A/N:
Written for The Golden Snitch Forum as an entry from the Kaze House at the Mahoutokoro School of Magic.
Prompts Used:
- The NEWS Challenge ft. The Witch, Prophet, Quibbler
Task Guideline # 2 – Write something either in the Quibbler's perspective, about the Quibbler, or a character affected by an article in the Quibbler.
Entry must be at 500 words or more.
- Through the Universe (Challenge)
# 73 Globular Cluster – exploration (word)
Also written for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments Forum.
This story is a reply to the Zoology: Dogs tasks list.
Specifically, Task # 10: Jack Russell Terrier – Write about a daredevil
Word Count Challenge: 300 – 3,500
Actual Word Count: 3,439
The daredevil activities listed here, along with the facts for each, is based on reality. They actually do exists. While I recommend traveling, only try these extremely dangerous hobbies under supervision and with a medical practitioner's permission.
With that disclaimer, I am hoping that you will enjoy this story.
As always, your reviews, follows, and faves make me happy.
THE DAREDEVIL'S FEARS
By: tweety-src-clt9
Harry Potter will be turning forty next month. After twenty years of playing Quidditch professionally, he will be announcing his retirement soon. He is ready to pursue his other passion, teaching. He finally decided to accept the position as Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts. It's time for him, 'the British Daredevil', to give up catching snitches since he's getting too old for the game. Besides, he is the oldest professional Quidditch player in the world to date. Because of that, he asked Luna to write an article about his retirement as the Star Seeker of Puddlemere United.
Luna immediately agreed to his request. Instead of a short news announcement, she suggested that the Quibbler write a feature story. After consulting his wife, he agreed.
He is perusing a copy of the questions Luna sent this morning. It's best to prepare for his interview. There were instructions to prepare pictures of himself that he would like to share. So, he summoned three photo albums.
Harry and Hermione's Adventures.
The Potter Family Album.
The Potter Babies.
He glanced at one particular question, 'As the British Daredevil, you seem fearless. So, we want to know, what are you afraid of Harry Potter?'. He opened the album containing pictures of himself and Hermione during their exploration all over the world and their special moments together.
He smiled at the first page. There were two pictures. The first one is a silhouette shot of himself inside a zorb ball. The sky is filled with colorful hues since the sun is about to set. The second picture is of himself and Hermione. They were standing beside the zorb ball. He had one arm around her shoulders as he kissed the top of her head. She had an exasperated look on her face.
"Darling? Why are you still here in the study?", he lifted his eyes from the pictures and grinned. His wife is standing there, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes, and wearing an emerald silk nightgown hugging her curves perfectly. I really am one lucky bastard, he smirked as his eyes feasted on his wife's body. In her forties, Minister Hermione Potter is still one damn fine woman. Even the much younger Quidditch players idolize him not for his daredevil playing tactics, nor his defeat of Voldemort, but for marrying one of the most influential and the most gorgeous world leaders in wizarding community. Ironically, while he is the oldest professional Quidditch player in the world, his Hermione is also the youngest head of government across magical communities.
"What? Do I have something on my face?", she fidgeted.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about how lucky I am to marry the hottest minister in the world", she only rolled her eyes. Harry tugged on his wife's hand so she ended up on his lap. She laughed when he started tickling her.
"Harry! Stop!", Hermione giggled. Seeing her flushed face, he relented. Wrapping an arm around her, he pressed his lips against her collarbone.
"Help me prepare for my Quibbler feature?"
"What's in it for me?", she said grumpily.
"The knowledge that your poor idiot husband won't make a fool of himself?"
"Fair enough", she huffed playfully and he poked her side.
"Here's the list of questions, love."
"Hmmm…I see. Well darling, I see no trouble here. The questions seem very feasible, not too invasive and not too boring. Why the pictures though?", she wiggled against his lap so that she could position herself to look at him. The innocent motion making him groan. With Hermione, you'll never know if she is seducing you or it's really just innocent. She's been keeping him on his toes for the last fifteen years which makes their relationship interesting and exciting.
"There are questions here that need to be answered with some reminiscing. And the pictures help with that. Besides, Luna says that I should prepare some original photos I could share", he explained.
"Do you remember this, love? Our first vacation together", Hermione's fingers stroked the picture of him inside the zorb ball.
