Don't think too badly of everyone at the ministry. There are some good people there," Harry said, trying to convince himself.

"I think that trust will return many benefits. Many of my kind have seen the articles of the Ministry putting pressure on you to reveal them and are heartened by the fact that you wouldn't. More will realize that we can live well with some wizards," Duram told him before Harry and Cho flew back, unhappy that they were leaving but glad that more giants were joining their side.

Harry's next match was against England. It wasn't as big as the Bulgaria match but there was a lot of interest about it. England wasn't having a great year but if they beat France it would help their playoff chances. France had already locked up a playoff spot for the first time in ten years. The Hogwarts Quidditch cup was the day after that match so Cho wasn't able to come with Harry to his match since her team was practicing. Harry had sent his extra two passes to Fletch at the Ministry. He wanted to keep Fletch liking him in case he decided to become an Untouchable next year.

Professor McGonagall said, "Please don't take offense but I will be supporting England this time Mr. Potter."

"That's ok Professor. Just don't be mad at me when France beat them," Harry replied with a smile.

"That's the way 'Arry. I will be cheering for you," Fleur added.

At the stadium, the coach was saying that even though they had a playoff spot locked up, it would be important to win to make sure they got a good ranking. "Potter. Don't be surprised if they're not exactly excited to see you here what with all that giant rubbish going on," Coach added.

They were announced first and when Harry's name was called, he did hear some boos but the cheers far outweighed them. Not as bad as he had expected. It would be worse if he missed the snitch.

Play started and Harry blocked everything else out. He tried to watch out for bludgers, keep his eye on the other seeker, watch the chasers and look out for the snitch all at the same time. It seemed like his team was off to a sluggish start. They didn't complete some plays they normally would have. Coach called a timeout with the score 40-30 England. "What's wrong with you guys? You can play better than this." He went on screaming for another minute and then play resumed. His tirade did seem to help some as France's beaters were able to disrupt a few drives with well placed bludgers. After a few of these, the chasers started to get back to playing as well as they could. Harry tried a feint towards the ground but the other seeker pulled up early. He must have realized Harry hadn't seen the snitch.

At 60-50 France, Harry saw their seeker dart off to the side. He quickly gave chase and thought it was a feint but then saw the snitch a little in front of the other seeker. England was going to get it. Harry remembered something and then directed his broom into the tail of the other seeker's broom sending him out of control. The seeker regained control before crashing but the snitch got away. There were many boos from the crowd. England was given a penalty shot which they made.

When play resumed, it was England who seemed to be a little off balance. France was completing the runs. Harry tried another feint and the other seeker came very close to crashing this time. Then Harry saw the snitch tracking just under England's chasers on their scoring run. He made a dive and the other seeker didn't follow. The other seeker must have just thought Harry was going to break up the scoring run. When the chasers were passing the Quaffle back and forth, Harry came shooting between them barely missing the Quaffle and grabbed the snitch. England's seeker had never even seen it.

The crowd erupted in applause. Back on the ground, Harry could see the other coach screaming at his team. They quickly went into the locker room. "Excellent. This helped our playoff spot. We need to start off better next time but we sure finished well. Nice foul on the seeker Potter. Taking a trick out of Krum's book I see."

Harry spent longer in the shower than normal. He was just getting used to all of this weirdness. It kind of seemed normal that Kristi came in to shower not far from him. He went out to get dressed and wait for the others. The scene when they exited the locker room was as crazy as usual with reporters calling their names. Harry saw the reporter he talked to and walked that way. When he was almost to her, he saw his ring glowing green. He knew this meant an Unspeakable was near but he couldn't tell where.

"Hello Harry. Excellent match today."

"Thank you Ms. Mishmas."

"Some are saying you performed a dirty play when you ran into the seeker's broom before he caught the snitch."

"I assure you it was an accident, a loss of concentration on my part. I was glad to see he regained control before running into something."

"What is all this about giants? You aren't siding with them are you?"

"I was asked to be a student envoy to a clan of giants that happen to be camping near my school. It was an honor for me and my good friend. We presented the giants with welcoming gifts and they gave us gifts as well. This was my first experience with giants and so far this particular clan has been nothing but welcoming and forthcoming with information. I have no other experience to go on. So, I'm not siding with them, anymore than you would be. These particular giants happen to be on our side."

"One final question that some of the non-sporting fans would like to know. All of the other team members can be found at the club in Paris after a win. Many of my readers are young ladies who would like to meet you. Are you ever going to show up at one of these?"

"I'm sure I will sometime. I have so much schoolwork to do right now that I just can't spare the time." Then Harry heard.

"I'll make sure to drag our schoolboy there before long," Kristi said and pulled Harry away from the reporter. "See, I said you are very popular in Paris. I want to give you a piece of serious advice. I know they are going to start working on new contracts, and I also know that rookie contracts are just bad. Make sure you have a financial person you trust look over your new one before you sign it. Make sure they pay you enough. You have been the difference in the team this year and they know it."

"Thanks Kristi. I'll make sure I do that."

"So, where's your little friend today?"

"Playing for the Quidditch cup tomorrow so she couldn't make it."

"Then surely I can show you around a bit?" Kristi said.

Before Harry could answer, he heard, "'Arry! Over here." Fleur, Professor McGonagall, Fletch and Rose came walking over.

"Saved by the crowd weren't you." Kristi said while mussing up his hair and left.

"You're not mad are you professor?" Harry asked McGonagall.

"I'll get over it Mr. Potter," she said with a smile.

"Fletch! Rose! It's good to see you. Thanks for coming," Harry said and shook both their hands. Harry noticed their rings glowing as well.

"Thanks for the passes; I couldn't believe it when they were delivered. It was a good change of pace for both of us. You flew great," Fletch said looking around at the madness.

"I didn't approve of the foul on our seeker though," Rose said trying to act mad.

"Viktor Krum told me a ten point penalty is always better than letting the snitch be caught," Harry said smiling broadly.

"I supposed he's right," Rose replied.

"Did you both meet Professor McGonagall and Fleur?" Harry asked.

"Yes, they were nice to sit next to."

"Yes 'Arry but they wouldn't tell us what they did," Fleur said sounding hurt.

"They work in the ministry Fleur," Harry replied and glanced at Fletch.

"Yes, they said that but didn't say where."

"That sounds about right," Harry joked. The group stood around and talked for a while and then everyone went back to where they needed to be.

"'Arry. Why won't they say where they work? They act like its some top secret area or something," Fleur said sounding really curious.

"Now Fleur. You know there's no such thing," Harry said stringing her along.