the bludger beat [Harry]

[Vivian River Jordan]

31 December 2026

“Yes yes, Happy New Year. Let me go, please, mum!” Vivian finally escaped her mother’s hug (Merlin, the woman still had an iron grip and she hadn’t played Quidditch professionally in at least half a decade), face feeling hot at the public display of motherly affection. She wasn’t five anymore, not that her mum seemed capable of remembering it. No, Viv was a big-shot host at Witch TV now! And big-time hosts certainly weren’t smothered to death by their mothers as they dodged questions about the next time they’d visit home or when they’d be bringing a boyfriend to introduce to the parents. Vivian and Drizzle worked long days, and sometimes long nights. Not that reminding her mum would do a thing to change the relentless stream of questions, anyway. She knew why her mother was being so smothering though, at least. This last full moon had been a whopper, and it had fallen on Christmas. It was a terrible way to spend a holiday, so she knew her parents were trying hard to cheer her up for New Year's.

But she’d finally escaped, so Viv ducked under a McLaggen or two and wove her way across the room towards the refreshments table. She swiftly ignored the punch bowl, remembering all the times she and the Weasley kids had gotten in trouble for spiking it, and knowing that even if she hadn’t done it this year that someone must be carrying on the tradition. Instead, she picked at the sweets on the table, handing off the occasional treat for Drizzle to munch on. The Potters threw a Christmas party every year, which the Jordans dutifully showed up for, but she'd never spent New Year's at the Potter place. The atmosphere was more tense than she expected, and Viv couldn’t quite place her finger on what was causing it. Yet, at least. But the Jordans had always gone to many Potter/Weasley events, so Vivian had years of experience to fall back on and she'd learn the ins and outs of New Years too. It made sense, after all – after the war, Lee Jordan had moved across the country to plant his future family right next to his remaining best friend. Viv had grown up hearing all the stories of her dad and Uncle George’s shenanigans, and it’d become fairly obvious that at least two of the Potter kids had definitely taken after their Weasley heritage. So really, Vivian had always thought of the Potters as Weasleys, and Harry as a member of the family.

And she respected Harry in a way that wasn’t quite the hero worship he must be used to, but like a second uncle who’d earned her dad and Uncle George’s admiration, and therefore hers too. He’d been the first person she’d gone to, even before her dad or the producers at Witch TV, when she’d had the idea to reboot Potterwatch. It felt like the right thing to do, and it’d since turned into a productive relationship. He guest starred on her show fairly often, and she always called to inform him about the wild rumors that would be cropping up on the next segment of Potterwatch. Just in case he had anything silly to contribute. His participation was mostly quite fun, but sometimes they sat down to do something serious too. And the memorial episode last year for the Battle of Hogwarts had been one of her most highly rated. Not that she cared much about that, but good viewership was what kept the lights on, after all. She finally spotted him sulking in the corner, and cheerfully popped over to him with a thousand-kilowatt smile on her face. “You won’t believe the most brilliant idea I’ve had,” she said as a way of greeting, plopping Drizzle into his hands so the puffskein could give a cuter hello than what she was capable of. “Quidditch Through The Ages: The Rap! What better way to honor the sport than by recreating its most awkward and hilarious moments?” She gave him her best hopeful and pleading look. "Mum and Aunt Angelina already said yes," she pointed out.

HARRY JAMES POTTER

[HARRY JAMES POTTER]

Harry sipped mindlessly at a glass of wine from the cellar, his head pleasantly buzzed. He appraised the bustling party before him - and with each sip of his wine, he felt less and less tense. Ginny had of course gone to the moon preparing for the party, and Harry had helped where he was able without stepping on any toes. He'd received numerous glares from both Ginny and Al, but in the end no major fights had broken out.

Ginny was off entertaining someone, and Harry had been left to his own devices. He reveled in the solitude, knowing it wouldn't last very long. Sure enough, Viv approached him, looking the same as always with her puffeskein on her shoulder. Viv had taken much after her father, with a knack for commentating on real life events and making them humorous and relatable. Harry blinked, and surveyed the girl who was as good as his niece. "Viv," greeted Harry with a slight incline of his head. He tried to wrap his mind around the million words that escaped her mouth, and instead took another lazy sip of his wine.

"What has a rap got to do with it?" asked Harry at last, feeling rather silly for having to voice his question. "Like... a song? Maybe you should talk to Ginny, she's the retired professional," Harry replied evasively. He glanced at the puffeskein that glared back at him. His brow crumpled in confusion. "Everything okay with Drizzle? I feel like I'm getting attitude," mumbled Harry.

Vivian River Jordan

[Vivian River Jordan]

It wasn’t quite right to say that the party didn’t have a festive mood, because there were still plenty of people enjoying themselves. Viv could hear her dad and Uncle George roaring with laughter in a nearby corner, no doubt exchanging wild stories about Hogwarts and showing off their newest invention (soon to hit the shelves at Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes!) for an eager crowd. And beyond the small knot of people that had gathered around them, it was easy to spot children chasing after the floating appetizers and one of the Weasleys juggling ornaments by the tree. Vivian didn’t see Albus’s sour face anywhere nearby, but she figured there were enough ways to spot him when he finally deigned to show up. Namely the little rain cloud of depression that seemed to follow him everywhere.