"Of course, I do…It's my most favorite vacation."
"Really?"
"Okay…so our honeymoon trip to Greece is my favorite, since well, you know", he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively which earned him a playful slap on the chest.
"You could be such a horny bloke, Harry Potter", she scoffed.
"Have you seen my wife? Damn fine woman she is! You can't blame me", he kissed her collarbone again.
"Focus, Potter! We need you ready for this interview."
"Seriously love, our New Zealand trip ranks high on my favorite trips of ours. Not only was it our first, it's also the trip that made me realize that I am in love with you, and maybe, I always have been", he said sincerely.
"What?", she gasped and then she yawned.
"Sleep now, my love. I'll be following you in a few minutes", he kissed the top of her head.
"Can't sleep…you're not in bed…miss you…these days", she murmured as her eyes closed. He felt guilty at her words. He's been focused on training the reserve seeker due to his retirement.
He glanced at her and sighed. She was already asleep. He promised to take her somewhere special before the start of term. Along with Teddy and their three little daredevils, they could go somewhere. He wandlessly shrunk the photo albums and the list before inserting them in his pocket. After that, he gently carried his sleeping wife to their bedroom. When he passed the grandfather clock, he winced. It's almost twelve midnight. No wonder Hermione is so sleepy. Being minister is a highly stressful job so she spends long hours in her office and she wakes up early to get a jumpstart on her duties. Along with balancing her duties as loving mother and as his supportive wife, Hermione Potter is really a superwoman.
Finally, he reached the master bedroom. He gently placed Hermione on the mattress as he tucked her in.
"I love you, Hermione. So much", he kissed the top of her head. He quietly moved to his side. Before sitting down, he removed the shrunken items from his pocket. He cancelled the charm and started to peruse the pictures again.
His eyes were glued on the picture of him zorbing in Rotorua, New Zealand taken on August 7, 1998. He remembers this moment very vividly, along with his startling realization about his feelings for Hermione.
Two weeks ago, they have successfully restored Mr. and Mrs. Granger's memories. Hermione is again reunited with her parents. To be honest, he was scared that his best friend's parents would be so angry at their daughter. Or worse, they would not understand and would never forgive her.
It would hurt him so much to see Hermione heartbroken again. She had been hurt recently when Ron decided to not pursue their romantic relationship. Ron claimed that what they had is just due to expectations from people for them to get together and also from his mother's urging. It hurt her but at least Ron was honest at the onset, so their friendship is not affected. Weeks later, Ron showed up at the Burrow telling everyone that he's now dating Susan Bones.
He got scared that Hermione would have a hard time accepting it. When he talked to Hermione in private and she reassured him that she's fine, he sighed in relief. She was sincerely happy for Ron. After that, he accompanied her to Australia for a special mission.
Before leaving Britain, he made a pact with Hermione that they would go on a celebratory vacation if they succeed. Since she was so scared, he suggested that to make her feel better. Besides, he's never been on vacation before and he reckons that seeing the world with the most important person in his life will be a delightful experience.
When her mother suggested that they should check out New Zealand, he was so excited. It will be his first vacation ever. Australia is a mission of sorts but New Zealand is just about getting lost and enjoying the sights.
To Hermione's horror, as soon as they arrived in Wellington, he saw a large billboard containing information about the zorbing site in Rotorua.
When he saw the ad, he immediately begged her to come with him to Rotorua since he wanted to try it out. She acquiesced on one condition that she will only be watching.
Zorbing is a recreation or sport of rolling downhill inside an orb, generally made of transparent plastic. It is generally performed on a gentle slope. It's first played in New Zealand.
So now here he is…
He is done listening to the final briefings from the zorbing area's caretakers. His ball is now being opened for him. He is about to enter when he felt someone tap him on the back. When he turned around, Hermione tackled him with a fierce hug which he eagerly returned.
"Don't you dare die on me because of some stupid sport, Harry Potter! I didn't go through all that trouble with helping you survive Voldemort just so I could watch you die doing some silly little daring thing", she whispered. When they slowly pulled apart, he was startled by the care, worry, and fear in her chocolate brown eyes. It was overwhelming that someone as special as Hermione Granger would feel that way for him.
"I'll be careful, Hermione. I promise", he kissed her forehead.
