((This is a fanfic based off my fanfic, "In The Background." The idea came to me while playing a good game of ping-pong. So what WOULD happen when Harry tries playing ping-pong? Just a quick one-shot.))
Hailey Potter backed slowly into the house, supporting one side of a bulky box.
"Happy birthday, Harry!" she called joyfully.
"How did you know it was my birthday?" Harry replied, helping his twin sister and brother-in-law with the box. It had been a running joke between them for quite some time. Both Harry and Haailey had had multiple occsions where they would need the other, but those had thinned out with the passing years. "Happy birthday, Hailey," he said onced the box was inside. "So, what wonders from the Muggle world did you brding this time?"
"Now, Harry. I bought this for the whole family, not just you. You have to share it with everyone."
"Can I still see it?" he asked, trying to open the box.
"No. We have to wait for everyone else." She slapped his hand away, noting the scars carved into it. Just then, sparing Hailey a painful trip down Memory Lane, Ginny came in, with the three kids in tow.
James was the first to see the box. As was usual for him, he sprinted over to it, talking very loudly. James never just walked anywhere.
"Now that everyone's here, it's time for the big reveal," Hailey said dramatically, drawing he wand. "Diffindo!" The cardboard box fell away, revealing a simple ping-pong table. With another wave of Hailey's wand, the table set itself up, paddles and all.
Hailey then pulled a single white ball, about the size of a walnut, from her pocket. She threw it to Harry. "Up for a game?"
"You're on," he answered, catching it.
Harry served first. He misjudged the amount of strength needed, and ended up pelting the ball at Hailey's glasses, knocking them crooked. Even though crooked glasses ws a huge pet peeve of hers, Hailey didn't have time to fix them, as she had to duck to avoid Harry's next serve, which rebounded off the wall.
The rest of the day passed fairly quickly. No one, not even the kids, could beat Harry.
Of course, the games had to stop once one of Harry's serves broke a vase.
"What is it with bad sports players and vases?" Ginny had asked, exasperated with her husband. True, he hhad never had much of a childhood, but that never got in thhe way of his Quidditch talent.
((So, what did you all think? Funny, isn't it? No, I'm not explaining Harry's antics. Not yet, anyway.))
Hailey Potter backed slowly into the house, supporting one side of a bulky box.
"Happy birthday, Harry!" she called joyfully.
"How did you know it was my birthday?" Harry replied, helping his twin sister and brother-in-law with the box. It had been a running joke between them for quite some time. Both Harry and Haailey had had multiple occsions where they would need the other, but those had thinned out with the passing years. "Happy birthday, Hailey," he said onced the box was inside. "So, what wonders from the Muggle world did you brding this time?"
"Now, Harry. I bought this for the whole family, not just you. You have to share it with everyone."
"Can I still see it?" he asked, trying to open the box.
"No. We have to wait for everyone else." She slapped his hand away, noting the scars carved into it. Just then, sparing Hailey a painful trip down Memory Lane, Ginny came in, with the three kids in tow.
James was the first to see the box. As was usual for him, he sprinted over to it, talking very loudly. James never just walked anywhere.
"Now that everyone's here, it's time for the big reveal," Hailey said dramatically, drawing he wand. "Diffindo!" The cardboard box fell away, revealing a simple ping-pong table. With another wave of Hailey's wand, the table set itself up, paddles and all.
Hailey then pulled a single white ball, about the size of a walnut, from her pocket. She threw it to Harry. "Up for a game?"
"You're on," he answered, catching it.
Harry served first. He misjudged the amount of strength needed, and ended up pelting the ball at Hailey's glasses, knocking them crooked. Even though crooked glasses ws a huge pet peeve of hers, Hailey didn't have time to fix them, as she had to duck to avoid Harry's next serve, which rebounded off the wall.
The rest of the day passed fairly quickly. No one, not even the kids, could beat Harry.
Of course, the games had to stop once one of Harry's serves broke a vase.
"What is it with bad sports players and vases?" Ginny had asked, exasperated with her husband. True, he hhad never had much of a childhood, but that never got in thhe way of his Quidditch talent.
((So, what did you all think? Funny, isn't it? No, I'm not explaining Harry's antics. Not yet, anyway.))
When Lily died to protect her son, she gave him a unique protection, made of her love for him. While he has this protection, Voldemort could never touchh him without suffering great pain. We were given something similar. By standing together, we keep the story alive.
Many years ago, in the early days of the Potterheads, I read about the Velveteen Rabbit. It had always been one of my favorite stories, next to Harry Potter. In it, I discovered that you make something real by loving it.
We all loved Harry, his family, and his story. It all became real, yet we never noticed. There were subtle hints, yet we never saw them, only now, with the story as we know over, do we see that it all became real. We loved it into reality. It's an old magic Voldemort would never have known. And we learned it from a rabbit.
Many years ago, in the early days of the Potterheads, I read about the Velveteen Rabbit. It had always been one of my favorite stories, next to Harry Potter. In it, I discovered that you make something real by loving it.
We all loved Harry, his family, and his story. It all became real, yet we never noticed. There were subtle hints, yet we never saw them, only now, with the story as we know over, do we see that it all became real. We loved it into reality. It's an old magic Voldemort would never have known. And we learned it from a rabbit.
