A new week had begun, and students were already buzzing with gossip. Lately, Sullivan had been seen quite often with a stunning white-haired witch, and everyone was speculating about their relationship.
"She has to be Professor Su's girlfriend," Ron declared excitedly. "She's gorgeous—just the kind of girl I'd picture him with!"
"Ron, why are you so worked up? It's not like she's your girlfriend," Harry teased.
Ron puffed out his chest. "Hey, I'll definitely land a girlfriend that hot one day."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You two are unbelievable. Do you even know how old Professor Su is? He's thirty-one! How could he date someone so young?"
"Why not?" Harry shrugged. "There's this old guy named Horn on my street whose wife is a full twenty years younger than him."
"Yeah," Ron added, "wizards live way longer than Muggles anyway. A ten-year age gap is basically nothing."
This time, Hermione didn't argue. She knew that even in the Muggle world, older men with much younger wives were fairly common.
Just then, Gryffindor's Quidditch captain, Oliver Wood, came striding over. He grabbed Harry by the arm. "Harry! You ready? Saturday is your big debut. Feeling confident?"
"I'll do my best, Captain," Harry replied, though he sounded far from confident.
"Don't worry," Wood said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Your flying is top-tier. The Slytherins won't know what hit them." With that, he headed off toward the changing rooms.
Harry watched him go, then sighed. "Wood still thinks I'm some secret weapon, but everyone already knows I've been training. Malfoy even told me the Slytherins figured it out ages ago."
Ron gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Relax, mate. As long as you catch the Snitch fast enough, we'll still win."
"I hope you're right," Harry muttered.
The three friends continued chatting as they headed toward the Great Hall. Along the way, they ran into Sullivan and Tonks. Ever since Sullivan had told Harry a few stories about his father, Harry had been a bit awkward around him, but Ron greeted them cheerfully.
"Hey, Professor Su! How's it going?"
Sullivan smiled. "Not bad. I hear there's a big Quidditch match this Saturday—Gryffindor versus Slytherin. You playing, Harry?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah… but I'm not sure how I'll do."
"Don't sweat it," Sullivan said warmly. "Back when your dad was at school, Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup six years in a row."
Hearing his father mentioned again gave Harry the courage to ask, "Professor Su… do you actually dislike my dad?"
"Why would I?" Sullivan looked genuinely surprised.
"Because he and his friends used to prank you and Professor Snape pretty badly," Harry said uncertainly.
Sullivan chuckled and ruffled Harry's hair. "Harry, it sounds like I gave you the wrong impression last time. Yeah, your dad pulled some pranks on us, but we gave as good as we got. I once hung your dad and his mates upside-down from a tree all night. Still makes me laugh thinking about it."
He shrugged. "We weren't mortal enemies or anything. Having a strong rival actually pushed all of us to improve faster. Trust me, a good rival will do the same for you."
Harry visibly relaxed. "But… why does it seem like Professor Snape really hates me?"
Sullivan made a face. "Snape? That guy's like that with everyone. You think he's cold with me? I used to be his best mate, and you'd never know it from the way he acts."
"Thanks, Professor Su," Harry said, his mood much lighter now.
"No problem. We're friends, after all. Better hurry and grab some food before the good stuff is gone!" Sullivan waved them off and continued walking with Tonks.
At that moment, a tall blonde girl approached — Gemma Farley. "Professor Su, is this your girlfriend?"
The sudden question caught everyone off guard. The trio's ears perked up immediately, curiosity practically exploding.
Tonks turned bright red and waved her hands frantically. "N-no, not at all! I'm Tonks… Su's good friend."
Gemma looked slightly disappointed. She said a half-hearted goodbye and walked away, leaving the group confused.
The trio bolted like they'd just heard the juiciest secret of the year.
Tonks looked up at Sullivan, flustered and anxious. What did I just say? Why did I deny it? Is Su mad at me?