When she ran to the waiting area, his eyes followed her retreating form. Her wild curly hair being blown by the wind. Her petite frame masking the strength of her heart and determination. Merlin! How could this amazing woman care for him so much?
"You know, you're very lucky your girlfriend loves you very much. Supportive too", one of the ushers remarked.
"Er, she's my best friend. We're not, well, we're not together like that", he blushed.
"If I were you mate, I'd change that status into girlfriend soon. Girls like that are rare. Well, off you go", the usher gestured for him to enter. When he went inside the ball, the usher secured his upper and lower limbs to the fastens. His mind was processing the strong beating of his heart when Hermione hugged him seconds ago.
As he was rolling and rolling down the slope inside the transparent ball, he is recalling all the significant moments he shared with Hermione.
As he got dizzier and dizzier, only one thing is clear.
Shit! I'm hopelessly in love with my best friend!
He could see some pictures of them goofing around during outings, theater shows, and days wherein she randomly attends his Quidditch games. There were photos of them just lounging at 12 Grimmauld Place or her flat. The photo album, Harry and Hermione's Adventures, is an exclusive collection of their pictures after the war.
As he found the next picture, he chuckled. It was a picture of him about to try the AJ Hackett Macau Tower Bungee Jump. He had a shit-eating grin on his face. It was a bloody excellent day for him! Hermione finally consented to be his girlfriend.
After more than a year of hiding his feelings for her out of fear of rejection, during his first major international match of his first season as first seeker for Puddlemere United, he had this crazy idea. He asked for a sign from whatever higher power. If he catches the snitch under one hour, then it is a sign that Hermione will consent to being his. With that motivation, he made his fastest catch in his entire Quidditch career, both at Hogwarts and professionally. He caught the snitch in five minutes and thirteen seconds with a move now popularized as the "Potter Jump". When he saw the snitch flying three feet from the ground, he immediately dashed for it, but when he was about to crash into one of the chasers, he made a crazy leap of faith. He jumped off his broom to escape the collision as he caught the snitch while landing on his feet. The Guangzhou Quidditch Stadium is quiet for some time until everyone cheered that he caught the snitch.
As his team celebrated, he wandlessly casted a sonorous charm on himself. Wandless magic came easy to him after the horcrux on his head got killed. He announced to everyone, a line that to this very day, he will never ever forget, "I love you, Hermione Granger. So much. Be my girlfriend? Please… I'll buy you all the books you want." While the crowd thought it was sweet, well, Hermione didn't think so. She apparated from her seat, punched him on the shoulder, and kissed him on the lips. After that, she whispered to his ear, "If you ever try that crazy move again, I'll break up with you. Merlin, Harry! You're going to kill me with this nature of yours to put yourself in danger!" He twirled her around as the crowd cheered.
After the brief press conference and the courtesy lunch with the team and the sponsors, he and Hermione apparated to Macau to see the place. Hermione wanted to check it out for the culture and art, while he wanted to try the famous bungee jumping site.
Seeing the picture made him laugh since he remembered shouting, "I love you, Hermione Granger!", before making his dive. As he jumped, he heard Hermione scream back, "I can't believe I'm in love with that idiot!"
He smiled as he saw the date on the picture, 15th October 2000. It's one of the happiest days of his life.
He had a wistful smile as he found the picture of him and Hermione paragliding in Interlaken, Switzerland. Both of them are under one parachute as they look at the beautiful Swiss Alps while the sky is so blue and the sun is shining brightly. Hermione had been so scared to try it at first but he reassured her that he will be with her every step of the way. Besides, he whispered that he added magical protections when their guides were not looking.
Despite her initial reluctance and fear of heights, Hermione acquiesced.
This is a very special memory for the both of them but at the same time, it's a very scary moment too. It was at this time that he asked Hermione to share her life with him forever, as his wife.
His mind once again drifted to the memories…
"Love? I hope you're not closing your eyes. The sight is so beautiful. You should never ever miss this", he said.
"Harry, I'm scared. What if we fall and die?"
"At least we die together", he joked.
"Harry!"
"Just kidding!"
"Tell me what you see", she begged.
"I'm not as eloquent as you love. My words won't do it justice."
There was a moment of silence and then he heard her mutter, "Oh my! It's so beautiful!", her voice filled with awe.
"I am so happy to share this view with you. After all we've been through together, there's no one else I'd share this moment with, but you."
