October 6th, 1997 New York
Pansy was feeling rather lazy that day as she lay with her feet in Harry's lap on the couch. He wasn't paying much attention though as he was firmly engrossed in his video game.
On the one hand, it was slightly annoying to her. But at the same time, she was pleased by how happy he was. There had been a story about how the Dursleys had bought their awful son a Nintendo and then later a Super Nintendo and how Harry had of course never been allowed to even think of playing with either one, and so that meant that of course she had caved when he wanted to buy a Playstation.
And now he was absorbed in Final Fantasy 7.
She wasn't sure if she should be proud or disgusted with how easily he had manipulated her into feeling so sorry for him that she had sat down and watched him play with his new toy. But, if he didn't stop killing these weird looking monsters and get on with the plot soon, she was tempted to start bothering him.
"Harry," she grumbled.
"I only need about three more fights, then I'll have enough money saved to-"
"Ugh." Pansy was about to tune him out when there was a knock at the door. "You didn't order room service or something, did you?"
"Why would we need room service?" Harry scoffed. "We've got Dobby."
"I'll see who it is."
She got up, smirking to herself as he grumbled about her feet briefly knocking the controller out of his hands, and strolled over to the door. Opening it, she found a middle aged man dressed in a business suit. "I think you've got the wrong room."
"Mrs. Potter?"
"Yes?" She raised an eyebrow at whoever this man was and the fact that he seemed to know her identity.
"My name is Bill Winters," he said as he extended a hand, which she glanced at rather than shaking. "I'm with the American government, and I've been asked to speak with you and your husband briefly. May I come in?"
"The government wants to talk to a couple of tourists?" Pansy asked as she remained in place, not yet letting the man enter. Thankfully, Harry seemed to be paying attention as well as she heard him mute his game and come over to stand behind her.
"Only when the tourists in question are world famous for their deeds," Winters replied as he looked over her shoulder. "Mr. Potter, I hope we can speak amicably for a few minutes. However, because of who you are, and relatedly who I work for, this would be better done in private."
"Alright," Harry said and Pansy stepped aside to let him enter. "What part of the government exactly do you work for?"
Winters waited for the door to close before he slowly withdrew his wand from his jacket pocket. "A little more privacy, assuming you don't mind?"
Pansy noticed her husband keeping a close eye on their visitor's potential weapon even as he nodded.
"Excellent," Winters murmured before he cast a couple of spells to keep anyone from listening in. "For my part, I think of myself as a diplomat first and foremost, and that is why I am here. More specifically, I am here because the two of you have remained here in New York for so long. If you had moved on after a couple of weeks or even a month, there wouldn't have been any need for a conversation.
"But the fact that you're still here makes it seem as if you may be considering something more permanent," Winters finished. "That's the main reason for my visit."
Harry glanced at her and gave a brief shrug, so Pansy answered. "We have been thinking of moving here permanently. Perhaps not in the city itself, though. So, the American government is interested in Harry?"
Winters chuckled. "I think any magical government would at least be interested in having someone world famous show up in their country, but admittedly, some of my colleagues are even more interested because of your skills, Mr. Potter."
Harry took a seat in the little kitchen area and sighed. "Which skills?"
"Well, I have to admit that there are some who would be either worried about or covetous of your experiences with Voldemort and his Death Eaters," Winters replied. "However, those types are also quite paranoid, so while I'm sure they might someday offer you a job, for now they're more concerned that you won't be getting into any violent situations."
"Hopefully, I'm done with all that," Harry shrugged. "As long as people leave Pansy and me alone, anyway."
"For all our sakes, I hope that you won't have any cause to have to fight again," he agreed. "There are a few issues we could run into, as far as you two wanting to immigrate here. Legally, you're both still minors, at least by our standards, until you turn eighteen. Even by British standards, Mr. Potter, you married before you turned seventeen, and that leaves us with a few little snags that we'll need to work out."
"So, what are you suggesting?" Pansy asked. He had to be there for a reason, after all, and they clearly wanted something.