No, the party was as lovely. It was Harry Potter that looked like someone had spiked his wine with some depressing draught. He’d never been as loud and outspoken as some of the Weasleys, but she’d always remembered him in a good mood and ready for mischief. This new depressed Harry Potter was something new, and Viv didn’t like it. She kept a bright smile on her face as she plopped Drizzle into his hands, because Drizzle just oozed charisma and could make anyone like her. It didn’t seem to work, though, and Harry exchanged a morose look with the puffskein silently fuming in his hands. “What hasn’t a rap got to do with it?” she responded excitedly, her eyes shining in that Ravenclaw mad scientist way whenever she got a new idea. “It’s fun, it’s catchy, and you can’t say nobody will remember the first recorded foul in history when they see it rapped by Uncle George.” She nodded her head matter-of-factly like she’d just said something plainly obvious.

Her eyes glanced down at her puffskein as Harry pointed out the obvious attitude, and Drizzle made a mewl of complaint as if to agree. “Well, duh,” she said, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. She’d just discovered a mystery, and Vivian could never let anything go. She considered it one of her many indescribably magnetic qualities, although she knew it annoyed the bejeezus out of some people. “Drizzle’s great, she's perfect, you’re being the Moaning Myrtle here,” Viv pointed out as she took back her puffskein before Drizzle could think about snapping at him with her tongue. She deposited her beloved pet back on her shoulder and shot Harry an inquisitive look. “So? Out with it, HP. What’s got you looking like Cormac McLaggen just cornered you for a riveting discussion on everything you've done wrong in life?”

HARRY JAMES POTTER

[HARRY JAMES POTTER]

Harry eyed Viv with a level of disdain. "The Weird Sisters don't rap," he murmured without real gumption. Drizzle glared up at Harry and he frowned. What had he done to warrant this attitude? First from Ginny and Al, now from Drizzle. Could he get a break? Harry drained his goblet and searched mindlessly for another one. Anything to forget the lingering weight on his shoulders.

But Viv was going off again. Harry had to admit to himself that he wasn't really following along. "Don't you compare me to her," said Harry sharply. He dragged a hand through his hair as Viv demanded that he come out with it and explain what had him looking so morose. The mention of McLaggen had him cringing. He considered dodging the question, but he knew Viv. She wouldn't let it go and would haunt him much like Moaning Myrtle until he explained. So with a sigh, Harry spoke.

"Ginny and Al are unhappy with me. Still for the whole... disappearing act," he muttered, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. He didn't exactly want to be overheard - support was tenuous enough. "I feel like I can't do anything right. And I don't know why there are sides, but Ginny has taken Al's side, and Al's side is always against me." He frowned, his bottle green eyes scanning the room. "I was trying to protect them."

Vivian River Jordan

[Vivian River Jordan]

Harry’s morose comment about the Weird Sisters earned an eye roll from Viv and a small scoff. “The Weird Sisters are ancient,” she shot back quickly, “Like, last century ancient. Some of us are trying to make a living here in this century!” That was only half the reason, though. Sure, everybody wanted to be hip and relevant and go with the flow. No doubt about that. But Viv didn’t do stunts like that for nice and practical reasons, like higher ratings or the possibility of going viral. No, she did things just because she could. Because they made her happy, and she liked to walk around with a smile on her face knowing she could do what she loved. So, did she need to put together a rap of Quidditch Through The Ages? No, but she wanted to and that was enough for her. Harry’s skepticism at the thought didn’t dissuade her from the original plan, or her relentless optimism that she was going to wear down that ‘maybe’ into a ‘yes.’

She couldn’t blame him for being grumpy at the comparison to Moaning Myrtle, although it did seem to accomplish her objective and help open him up a bit. After a heavy sigh and a moment’s pause, Harry spoke in a jaded mutter that let her know he’d given up on trying to look happy tonight. A rare frown flit across Viv’s face as she considered his loaded words, and she chewed on her lip thoughtfully as she processed them. Oh yeah, it was definitely a tricky subject. Vivian wasn’t exactly plugged into all the behind-the-scenes stuff, whatever had caused Harry to disappear and all the semi-illegal stuff he must be up to since coming back. But she’d seen the impact his disappearance had had on his family, and she’d been there for James and Lily and even surly Al a little bit.

“I’m sure you did your best,” Viv said comfortingly to start her response off on a positive note. With that, though, she put a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at him. “But you were kind of an arse in how you went about doing it. They got a lot of ugly questions about it, and everybody thought you were dead. They had to mourn and move on and then, oh look! It wasn’t even real.” Drizzle gave a little grumble from her shoulder and Viv ran a comforting finger over her puffskein’s little head. For some strange reason, Drizzle had a terrible grudge against Harry and James too. “Now all that said,” Viv went on without missing a beat, “Al’s a twat. So no wonder the little snake can’t see how much you had to give up too. Seems like a walk through the Pensieve and your shoes would be right good for him.”

