Harry rubbed his arms with a deep breath.

The Ravenclaw match.

He groaned and banged his head into the table again.

"Hey!" Oliver shouted angrily, "no concussions! At least not until the match actually starts, Geez." The teen joked, giving Harry a firm pat on the back.

"Sorry, but I thought I was going to be fighting for a place in the running, not the actual cup!"

"So Hufflepuff creamed Slytherin," Oliver offered with a shrug. "You should celebrate! Ravenclaw is a much easier fight than either of those teams!"

"Yeah but… we still have to make at least 300 points to actually win!" Harry argued with a whine. Oliver chuckled.

"It's not just about winning, you gotta have fun too."

"Seriously Ollie, did you die over the break and get replaced by some much more relaxed clone?" Alicia demanded with a shocked face. Oliver laughed.

"Nah, but I think all the broom polish might have killed a few brain cells."

"Naw your just as stupid as you were before." Fred offered with a smirk. The teen scowled at him. The team snickered and Oliver began harping on both twins for their continued insubordination.

Harry landed with a groan. The weather was leagues away from the awful match with Hufflepuff, but this match was not being kind. Trying to distract Cho Chang away from the snitch had taken him getting her to fall for a feint, usually unsuccessfully, and Fred and George aggressively flinging bludgers at her for what had to be at least an hour. The match had been progressing well enough, but they were still leagues away from the 150 they needed.

"This is a nightmare," Alicia complained.

"They're way too coordinated, and their strategy with the beaters is working." Angelina harped. Katie looked at them before her eyes flicked to Harry. Then she huffed.

"Still think you can flirt with her?" She asked.

"Katie!" Angelina cried in horror.

"Oh come on, we're dying out there. And nothing will distract Briggs more than watching Chang lose her mind and start actually following him around. Don't know if you noticed, but she hasn't taken a single one of Harry's feints." The other two girls whined before they sighed.

"Fine." Angelina finished. But then she narrowed her eyes at Harry. "But you have to keep any promise you make to her."

"Huh?" Harry asked with confusion.

"If you say your gonna go on a date, you have to go on a date."

"O-oh." Harry stuttered nervously. "Okay." And suddenly his stomach flip-flopped. He'd never been on a date before. He wasn't sure what it would mean. Emmeline hadn't mentioned any of these rules when she'd done it. Then he remembered that she was a Slytherin, and probably didn't feel the need to 'keep her promises'. There hadn't been that expectation.

"Alright!" Oliver cried loudly, marching back to the pitch. Ravenclaw joined a second later. So Harry took a deep breath and prepared himself. He had the perfect early opportunity. Cho Chang was exceptionally graceful in the air, but a bit of a klutz on land. So when she tripped slightly, Harry reached out a hand and caught her, so she didn't stumble off. Then he flashed her what he hoped was a dazzling smile.

"You okay?" He offered.

He knew the second it worked.

The top of her cheeks when slightly pink and she slowly smiled back.

"I'm okay." She murmured back. Harry kept grinning and nodded, before going the rest of the way toward his team. Then Hooch blew the whistle. He tossed one last look to his team, who gave him varying looks of begrudging acceptance and grim determination before he kicked off, rising into the air.

Emmeline scanned the pitch with an expert eye. Her grandfather had plopped her on a broom before she could walk. She'd been born with a broom in the delivery room. She knew quidditch. She knew every play, every manoeuvre, every trick to get a slow broom faster or a wobbling broom steady. Severus can back to his seat with a box of popcorn, holding it out to her.

"Score?" He questioned as Emmeline took it robotically.

"90 - 100, Ravenclaw." She muttered quietly. Remus reached back and made a frantic grasping motion.

"Gryffindor needs another 70 points for the cup." He muttered as Emmeline held out the popcorn.

"60," Emmeline argued.

"60 to win, 70 to be sure!" Remus argued

"And catch the snitch of course," Severus added.

"Obviously." Remus and Emmeline said in unison. Severus snorted.

"You weren't much of a quidditch man when we were young Lupin."

"Got into it later. Pudds for the win." He held up his fist which Emmeline immediately punched in. Severus rolled his eyes.

"The harpies are leagues better than United." He whinged. Emmeline turned to him with a horrified gasp before looking back.

"Grounds for divorce right there," Remus argued as he reached for popcorn again. Emmeline responded by whacking the wolf upside the head.