Winters smiled briefly. "We can force through paperwork to fix these problems, and I've been given leave to offer to do so. However, my orders also included the fact that I am to ask for a... favor of sorts in return."
Harry looked over at her as he sighed. Pansy spoke up. "What sort of favor?"
"Mister Potter, in my research about you, I've found your quidditch records," Winters replied. "You're something of a prodigy, it seems. A perfect record going all the way back to eleven years old. It seems there were a few scouts wanting to approach you once you were closer to finishing at Hogwarts. But now that you're here in America-"
"Some team has their own diplomat?" Pansy asked.
Winters chuckled. "Not exactly. You see, the next World Cup is coming up soon, and unfortunately, our nation is quite a bit outmatched compared to most of the European countries. Too much quodpot, I suppose. Therefore, I am here to see if we can talk you into joining our team."
"Even though I'm British?" Harry wondered. "Isn't that a problem?"
"Not if we push your immigration through," Winters replied with a smirk. "I must admit that it would be something of a coup as well, pulling something over on them as it were."
"Especially with someone already world famous like Harry," Pansy added.
"True," Winters agreed.
She looked across the room and saw her husband sigh. Pansy wasn't too surprised by that. "I'm already famous enough."
"If this is an attempt at blackmailing Harry," she began as she scowled at the interloper. "You might want to rethink your strategy. We can always find somewhere else to live. I'm sure we'd have plenty of offers, and I know we'd have plenty of help in France."
Winters held up his hands. "I don't mean for this to come off as blackmail. Think of it as a negotiation. What can we do for you that might make you take us up on this offer? I merely mentioned it because most people would be thrilled at the chance to do something they enjoy on such a high level."
Harry had turned his head and was staring off at nothing in the living room. At least, Pansy thought that was what he was doing. She didn't think he could see the television from there, but it was possible that he was wanting to just go back to his silly video game.
Instead, he finally muttered, "I do like playing quidditch. I'm not sure if it's something I'd want to do as a job though."
"Mister Potter, if I may be frank," Winters spoke up. "I am fairly certain you would be a big step up from our previous seeker. Our national team is not likely to even make it into the tournament at this point. But your presence could be a morale boost. Merely playing in the qualifying matches could bring a big boost to our program."
"So, you're not wanting a big commitment then?" she asked.
"In an ideal world, I'd love to see you carry us all the way to a championship," he admitted. "However, I am a realist. A single victory would be a huge improvement; getting us out of the qualifying rounds would be a miracle."
"How much time does the national team spend on training and practice?" Pansy asked.
"Not as much as some of our fans might like them to," Winters chuckled.
Harry smiled at that. "That's actually a plus to me. I am still technically on my honeymoon, you know?"
"Will you do it?"
Seeing Harry thinking it over, Pansy decided to interject. "What else can you offer us?"
The diplomat turned to her. "What would you like?"
"Further help with immigration for any of our friends," she answered. Parvati would likely jump at the chance, and Pansy thought that Luna might consider it as well. "As well as any other paperwork issues that we may run into."
"I could do that," Winters said. "We will likely need you to come sign some papers next summer, once you're both eighteen, and I wouldn't recommend trying to buy a house until then. But other than that, I doubt there would be any problems that I couldn't handle."
"Will we be dealing directly with you?" Pansy asked.
"Yes," he nodded. "It's simpler for us both that way."
"Do I at least get paid for this?" Harry groaned.
"Yes," Winters replied. "Although as rich as you supposedly are... well, the salaries start at one thousand dollars per game, but depending on if you start (which I think you will) and if you are able to secure the snitch, you could be looking at five or even ten times that much with a victory. If we were somehow to make it further into the World Cup, the prize money would go up quite a bit."
"When would these matches start?" Harry asked.
"The team will be heading to Peru near the end of November," Winters answered. "After that, there will be a break until late January."
"What's that place in Peru that you wanted to see?" Pansy asked.
"Machu Picchu," Harry said.
