Summer after PoA
"Boy!"
Harry drops the rake, heading inside to hear what the yelling is all about.
"Yes, Uncle Vernon?"
"Marge can't make it, the dog sitter she hires broke his leg, so we'll be going up to visit her for a few days instead. Now I want no funny business while we're gone, you hear. There'll be a list of chores on the fridge and enough canned food for you to get by."
Later that evening
Laying in bed, Harry can't believe it. The rest of the week, with no Dursleys around. Looking at the sheet of paper in his hand, now if only the Dursleys hadn't left such a ridiculous list of chores for him to do. "I'll be strapped for time getting all of this done, sigh would be great to have a house elf like dobby arou-
"Great Master Harry Potter Sir calls for Dobby??"
"Dobby!?" What are you doing here!?"
"Harry Potter sir be callings for Dobby, Dobby always bes listening for Great Harry Potters call he is"
"Uhm wow, ok then"
Harry looks at list,"Do you think you could help me with this?"
Dobby rips the list from Harry's hand, reads it and speeds off shouting back,"Is be done by morning!"
The next day
"What to do with all this free time?" Calling for the night bus, Harry heads to London for the day, after wondering around, finds his way into an arcade.
He notices a small crowd hovering over two of the racing seats. One seat occupied by a guy around his age, and the other clearly a young woman, though he can't make out her features with the hoodie she is wearing pulled up.
He watches her beat the guy in the race, and overhears a kid say it's the 12th person in a row she's beaten. Harry's inner competitiveness kicks in and he wants a try.
Taking the place of the guy, he puts in the coins, says Hi to the girl, but gets no response. Getting the hint, he looks forward.
The race begins, and even though he's never driven before, the controls are straightforward, and it turns out, broomriding translates well to racing.
They are neck and neck, after a tight chicane, he overtakes her, the group crowding around them gets worked up.
Suddenly feeling really hot, his hair's standing on end, the survival instinct that has gotten him safely out of an acromantula nest and a basilisk is screaming at him, not noticing the heat is coming from the girl next to him. Harry soldiers on, ignoring the subconscious warning.
She is drafting him, on the final stretch she goes for the pass, but he knows this move, seekers do it all the time, using the opponent to take the wind for you, only to slip out and pass. So he shifts to the side and blocks her pass.
He passes the finish line before her. Winning the race.
High on the victory, smiling, he turns his head to speak to his opponent, but his voice gets stuck. She is squeezing the wheel tight enough that her knuckles have gone white.
She's angry.
He hears her speak for the first time.
"AGAIN" Her voice is accented, and even though he can hear the anger, he can't help but think her voice is beautiful.
"uhm, sure", Harry answers her.
He puts the tokens in, and they race again.
It's close, but he beats her.
Clearly it was not a fluke.
"AGAIN" He hears.
They race 3 more times, all of which, Harry comes out on top. The room is getting hotter and hotter.
Harry looks over at her, and for a second could have sworn he saw a feather peaking out of her sleeve.
She stands up and storms off.
"Wait!" Harry calls out after her, but she's already through the crowd, and by the time Harry gets through, she's gone.
Champions arrival, night of the feast
"Blimey Harry, have you had a look at those french birds?"
"Honestly Ronald" Scolds Hermione
Harry looks over to the Ravenclaw table, and notices, one of the French students is staring at him.
She's beautiful.
Hermione calls for Harry's attention. Turning back, he resumes the conversation with them.
Are you wanting the Bouillabaise? Harry hears from behind him.
That voice, he turns back, and even having never seen her face that day, she feels familiar, too familiar.
"Uh, sure, take it" he answers, handing the bowl to her.
Before she walks back.
"Wait, uhm, you wouldn't happen to like racing by any chance?" He asks
She stares at him intensely, almost predatory, he starts feeling hot, really hot. The air is warmer.
She smirks at him, and heads back to the Ravenclaw table.
"What was that about?" Hermione asks looking back and forth at him and the ravenclaw table.
"Nothing" He turns back to his food. Looking down, hiding his smile.