"He is right though," Emmeline argued with a furious scowl, though her eyes glimmered with mirth. "I simply cannot be with a man with such despicable taste in quidditch teams." Severus hummed as though he wasn't really listening before he held up a pair of binoculars with a frown.

"What on earth is Harry doing?" He asked as he handed the binoculars over, still squinting at the two figures hovering high above the match. Emmeline peered up before she let out a loud laughing scoff.

"Being a horrible copycat!" She cried. She put the binoculars down and smiled at him. "He's flirting."

"Wot?!" Remus cried as he snatched the binoculars away and zoomed in. "My word! Don't tell Minerva, she'll be devastated!"

"Don't tell half the female school population." Emmeline argued with a chuckle, "more than half the girls in fifth year and below have a crush on him." Severus pulled a face. Emmeline rolled her eyes. "Oh you were all 'two years isn't that bad!' over the summer, but the second it's Harry suddenly it's cradle robbing?"

"It's different!" Severus argued.

"Why?"

"Because he's our son!" Severus argued. He stopped as he processed what he'd just loudly declared to the faculty. Charity turned around with a grin before she held out her hands and received her winnings from a very irritated Vector and Sinistra. Albus leaned over with a smile.

"You'll have to get used to the idea of young Harry dating eventually Severus. After all, you'll want grandchildren one day I'm sure."

"When he's thirty-five and has his mastery!" Severus growled back angrily.

"If he wants that," Emmeline argued. "Pretty sure he wants to be a professional quidditch player."

"Or a broom tester." He muttered trying not to sound too disappointed. Emmeline chuckle. Then she took the binoculars back from Remus and trained her eyes on Harry again. The boy was telling some kind of story, complete with gestures. Then he made a move as though he'd lost his balance and had to go back to gripping the broom, which cause Chang to move closer with worry. Emmeline huffed. She knew for a fact that Harry had some of the best hands-free balance she'd ever seen, owing to her coaching him on it over the summer.

"He is toying with that poor girl's heart," Emmeline murmured. Then he started to bring them lower, still talking, but a little more subdued without the gestures. They seemed to be talking about something else now, possibly more academic, as Chang had the same expression on her face that Emmeline often saw in class. They were drifting down by the Ravenclaw goals, still out of the way. Then the Ravenclaw keeper made an excellent save. Cho and Harry both applauded, and Harry even shouted a compliment. The keeper turned to him, a little confused. Then spinnet scored a goal. A cheer rose up and Cho turned to Harry with an affronted shout. Harry smiled back, looking more like James Potter than he had in a very long time and tried for an apologetic shrug. The girl fumed for a bit, then he said something and she blushed. Emmeline snorted. "Definitely not a Slytherin."

"Give me those." Severus snarled as he grabbed the binoculars again. As he continued to watch he let out a growl. "I'm going to give him a stern talking to! he's supposed to be a Gryffindor!"

"One would think you'd hate that!" Remus joked. Severus tossed him a dirty look. Then suddenly three black shapes emerged from behind the Slytherin stands. Everyone in then scattered with a scream, and Chang was off in a flash. Severus stood, tossing away the binoculars and drew his wand. But then Harry lifted his own wand. There was a brilliant flash of white light before an equine… thing burst out and dove right for the three dementors. Severus went slightly slack-jawed, while Remus stood up, beaming.

"He did it! Did you see that?! Corporeal and everything!" He shouted proudly. And then the dementors crashed into the goalposts. "What the-" he picked up the discarded binoculars and scowled. "Severus you better get down there." He said in frustration. Severus took the offered binoculars and instantly went pale and thin-lipped with rage. Then he whirled away, cloak billowing behind. Meanwhile, the game had descended into slight chaos. The Ravenclaw keeper, along with Chang and Bell, were all hovering over the 'dementors' with visible looks of confusion. Harry seemed to be rather stunned at his exceptionally powerful magic. Then suddenly he snapped out of it and motioned to Spinnet and Johnson. Instantly the two rushed the Ravenclaw goalposts and got two goals in before the Ravenclaw keeper even realized what was happening, and by the time he did, Johnson and Spinnet had developed a keen rhythm, and expertly dogged his saves and twists all with wide grins. Harry was crouching lower and lower to his broom, winding up. Then when Chang turned around, saw the rapidly increasing score, saw Harry and her expression grew furious. Harry spared her one last look before the score was 160- 110 Gryffindor and he was off. Emmeline sighed for the poor girl. The firebolt was the fastest clean sweep model on the market. She wouldn't have won even if she'd had a head start. Emmeline had seen Harry following the snitch the whole game, as every moment he took his eyes off Chang, he was checking on the snitch. So as soon as he shot off he was already on the snitch's tail. She turned the binoculars down to the black splodge that was Severus to see him loudly shouting at Draco Malfoy and his two cronies, lifting the blond by his scruffs and shaking him slightly. She almost felt sorry for the boy.