"We could visit it, I suppose," she shrugged. "Make it part honeymoon and part work."
Harry scratched his head for a moment and turned to Winters. "Let me think about it."
Winters nodded and pulled out a card. "I'll leave my number so you can get back in touch with me."
Pansy took it from him and he smiled at her. "Mrs. Potter, Mr. Potter, thank you for your time today."
Once she showed him out, Harry exhaled and walked back over to the couch, picking his game controller back up.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked.
"I guess there are worse things I could do," he shrugged. "What did you think of that guy?"
"Assuming he wasn't hiding anything," Pansy murmured. "Never trust a politician."
"Bones wasn't too bad," Harry replied.
"She did use you to help make her look good," Pansy countered. "After how bad Fudge was, getting results so soon once she'd taken office, I think Amelia Bones was thrilled to have you basically deliver Voldemort up on a silver platter. Now she's bound to have all sorts of good will that she can use for the rest of her term, assuming she doesn't turn into a complete moron."
"Eh, she can have it," he waved that off. "At least she helped when we had to rescue Xeno. That's a fair enough trade for me."
"I guess," Pansy said. "We'll make the Americans sweat for awhile though, right?"
Harry smiled. "Of course."
October 24th, 1997 Hogwarts
Parvati was laying on her bed and contemplating whether or not she could force herself to work on her essay for Charms when Lavender's voice drew her attention.
"Why don't you take up Dean on his offer?" she asked. "He's cute."
Parvati sighed. "Sure, he's cute, but I just don't think I'm ready to try to date someone right now."
"Ugh, don't tell me you're still hung up on Harry," Lavender said with a grimace. "That can't be healthy."
"I never said it was," Parvati snorted as she set her textbook aside and looked at Lavender's outfit that she was putting together for the next day.
"What do you think?"
"I think Ron will be pleased," she replied.
Lavender giggled. "He better be."
"Did I hear you shaving your legs?" Parvati asked.
"Why can't there be a permanent spell for that?" Lavender wondered. "Someone should come up with one, don't you think?"
"That would be handy."
"I was actually looking in the mirror earlier and considering a little hair removal somewhere else," Lavender teased before starting to laugh. "It might be good incentive for someone to be a good boyfriend."
"Is that why Ron's wrapped around your little finger?" Parvati grinned.
"Not yet, but it could be," her best friend smirked in response.
"You're the worst," Parvati shook her head and looked back at her own clothes. The next day was a Hogsmeade trip, and she always could change her mind. Maybe spending a little time with Dean wouldn't be such a bad idea.
"I can't believe you haven't picked out an outfit yet," Lavender said. "Don't tell me you're going to sit around here all day. Not even Hermione does that."
"I guess... maybe I could walk around with Dean a bit, just to see-"
Lavender squealed in delight and pounced to hug her. "That's more like it. Let's find something for you to wear."
October 25th, 1997
Luna was skipping on her way to the Great Hall for breakfast when she spotted Romilda and a few of her friends approaching from the opposite direction. She waved and said, "Good morning, Romilda."
"Morning, Luna," Romilda said before letting out a cute little yawn. "Are you looking forward to Hogsmeade?"
"Could I speak with you in private for a minute?"
Romilda nodded and told her friends she would meet them for breakfast in a few minutes.
Luna walked over to an alcove and cast a privacy spell. "I was wondering what you wanted out of this relationship. We've only met up in private so far, and if that's as far as you're willing to go, that's fine. I would just like to know where I stand."
Romilda had begun blushing almost as soon as Luna started speaking and it took her a moment to form a response. "I... I don't know, Luna."
"Is it because I'm a girl? Or because I'm me?" she asked. Years of friendship with Harry and Pansy had helped a lot, but she was aware that many people would still point to her as an oddball and not want to be around her. Luna might be strange, but she was no fool.
"I like you," Romilda answered as she frowned slightly. "I'm just not ready yet. Other people would... I don't know."
She gave a frustrated shrug and Luna understood. Not everyone was as comfortable in their own skin as she was.