In her jumbled thoughts, she stammered, "Su, sorry… I didn't mean I wasn't… I mean, I…"
Seeing her on the verge of tears, Sullivan chuckled softly. He placed a hand on her head and gently pulled her against his shoulder. "It's okay. We're not in a rush. Take your time to think about it — I'm not going anywhere."
His calm, warm words soothed Tonks' racing heart like a gentle breeze. At the same time, they gave her a quiet resolve.
Just then, two loud whistles rang out nearby. Sullivan looked up to see Fred and George making goofy faces at them from a distance.
"Beat it!" Sullivan mouthed silently.
The twins burst out laughing and ran off.
Tonks noticed them too. Her heart, which had just settled, started pounding again. But this time, she didn't pull away. She stayed leaning against Sullivan's shoulder, enjoying the closeness.
Over the next few days, word spread like wildfire that Professor Sullivan had a girlfriend. The students couldn't stop talking about it.
Even though Gemma Farley told everyone who would listen that Tonks wasn't actually his girlfriend, no one believed her.
After all, the two of them acted way too couple-y. If she wasn't his girlfriend, why were they always holding hands on walks? Why did they hug by the Black Lake? The rumors only grew stronger.
Saturday arrived — the start of the annual Quidditch House Cup. The first match was the one everyone had been waiting for: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Historically, the champion almost always came from one of these two houses.
After breakfast, Sullivan and Tonks headed to the pitch together. The Quidditch stadium was enormous, with three tall goal hoops at each end and stands packed with cheering students.
Up in the staff section, Tonks said excitedly, "Su, did you ever play Quidditch back in school? I was a Beater for Gryffindor!"
"Wow, that's awesome," Sullivan replied. "My flying was terrible — I didn't even try out for the team."
What he didn't mention was that he had been too scared of getting pummeled by James Potter and Sirius Black on the pitch.
Just then, Snape arrived and sat down on Sullivan's other side. Sullivan grinned. "Hey, how's it going, Sniv— I mean, Snape? Ready to lose today?"
Snape shot him a sideways glare. "Slytherin doesn't lose."
"Harry Potter's playing today, you know," Sullivan teased. "Forgot what it feels like getting dominated by a Potter on the pitch?"
Snape's expression darkened. "No Potter is beating Slytherin. We'll show that boy."
The two teams flew out onto the pitch — Gryffindor in red, Slytherin in green — and the crowd went wild. A huge banner reading "Potter for the Win!" unfurled in the Gryffindor stands, while the Slytherins booed loudly.
The match kicked off with Lee Jordan's excited commentary (supervised by a very strict Professor McGonagall).
"And Gryffindor takes possession — Angelina Johnson with a fantastic pass — oh, and she's quite attractive too—"
"Jordan!" McGonagall snapped.
"Sorry, Professor!" Lee grinned, then continued without missing a beat. "Johnson passes to Alicia Spinnet — nice find by Oliver Wood — and back to Johnson — no, Slytherin intercepts! Marcus Flint has the Quaffle and he's flying like an eagle — he's going for the goal — saved brilliantly by Gryffindor Keeper Wood!"
The game was intense and fast-paced. Harry scanned the pitch for the Golden Snitch, but his broom suddenly jerked wildly beneath him.
Snape noticed immediately and jumped to his feet, muttering a silent, wandless spell.
The broom steadied for a moment, but soon started bucking again.
"If it's not working, just use your wand properly," Sullivan said, standing up beside him. "Wandless and silent weakens the spell too much."
"No," Snape growled. "If I interfere directly now, it'll ruin the boy's debut!"
Sullivan grinned. "Heh, and you say you don't care about him?"
Snape ignored him.
"I've got an idea," Sullivan offered. "One Anti-Curse Potion, one Felix Felicis, and one Antidote Potion."
"You're robbing me!" Snape glared.
"You in or not?" Sullivan asked smugly.
"Quit yapping and do it!" Snape snapped through gritted teeth.
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