"I love you, Harry."
"Marry me, Hermione?"
"Are you serious?!"
"Yes. You know if it's my timing that's wrong, I can ask again la –"
"Of course, I'll marry you! I just feel deprived of the whole kneeling and ring thing", she snorted.
"I'll do that when our paragliding session is over", he reassured her. He was so happy that she said yes.
"You better", she huffed.
After they enjoyed the sight, as soon as they landed on the ground, he immediately got down on one knee, winked at her, and asked the question in an adorably childish voice, "Hermione Granger, bushy-haired know-it-all love of my life, will you please do me the honor of being my wife? Will you marry me?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and kissed him. When they pulled apart, she muttered, "You just had to be cheeky!".
"I already know you'd say yes", he said smugly.
After that, the next pictures were of their honeymoon in Greece. There were so many memories and travels they have made together through the years. He grinned when he saw a picture of the Takabisha, the world's steepest roller coaster in Fujiyoshida, Japan, which he and Hermione rode together when their family spent two weeks of summer there. Since their children are young, even if they were little daredevils themselves, it was only him and Hermione who went for the ride. His eldest daughter, Lillian Joy, took the photo of them by the ride's entrance. She even had a good shot of the entire steep ride. The label on the album says that this photo was taken on the 9th of May 2012.
There were more pictures and then he found another hilarious photo. It was during their US vacation. The Verruckt, the world's tallest waterslide is still open then. This was taken during Hermione's birthday on September 19, 2015.
He was sitting at the front wearing black swim trunks. Hermione's body is wrapped all around him. Her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist. Her chest pressed against his back. She looked scared but she was determined to finish this ride with him.
Hermione always tries her best to join him on his wild and rather dangerous hobbies. He in turn, supports her political career, provides backing for her legal reforms, and he indulges her large book purchases and love for theater.
After that, he looked at the other two albums. The Potter Family Album first, and then he checked out the cute pictures of their crazy brood which comprised of Lillian Joy, Charity Rose, James Sirius, and their older brother figure, Teddy Lupin in the album exclusively filled with the children's faces, The Potter Babies.
For his upcoming fortieth birthday, Harry Potter could not think of anything to ask for. He has been so blessed with the life he built with Hermione after the war. He had his family, good friends, and a great career playing the sport he's always enjoyed.
As he looked at the photos and Luna's questionnaire, he is now certain that he is ready for his farewell interview as the oldest professional seeker in Quidditch history.
The Daredevil's Fears: An Exclusive Reveal-All Interview with Harry Potter
By: Luna Lovegood-Longbottom
Dear readers of the Quibbler, Harry James Potter, who will be turning 40 on the 31st of July this year, will be retiring from playing professional Quidditch soon. He has already played his last match against Bulgaria last month which resulted to England winning the World Cup. He's now busy training his replacement for Puddlemere United and he will be starting as the new Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this term.
The Quibbler is very honored for the trust shown by the British Daredevil for this exclusive feature story on his life after the war, his illustrious Quidditch career, and his future plans.
Read on to learn about the British Daredevil's fears, his point of view when he first made the "Potter Jump", his fear of rejection when he first confessed to being in love with his wife, his fear of asking her father's permission for her hand, his fears as a father given his sad childhood upbringing, and lastly, his fears as he starts his new career as Hogwarts' DADA Professor.
"Harry Potter! I can't believe you confessed to a magazine that you let me control most reins in our relationship", Hermione Potter was aghast as she lightly punched her husband's arm. It's her first time to read the feature article and she can't believe how candid Harry was in answering the questions.
"Love, everyone expects that in the dynamics of our relationship. So why should I lie? Besides, I'm proud to always follow you around. Happy wife, happy life", he retorted as he hugged her closer to him.
"Now people will think I'm always bossy!", she huffed.
"But you are, love, and I still love you", he winked.
"Well that's beside – ", her rants were halted when he sealed her lips in a loving kiss.
When they pulled apart for air, he whispered, "let's go zorbing", which made her laugh. They use the word zorbing as a euphemism for sexy time when around their children.
"Fine! At least this sort of zorbing is not dangerous to you", she snorted.
As he kissed his wife again, he mentally thanked whatever higher power is out there for giving him this wonderful woman who has always supported him from the very start.
THE END