Then Hooch blew her whistle.

"GRYFFINDOR WINS!" She hollered with a sonorous. The red stands erupted into cheers, while the blue slumped down in abject disappointment. Emmeline smiled and stood with the rest of the faculty, save Minerva who looked to be basking in a wave of triumphant glory. She made her way down to the pitch just in time to see Cho Chang marching up to Harry with fury in her eyes.

"Hi," Harry began with a wince "look I-" Cho smacked him. Then she walked away, flushed with anger and a few embarrassed tears. Harry hand a hand over his cheek with a slightly shocked look.

"Should have warned you about that one I see," Emmeline murmured, even as she grinned down at him indulgently.

"Huh?" Harry demanded in confusion, looking a bit stunned. Emmeline chuckle.

"My captain, Walden McNair, thought that my little flirting trick was ever so clever that he suggested one of my male teammates try the same thing with the Hufflepuff puff seeker during our next match. It did work, but once she realized he'd duped her she was none too pleased. That." She motioned to his hand on his cheek, "is the general reaction one receives."

"Oh," Harry said with a wince. Emmeline took pity on him

"She won't be mad forever, Amycus and Sophie ended up dating by their seventh year." Harry sagged in relief. "But I suspect you're going to be receiving a lot of female ire until it blows over." Harry let out a pained groan. "Should have thought of that." Harry winced again. "Let me see then?" Emmeline said with a motherly smile. Harry lifted his hand. "Oh, she got you good."

"It really hurts," Harry murmured.

"Go see your father tomorrow for the bruise." Emmeline offered. "But I think you should leave it for the night. Make sure you don't forget the cost of your victory."

"Speaking of victory!" Remus cried with a grin. "excellent patronus Mr. Potter! Very well done!"

"Thanks!" Harry cried. "I didn't know I had it in me you know! I just did it! Did you see what it was? I couldn't really see it."

"You could always conjure it again."

"I don't think I could," Harry admitted with a sigh. "Maybe after a bit more practice. I think it only succeeded because of adrenaline."

"Understandable," Remus muttered. Suddenly Severus swept up to Harry, expression stormy as he dragged Draco beside him.

"Your cousin," he snarled with a teeth-bared sneer. "Has something he would like to say." Draco looked like he wanted to curl into a ball and hide for the rest of the year, judging by the expression. Harry knew the feeling and instantly felt just a smidge of pity for the young Slytherin.

Only a smidge.

"I'm sorry." The blond said with a tight face. "It was reckless and dangerous and I could have killed you and myself and several others. It was a stupid, immature, tactless prank and I won't ever do it again."

"I don't think dad would let you do it again," Harry muttered trying desperately to keep from laughing. Draco pulled a face like he was going to throw up.

"You have worse cousins than Harry Draco." Emmeline piped up with a roll of her eyes.

"Name one." Draco drawled bitterly.

"Morag McNair," Emmeline responded flippantly. The teen instantly pulled a face.

"Fair point."

"I have a cousin named Morag?" Harry demanded with a grimace.

"No," Severus assured him with a still tight expression.

"Mr. Potter." Albus cried, breaking up the little conference. Hooch was standing near him, with Minerva and the rest of the Gryffindor team. "It is customary for the seeker to help hold the cup aloft."

"After all!" Oliver cried with a beaming smile. "You won us the match!" Harry grinned and rushed over, grabbing the quidditch cup along with Oliver to the still cheering stands. Severus finally released his grip on Draco after one final stern glower, before he watch the proceeding, a tumble of emotions ranging from pride to frustration.

"I'm going to miss that cup in my office," he finally bemoaned, "and Minerva is going to be a nightmare."

Remus and Emmeline threw their heads back and laughed.