HARRY JAMES POTTER

[HARRY JAMES POTTER]

Harry glared at Viv. "Last century was twenty odd years ago, mind you. And some of the best music ever comes from last century," he replied, but his long face finally cracked into a smile. He'd felt so lost and ultimately like he couldn't do anything right. He'd tried to protect his family and received infinite backlash. Harry wasn't typically the sort to sulk in his own sorrow, but he'd allowed himself to mope for the past few months. He explained his situation to Viv, hoping for a fresh perspective.

Harry should have known better.

Perhaps it was good for her to soften the blow with a positive reassurance before completely digging into him. "It's been nearly a year. I did what I could. I apologised. If I could go back in time and change my actions, I would never have gone. It wasn't worth it," said Harry heavily. "I'd never want to have to mourn any of you. I know I can't imagine what it was like for them, but I also know that with all the time turners destroyed, I can only be better in the future," said Harry dully. He sighed deeply, snatching a glass from a passing tray and sinking it dutifully.

Drizzle grumbled discontentedly at Harry's continued audience with Viv. He narrowed his bottle green eyes at the little creature, before returning his attention to Viv. "That's my son you're calling a twat. Only I get to say that about him," said Harry, a ghost of a smile playing at his thin lips. "But don't tell Ginny, she'd literally kill me. And make it stick this time," he added in a conspiratorial whisper. "You don't come around enough," said Harry after a moment, his eyes flickering fondly. How could he have forgotten just how much of Lee, Fred and George was in her?

Vivian River Jordan

[Vivian River Jordan]

Viv cracked a grin at Harry’s lightning-quick (pun intended, but at least she’d moved on from calling him Scarface at every possible opportunity) defense of ‘last century music.’ There were some retro trends that were starting to come back into style after enough time in the graveyard where passing fads went to die, and enough time might have passed for Harry’s childhood obsessions to have been considered cool again by the youngsters. Still, there was a time and place to admit defeat – and a party with witnesses (including two pesky Potter eavesdroppers and their emo brother) wasn’t the place to do it. “Okay boomer,” she agreed cheekily, enjoying the smug satisfaction that came with sparring via memes (and knowing you were better at it than your poor unfortunate opponent).

But the other topic of conversation was slightly uncomfortable and a bit of a downer, even if bashing Albus Potter was one of Viv’s favorite hobbies in life. He made it so easy too, being the sensitive porcelain boy that he was. It wasn’t even the fact that he was a classic Slytherin or not quite as good at anything as his older brother – no, couldn’t he just smile every now and then? Take the joke and move on? But Viv chided herself in going off-topic, even in her own mind, and focused on the weighty words Harry was sulkily admitting to her. “You’re right,” Viv finally said, lacking her usual sarcasm or mischievous grin as she said the words. It didn’t feel like the right time to joke, for once. “But come on HP, we’re not dealing with facts here. You’ve got people in your life that feel things, and feelings don’t always make sense. There’s nothin’ to do about it but let them choose when to move on.”

Merlin, if she had a knut for every time she’d said that to a Ravenclaw at school. Viv wasn’t really the typical Ravenclaw in that sense, she knew that. Yeah sure, she had that mad scientist spark that led to truly wonderous yearbook-worthy moments (and she’d always treasure the memory of Penny Copper struggling to answer questions in Charms class without using the letter e -- and that spell had taken her weeks to master). But besides that, she wasn’t book-obsessed or allergic to people like some of her good ole House mates (like a certain blonde in her year who always had a glitter bomb with her name on it whenever they crossed paths). No, she liked to be sensitive when it came to people, dig through the problem until she found what they were lacking and what they needed. And it felt strange saying all this to Harry now instead of a sniffling first-year – but really, she knew the Potters and Weasleys like they were her own family. So she felt especially qualified to give unsolicited advice in the subject.

She turned her nose up at Harry’s (obligatory, even if transparently untrue) criticism about her choice words for Al. “Remind him to use those smile muscles while you’re at it, then. He’s not gotten paid to be a sour apple all the time, has he?” Not that she’d be much surprised – Al was so unused to getting attention that he’d probably bend over backwards to please the first person to notice him. It was a bit sad when she thought about it like that, but Viv had plenty of her own problems to tackle first. Starting with the thin smile she gave at Harry’s last observation. It had only been a few days since the last full moon, and she still felt a bit peaky after the fact. Tired, like even existing simply drained the energy out of her. It kept her anchored at home for far more time than she would have liked. But she did wish she could see the Potters more than she got around to these days. “I’m at the pub plenty,” she pointed out, “Distracting your bartenders and begging free drinks, of course.” Merlin, she and Yas did know how to cheer the place up. Even if it wasn't the same thing as joining up to a family dinner, and when was the last time she'd done that?

HARRY JAMES POTTER