"Alright. Let me know if you change your mind."
Romilda slumped for a second and then took a step towards her. "We could meet up later. Maybe after dinner?"
"I'll be in the library," Luna grinned. "I'm sure I could tutor you on one subject or another."
Unfortunately, later that day, Parvati's potential romantic outing did not pan out.
She got to breakfast a bit late that day and by the time she had finished her meal, people were already lining up to go to Hogsmeade. Lavender was pulling her along as they hurried to join their classmates when she came to an abrupt halt.
"Oh no."
Dean was chatting with a younger girl from Hufflepuff and he had his arm around her.
Parvati huffed and stormed over to them. "I thought you wanted to spend today with me."
Dean frowned briefly at her glare. "Well, I thought you weren't interested. I asked you last Sunday, you said maybe and left me hanging all week. You never said a word until now, so-"
"Forget it," Parvati sighed. "Have fun."
As she turned away, Lavender was quick to give her a hug once they were out of ear shot. "I'm sorry about that."
"It's probably for the best," she shrugged.
"You can do better than him anyway," Lavender insisted as they walked over to where Ron was waiting. She looked at her boyfriend. "Isn't that right?"
"Isn't what right?" he asked.
"That Parvati can do better than Dean," Lavender answered while she gave him a very firm look.
Thankfully for Ron, in this case, the message wasn't even needed. "Yeah, he's a wanker."
Parvati snickered. "You're just saying that because he broke up with your sister last spring."
Ron grinned unrepentantly. "She was too good for him too. That's why I can easily say that Dean's wanker."
"Do you guys mind if I spend a little while with you?" Parvati wondered. "I'll give you some space later- I don't want to be a third wheel all day."
"Sure," Lavender replied. "We'll put a smile on your face."
"I probably need to talk to Padma later anyway," Parvati said. "I'm going to have to figure out something to do about the winter break one of these days."
When they got to the carriages a moment later, they saw Luna petting one of the thestrals. Even now that many students could see them, most still gave the creatures a wide birth due to their reputation. She waved as they came near.
"Hey, Luna," Parvati said. She guessed that the odd blonde might be feeling a bit lonely.
"Hello." She handed the thestral what looked like a piece of jerky. "I was just thanking Clarence for giving us rides today."
"Do you want to join us for the ride?"
"Yes, thank you."
Lavender nudged Ron in the side and he helped the girls climb up into the carriage.
"Have you talked to Harry and Pansy lately?" Parvati asked. Lavender and Ron shared a suspicious look at that topic of discussion.
"Just Pansy," she replied. "Harry was too busy playing some game when we spoke. She said it in a funny, teasing sort of voice though, so I believe she was razzing him a bit."
"Are they still in New York?"
"Yes," Luna said. "I believe they've decided to live there."
"Permanently?" Lavender cut in.
"It seems so," Luna answered. "I'm not too surprised. Harry's not a fan of the public adoration that he receives here on the magical side of things. From what I've gathered, magical society in America is much more spread out, so they aren't likely to run into many witches or wizards there."
"And it's not like he saved their country," Ron added. "I can't say I blame him for not wanting to deal with all the fans and everything that he'd find here."
"Well said, Ronald," Luna smiled softly.
"Thanks," he blushed and shrugged. "Sometimes I think about how I could have handled things differently. Maybe Harry and I would have stayed friends if I hadn't been so jealous and everything."
"You've grown up since then," Luna replied.
"Quite nicely too," Lavender teased as she leaned against her boyfriend.
Meanwhile, in New York...
"Disk three, here I come," Harry grinned as he turned on the Playstation.
"You've got an hour while I take a shower and get ready," Pansy said as she sat her empty cup by the sink. "But we are not just sitting here all weekend while you play your video game."
"I know," he muttered.
"An hour, Harry!" she yelled as she headed off to the bath.
"It's raining out," he called back.
"Fine, two hours then!"
Harry grinned as he heard the water start running. "I love you too, babe!"