Got One Hundred Steps to Go (Tonight I'll Make it Ninety Nine)

21

Hogwarts jumped into the new term feet first the next morning. Classes started right off, and soon enough, most of the students were starting to get used to the flow once more.

Sirius and Remus were once more huge hits as professors; all of the students agreed by the end of the first day that those two were fun and made class interesting. They hadn't had Sirius as a Transfiguration professor before, but he was just as knowledgeable on that subject as he had been on Defense.

The first few days were challenging, as it had been a while since the students had had to sit in a classroom.

By midweek, however, it was almost as if the lengthy break hadn't taken place. One thing that Harry had been thinking about was Quidditch. It wasn't possible to play out the rest of the season, but he thought they should still get a chance to have a few games. He spoke with Ron about it, and the redhead agreed wholeheartedly, so Wednesday after supper, Ron and the other Quidditch Captains went to the headmistress' office to discuss the possibility of playing.

Minerva heard them out, and then nodded her agreement. "You are correct that it wouldn't be feasible to finish the season," she commented. "Even if we could hold all the games in the next few months, you will all be busy with your classes, and I do not want extracurricular activities to take you away from your studies. However, I do believe it would be beneficial to re-form the teams, and allow you to play. How about if we hold a tournament of sorts across two weekends in June, where all teams will play each other. You may hold practices until then, but please limit it to no more than twice a week. Does that sound acceptable?"

The Captains agreed that it was, and were excited to still have a chance to play. They immediately returned to their common rooms to share the news with their teams.

XXX

The rest of April and May passed relatively quickly, with classes and homework taking the lead. Quidditch teams began practicing once more, and though they were a little rusty, after a few practices, the teams managed to find the groove that they had been in before the attack in December.

Minerva pulled Harry aside a couple of weeks into May, and informed him that she had contacted a few professional Quidditch scouts, and they would be attending the games in June.

Harry passed the information along to the other Quidditch players, who were all excited by the prospect, especially Ron and Ginny. Though Ginny still had another year, this was a chance for scouts to see what she could do, and potentially remember her when she graduated next year.

With the knowledge that scouts would be there, Ron doubled his efforts as Captain, and had them practicing twice a week for as long as he could get away with. He also spent most of his down time, when not completing homework, working on strategies and plays for the team to try at the next practice.

Harry didn't think he wanted to play professionally, though he did recognize that he had a good shot at getting an offer. He loved the game, but he enjoyed playing it in a non-competitive setting more. He much preferred the pick-up games he had played with his friends over holidays, to the school games he had participated in over the last few years. That wasn't to say he didn't enjoy playing at school, he just liked the more relaxed atmosphere. He didn't want to start playing professionally, and have all the fun leech out of the game.

He was still considering his post-graduation options, but liked the idea that Ginny had presented him with, as it would allow him to be with his wife while she completed her schooling. After that, he wasn't sure, but he did know he wanted to take some time off to relax and unwind, after spending so much of his life being hunted by a Dark Lord.

XXX

With the busy schedule, school was passing with alarming speed. Before most students even realized it, June had rolled around, and it was time for the much anticipated Quidditch tournament. It had been decided that the team with the most points at the end of the tournament would be awarded the Quidditch Cup, regardless of any games that had been played the previous term. All four teams agreed that that was fair.