How not to keep a secret
"What took you so long?", Fred asked as they returned to their tent with their kettles full of water.
"We met some friends", Harry explained. "Seems like everybody is here."
"Besides, you really got ahead with the fire, huh?", Ron said with a glance at his father, who was trying to light the wood with some matches – appearently, he had been trying for a while, as there were a lot of broken ones in the grass.
"I'll help him", Hermione volunteered and walked over.
"Of course everyone is here, who'd want to miss that?", Bill continued their conversation. "It's the biggest event since 1964, when England last hosted the world cup."
"So, whom did you meet?", George asked.
"We've already seen Lee and Angelina", Fred added.
"Seamus is here, too, with his family, they'll eat everybody alive who as so much as mentions that Viktor Krum is the best player. Their tents look like grass hills, if you ask me", Ron said.
"Oh well, the Irish and their national pride." Bill grins and then turns around. "Oh, looks like we've got a fire." Hermione had obviously suceeded with the matches.
Mr. Weasley stepped over to them. "Yeah, we, eh, managed that" (Hermione did her best to make a serious expression) "and I think I see McNeil from the ministry over there – you check on the fire, will you?"
"We'll do that, Mr. Weasley", said Harry. And after he had disappeared between some tents: "Maybe we should give him a lighter some time."
"Please don't", said Charlie. "I plan to spent my days at the burrow in peace – and not with Mum screaming bloody murder because he set something on fire."
"How long are you staying anyway?", asked Ginny, who had been reading a book and had now looked up. "Mum asked, but you were quite evasive."
"It's because I don't really know – they'll send me a letter when the eggs of that Romanian Longhorn hatch. Wouldn't want to miss that."
"Yeah, who'd want to miss a fire-breathing creature that's climbing out of an egg?", said Fred.
"At that age they can't -", Charlie started, but was interrupted by Bill: "So, who else did you meet when you were getting water?"
"Ernie MacMillan is here, too, and we saw Cho Chang", Ron mentioned casually, but gave Harry a pointed look, who felt himself blush. To distract from himself, he added "And Oliver Wood's here, off course. Said he plays for Puddlemere United now."
"He's got his tent here?", Charlie asked with interest.
"Yeah, it's just a short walk over there. He's with his family."
"He's a really good player, totally deserved that cup last year. I didn't even have time to congratulate him."
"You're a good player, too", Bill pointed out.
"Yeah, but I'm just too much into dragons." He grinned. "Takes more than talent to play in the league. But he could really pull it off, who knows, maybe he'll be in the national team eventually."
"Then it would be your success, too, since you were training him", Bill said.
"No, it wouldn't, he achieved this on his own."
"Come one, he was always your favorite player."
"I didn't have favourites in my team!"
Bill raised his eyebrows. "Off course you didn't."
"Anyway, whatever you taught him, he really gave us a hard time sometimes", Fred muttered.
"Yeah, even in holidays I still wake up in the middle of the night thinking I've got Quidditch training – he scarred us for life!", George added dramatically. Everybody chuckled.
"Yeah, it was hard", Harry agreed, "but his strategies were good" - Fred: "When you were already awake enough to listen to them" - "and we wouldn't have won the cup without him. I wonder who's gonna be trainer, now that he's gone."
"Angelina's thinking about it – at least she said something like that", George said.
"She could be worse than Wood", Fred added gloomily.
"No, seriously? I mean - "
Charlie rose up from his seat. "I think I'll check the fire", he told Bill in a low voice. "Wouldn't want it to go out."
The fire was just fine, only still a bit small to cook on it. Charlie sat down on the seat next to it anyway, and added some logs. He didn't feel like returning to the conversation.
He really shouldn't be so giddy to see Oliver again, he shouldn't. It was not like they would share more than smalltalk, a bit "How are you?" and "So what have you been doing?" (not that Charlie didn't know exactly what Wood had been doing – maybe he had shown a bit more interest in the games of Puddlemere United lately). But still, just the thought of seeing him made something in his chest flutter like he had swallowed a snitch.
It felt weird that it had been already three years since Hogwarts and the quidditch team and he hadn't even realized that he was missing it so much – all right, maybe there had been a kind of dull ache the first months in Romania – until now. He had been in contact with some friends of school by letters, but he didn't know what to write Oliver, so he didn't. And now he would see him and it felt like no time had passed at all. But of course they were older now and kind of grown-up (although Charlie wasn't so sure about some people) and it wouldn't be like before. And it most definitely wouldn't be like he wished it to be.
