Author's Note: I don't know where I came up with the pairing from, but I can definitely say I've seen it written before and wanted to try it out. Please read and review if you have anything to say!

Warning for any OOC behaviour~

Snitches and Secrets by ValkyrieAce

Oliver ran through the hallways of Hogwarts, clutching the golden snitch in his hand. It was the first day of class since his sixth year had started and he was already late to his Potions class. Even as he ran, he only had one thought.

Barging into the room unannounced, he stumbled forward until Snape's eyes had glared at him. He flinched; Professor Snape was not in a good mood, and he'd gone and made it worse.

"How nice of you to grace us with your presence, Mr. Wood," the professor drawled darkly, "10 points from Gryffindor and a detention for tardiness. Sit before you babble onto your apologies."

Oliver sighed and looked around him for a free seat and found one, though it was next to Marcus Flint. The one person he didn't want to sit beside. He was much too nervous and jittery around Marcus' snarky tendencies.

"No going back now..." he whispered to himself.

Marcus smirked as Oliver sat next to him and turned to Snape once more, listening intently as he plunged into detail on the effects of the Draught of Living Death when used. Oliver used that time to try and focus on the explanation himself, but found it hard to concentrate when all he could think of was running his hands through Marcus' hair as they read under the shade of a large tree.

Suddenly, Oliver felt more lonely than he ever had before. He wasn't really sure of Marcus shared the same affections, even if they were secretly dating.

"Hey, Wood," Marcus began, shocking him out of his thoughts, "Snape's allowed us to begin with our potion."

"But... the ingredients?" Oliver asked, bewildered.

"...are you feeling alright?" Marcus asked, his eyes shining with the slightest hint of concern even as his tone hardened. "I'd just gotten them."

And true to his words, the ingredients laid in front of them. Oliver began to attend to the preparation of the ingredients when Marcus had nudged him over to his textbook.

What's wrong?

A slip of paper was shoved into the notebook, giving them the perfect cover to hold a conversation without angering their temperamental professor. Oliver hid a smile.

Why do you insist on keeping our relationship a secret?

He could tell Marcus was shocked. No matter how sly he could be, or how well he could hide his emotions, Oliver did know him well. He'd been able to see the subtle widening of his eyes and the twitch of his eyebrows.

What do you mean?

Marcus was avoiding eye contact. Oliver sighed desolately, forgetting for a second that he was in a public setting, and promptly looked around to see if anyone had noticed. He didn't bother leaving a reply either.

For the rest of the lesson, they'd worked through the steps necessary to prepare the draught, and when Oliver and Marcus had stoppered their filled vials, Marcus sighed.

I didn't want my parents to force me to have to leave you. We're both boys, and my parents are very… particular about who I date. If they found out, they would be furious and use underhanded methods to get me to leave you.

It was Oliver's turn to be shocked as he read the next sentence of the message.

I love you too much to put you through that. So, please let me be selfish on this?

Oliver's lips quirked into a fond smile as he looked up, seeing Marcus' cheeks tinted a light shade of pink at the explanation.

Okay.

Trying his hardest to hide his happiness, he'd handed the potion in, packed his belongings and been skipping his way out when he heard Professor Snape call out behind him.

"Mr. Wood!" he said, "Friday night, 6pm, in this classroom. Oh, and bring a toothbrush."

Oliver groaned insincerely and shrugged as Marcus' lips curved into another smirk. Subtly, he passed Marcus' snitch back to him, silently thanking him for reminding him of the lesson, and felt his hand tingle at the momentary touch.

He walked towards the Gryffindor Tower with a bounce in his step, his heart practically almost beating out of his chest in joy. He was selfish too, so he would keep the relationship their little secret.

Fin

Word Count: 706

Additional Prompts:

The Golden Snitch - Through the Universe - (class) 200. Variable Star — Potions

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry - The 365 Prompts Challenge - 362. Word - Sly

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry - The Insane House Challenge - 341. Potion – Draught of Living Death

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry - Back to School - (character) 19. Oliver Wood

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry - Slash September - Oliver Wood

Writing Club:

Showtime, Phantom of the Opera - 11. The Point of No Return - (dialogue) "No going back now."