Going Too Far
Fading To Black
Let it never be said that Oliver Wood wasn't a Quidditch fanatic.
There wasn't going to be a game for another month and Halloween was in two weeks, but the Gryffindor's Quidditch team had been out in all weathers in the early mornings several days a week for the past month. They were on their last threads, all of them getting snappish and waspish in regards to their precious Captain. To Oliver's credit, he hadn't really noticed. He just wanted to play well, and to win. He lived, breathed, and walked Quidditch. He didn't realize that while it was an important part of the rest of his team's lives, they didn't take it the way he did.
Therefore, he was completely unprepared for their retaliation. The team made full use of having a pair of pranksters to rival the near-mythic Marauders (from the way they talked about it, anyway), a charismatic and famous Seeker who no one would ever suspect of foul play, and three extremely irritated (and PMSing) girls who knew all the good gossip circles, and managed to fade into the background rather well.
The girls had chosen their rumors and phased them into the regular Hogwarts grapevine easily.
"I hear Oliver Wood's gay-why else would he prefer to practice so early? I mean, there's no way he has his team matching the combined total of every other house. So what's he doing? He's with his secret boyfriend, that's what!"
"Did you guys hear about Oliver? Rumor has it that he's part-vampire-no one human could keep the hours he does willingly!"
"I heard that Wood's been gone because he was so entranced with Quidditch that he is failing a bunch of his classes and he needs to take remedial classes to graduate!"
Harry's role was by far the simplest. All he had to do to keep the rumors going strong was listen in and talk about them when he heard them, without giving out any hint that they weren't true. In fact, it was probably done unwittingly. The boy was probably the least vengeful child in Gryffindor.
Either way, between Harry and the girls, Oliver's reputation was getting rather smeared and tattered. The girls had offered a truce: they would back off if Oliver backed off about the early morning practices. It really said something about Oliver that he seemed more upset about the idea of cutting out practice time than he did at his classmates laughing at him.
The twins were far more obvious and outspoken, but they decided that since words didn't get through to their wayward captain, actions might. After all, they were first class pranksters, and Oliver was leaving himself wide open to their nonverbal retribution.
They started small. A dungbomb exploded under a desk Oliver was sitting in three times over three days. They'd slipped a few experimental prank potions into his pumpkin juice. Nearly harmless ones. One had changed the color of his skin randomly, another his hair, another had given him wings for a couple hours, and yet another gave him intermittent short-term glamour spells. He'd also been treated to a Ton-Tongue Toffee, several Canary Creams, a few pieces of Long Hair Licorice, a Tabby Tablet, and had been tricked into a Portable Desert, in which a small sandstorm was brewing, after being doused with a pitcher of sticky pumpkin juice.
That was only the beginning. Oliver, understandably irritated, had called the twins on it, had called the entire team on it, and had not relented. The twins wouldn't have stopped, except that Dumbledore had had a word with them earlier that day. In that light, they planned one final prank. If it didn't work, they'd just have to deal with the early morning practices like Oliver insisted.
Getting him alone had been fairly simple. Oliver was always the last member of the team to go into the locker room, having spent the extra time looking up strategies. With an opportunity as obvious as that, it had been impossible for Gred and Forge, the unstoppable duo, to pass up the challenge.
It was October 25th, six days before Halloween, when they made their move. It had been well thought out, but it was so outrageous that even the girls might have been a bit squicky about it. But that was alright, Allie, Katie, and Angie didn't need to ever find out.
They had just finished a grueling practice, and everyone except Oliver had gone to shower and change. This in and of itself was not unusual. Oliver tended to play around with strategy cards for a while before indulging himself with a shower, as he so kindly put it. Fred fell into the shadows behind him. George joined him after he was certain that everyone had left. They had to time this well-they only had one chance. Ravenclaw was booked to have the pitch in a couple hours and it had to be done long before then.
When Oliver showed signs of moving, either stretching or getting up, the twins acted. George had fired off a Petrificus Totalus and Fred had spelled Oliver quiet with a Silencio. There were a few charms on the surrounding area, of course, but a little caution never hurt. One Mobilicorpus later and he was moving in the direction of the changing rooms. The girl changing rooms.
When they had gotten to the rooms, Fred waved his wand once again, this time using Incarcerous to bind him to the room. He wouldn't be able to reach the knots and free himself. Meanwhile, George had begun to transfigure his clothes to a skirt set. Fred took care of the long hair. Makeup was spelled on. ...a picture for blackmail... and the twins were all finished, giggling all the while.
To say that Oliver wasn't amused was a gross understatement. The twins had only snickered and left, leaving him to his own dreary thoughts. He couldn't see the clock. Couldn't quantify the expenditure of time. Couldn't figure out much beyond that he was in this situation. He had a guess how, despite his back having been to the twins. Maybe he even had an inkling as to why. But how to get out? That much was beyond him.
He was about ready to die of embarrassment when a girl walked into the locker room. It was Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw seeker.
Who stopped dead at the sight of Oliver. At first she had no idea who it was. "Oh My God!" She shrieked. "Are you okay?"She dropped her books on a nearby bench and started to pull at the ropes. After a few moments struggle, she growled in her throat and picked up her wand, A carefully placed Cutting Curse later, and Oliver could move his arms once again. A few more, and he regained control of his body.
"Thanks." He said, blushing and looking to his feet. It had finally dawned on him that the Weasleys had brought him into the girl's changing rooms. Shit. He really didn't know how he was going to explain away this one. He tried to rush for the door when he felt a hand on his wrist, stopping him.
"Finite Incantatem." Cho muttered at him, eyes slowly widening in shock as the long-haired, recently trussed 'girl' morphed back into Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch team's Captain. Her eyes widened impossibly and she released his arm by reflex, backing up a few steps. "Bloody hell." She blushed, and fled further inside the structure, while Oliver ran out of it, blushing just as intensely.
And swore that he would definitely, someway, somehow, get the twins back for this. After he managed to re-transfigure his clothes. He did not look bloody okay in a lacy plaid miniskirt. Stupid Weasley Pranksters. Why were all the talented ones so troublesome?
This is an entry for the Maurader's Map II challenge, the Magical Objects Competition:Broomsticks, The Wand Wood Competition:Hornbeam, the Honeydukes Competition:Fizzing Whizzbees, and the HP Potions Competition:Boil Cure Potion.