The sound of someone approaching made him look up. "Are you alright?", Bill asked casually.
"Sure", he answered.
"Looks like we can cook."
"You're not cooking", Charlie declared.
"Why not?"
"Because you can't."
In the end, Fred and George ended up cooking (nobody remembered how that happened), which was just as bad, but they managed to save some food before it burned. Mr. Weasley returned shortly after, obviously glad they had managed the cooking themselves. Afterwards, Harry, Ron and Hermone wanted to get fan items.
"I'll come with you", Charlie decided quickly.
"I don't need anything, I don't really want a hat with dancing trefoil", Bill said. "Besides, it looks like the twins have enough for the rest of us."
"Who said we'd share?", asked Fred.
They really had everything a fan could wish for. After Seamus Finnigan joined them, no one as much as dared to look at the bulgarian items, but only Ron seemed to be torn, as he was cheering for Ireland, but thought Krum deserved support as well. That earned him a long discussion with Seamus.
"I don't know what I want", Hermione mumbled, fingering her wallet.
"I'll just take a scarf, I think", Charlie said. He was eyeing the hat with the dancing trefoil with scepticism.
"Yeah, I definitely need a scarf, too – Oh look, there's Wood!" She pointed towards some tents near the entrance.
"Can you buy me the scarf?", Charlie asked hastily. "I'll pay you later."
She smiled. "Sure."
He quickly made his way through a large batch of irish fans and some tents, nearly falling over a string. Somewhere inside, he felt pathetic, but he didn't want to miss the chance to talk to him. "Oliver!" He waved and Oliver turned his head. When Charlie reached the other, he was out of breath.
"Hey", he managed to get out.
"Hey", Oliver gave back with a grin. He looked older than the last time they met – of course he does, idiot, Charlie thought, it's been years – taller and with shorter hair. Not anything like the fourteen year old who couldn't believe he was quidditch captain, but his smile was still the same.
"I didn't know if you'd be here, I saw your brothers, but I wasn't sure if you'd come all the way from Romania", Oliver said.
"Are you mad? It's quidditch world cup!", Charlie exclaimed and made a movement with his arms to include the chaotic tent pitch around them. Somewhere on the left, a green tent let out pink puffs of smoke. Oliver laughed. "Yeah, I know", he said, and Charlie could see the same enthusiasm he always showed with everything related to quidditch.
They turned to walk along the path between the tents. Charlie wasn't sure where they were going, but it didn't matter anyway. They still had some time until the game.
"So...how are the dragons?", Oliver asked after a moment.
"Fine. Still trying to roast me as I fly by."
There was a moment of awkward silence between them. Charlie shifted uncomfortably. Where had that come from? One moment they were enjoying themselves, but suddenly this conversation felt a lot more serious.
"Why didn't you write?", Oliver suddenly asked.
Charlie shrugged. "Guess I didn't know what to write about."
"Yes, cause flying with dragons can be so boring."
Charlie lowered his gaze. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?"
Oliver looked straight ahead. "No, it's alright. It's weird keeping in contact by letters. I'm not much of a writer myself."
Charlie nodded, not sure where this was going.
"It's just...you disappeared of the face of the earth after school."
"Romania is not in space, you know?" Oliver gave him a look with raised eyebrows. "Okay, I can see why someone would think that", Charlie muttered.
"It was weird without you, everything, the team."
"Well, you found quite an replacement as a seeker with Harry."
Oliver turned around. "That's not what I'm talking about!", he yelled. Charlie nearly jumped at the sudden outburst. "Sorry?", he yelped.
Oliver looked embarassed. "No, I'm sorry", he muttered. "Guess I've just been a bit sentimental the last weeks. You know, suddenly school's over and life's a lot more serious."
Oh yes, he knew exactly how that felt. "Tell me about it."
"I mean, things are looking good, with Puddlemere United and all, but still...it will probably years til we see each other again." Charlie wasn't quite sure how he'd managed that, but Oliver looked hurt, and it made something ache inside of him.
"Actually, it probably won't", he said before he could really think about it.
Oliver frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Okay, this is really a secret. Like, top secret. If anyone found out I told you, I could lose my job."
"I swear I won't tell anyone."
"There'll be an event at Hogwarts this year – I can't tell you what exactly", he added as he caught Olivers curious look, "but I'll be there, probably around November. So, if you want to come, it will be worth it."
Oliver looked at him and smiled. "I'm sure it will be."
The snitch in Charlie's chest made a somersault.