Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Not poor me.
Pairing: Oliver Wood/Harry Potter
Rating: PG/PG-13 for now—may go higher. Who knows?
Word Count: 2,475
Warnings: This will be SLASH! Boy/boy relationships!
Summary: Oliver Wood has become the famous Keeper for a Quidditch team. When his team needs a new Seeker, the students at Hogwarts try to get their DADA teacher, Harry Potter, to join the team.
To Win Your Love
"Puddlemere United won another game today."
"Yeah, I know. They're still undefeated this season; but then again they've only played four games so far."
"I know! But they've played against some of the best teams in the league this year—the Magpies and the Tornadoes."
"I hear that they need a new Seeker because Leroy Wilder is retiring because of his bad wrist. Wouldn't it be so cool if Professor Potter joined the team? I heard that he is one of the best Seekers to ever come from Hogwarts. Have you seen him when he flies at night during or after dinner? He's astounding. And we've all been to at least one of his Quidditch games when he was on the house team. He was head boy and Gryffindor team captain when we were in first year."
"That would be awesome if he joined Puddlemere! But then Professor Potter wouldn't be our defense against the dark arts teacher anymore. And he's been teaching for two years! I don't think anyone could ever have been better. Did you know that he was awarded the Order of Merlin: First Class when he was only seventeen for defeating Voldemort? He was the youngest ever to be awarded with that! And he's only nineteen right now. And really cute!"
"I know! With that six foot three body and that long ebony hair tied back, emerald eyes, lithe body, and Mediterranean tan; he's Apollo come to life. Or Adonis without the whole bloody death and turn to flower business. And when he's decked out in those stylish clothes of his," a dreamy sigh came from two girls. "Too bad that he's too old for us…"
"It's less than a decade older though…"
"But there is the fact that he is our teacher, in case you've forgotten. That and the fact that he is gay. My elder brother was there in Professor Potter's sixth year when he came out. He says that 'almost all the girls started crying in sorrow and half the boys started dancing in joy'."
"As they say, all the best guys turn out to be gay. But, anyways, it still would be amazing if Professor Potter joined Puddlemere. We could say that our former professor is actually world famous!"
"You're forgetting that our professor is already world famous, Bridget."
"Oh, yeah."
*
Harry Potter smiled as he listened to some of the Slytherin and Gryffindor third years talk to each other as the walked down the snowy lanes of Hogsmeade in early December, unaware that the very same person they were discussing was actually only three feet behind them.
"I have to thank both Miss Bridget Johnson and Miss Amber Cunningham for believing that I am quite the handsome, debonair, and charming man." Harry said watching as the Gryffindor and Slytherin girls turned around with the two boys walking with them and blushed. "And of course I do have to give my appreciation to Mr. Caleb Richardson and Mr. Gabriel Murphy for your praises of my Quidditch skills." The Gryffindor and Slytherin boys beamed at the words coming from their favorite professor.
Harry walked up to the four students and stooped down to be eye level with them and to speak in a conspiratorial way. "Since you all seem to be so complimentary of me, I'll need to ask your advice on a very important matter. Now, my friend Ron Weasley, whom you may have heard about from the war, is needing a really thought out and memorable gift this Christmas that I can buy so I was planning on going through every one of these shops to try to find the perfect present for him… But now, I must ask if you would mind accompanying me to find a gift. It seems that I have run plum out of ideas on what to buy over the years."
"Ron Weasley? I've heard and seen him! He's the famous Auror that captured all those remaining hidden Death Eaters! He's been dating the charms teacher, Professor Granger, for a long time now, hasn't he? Aren't they supposedly your best friends from school?"
Harry smiled. "Yes, Ron and Mione have been dating since our fifth year, almost five years now. Of course, Ron was too thick-headed at the time to realize that he was in love with her and vise versa for her so I alongside the rest of the Gryffindor house had to set the two of them up."
The two girls sighed at such a romantic story.
"Well, what does he like?" Bridget asked as the five of them walked towards the nearest row of shops.
"He likes the Chudley Cannons for some odd reason, but I think that I've bought out the whole merchandise department over the years. He loves jokes and pranks but his brothers, the famed Weasley twins, own a joke shop. And everything else that he likes has already been thought of before."
Gabriel led the group into a shop with talismans and other such enchanted jewelry and items. "He is an Auror; which means he values protection and safety. You could buy him a protective charm." Gabriel, who was better known as Gabe, pointed into a glass case at a long, silver necklace. At the end was some sort of a Celtic type of symbol. "That one would be perfect. The symbol means eternal friendship and has a protection charm on it. My dad got my mum one for their anniversary with the claddaugh on it."
The defense teacher smiled at the finding of such a gift. "It's perfect. I must thank you for your help. Enjoy the rest of your day here while you can." Harry waved at the four students as they exited the shop, pulling their cloaks around themselves tightly, and he went to the counter to ask to purchase the necklace in the case. 'Join Puddlemere? That would be interesting…' he thought.
*
Oliver Wood was barely recognizable as he walked into the Quality Quidditch Supplies shop in Hogsmeade. He was wearing a pair of oval-lens blue glasses (with glass instead of actual prescription lenses), a baseball cap, and casual robes of a deep red. It had been a long time since the last chance he had been able to get away from Quidditch games, practices, and screaming fans. It was the first time since he had been able to see Hogwarts since his graduation. During the war, he had been located in London and hadn't had a chance to come to the castle. But now as he looked he could see the top of his former school through the window of the store, as it had stopped snowing finally, he remembered his seventh year and the highlight of that year; winning the Quidditch cup. He remembered Angelina Johnson, Fred and George Weasley, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and Harry Potter.
Of course, he saw Alicia almost everyday because she was a Chaser on the Puddlemere Quidditch team as well. And he saw George and Fred Weasley a lot being that he loved going to their joke shop once in a while to come up with something new for his team mates in their locker rooms. Fred and George were know successful owners of the Weasley Wizard's Wheezes joke shop, a partner of Zonko's, in Diagon Alley, and they were about to open a branch at Hogsmeade it seemed from the sign at the empty lot next to this shop. And from what he heard Angelina was married to Fred Weasley and pregnant with their first child. And he had also heard of how George was now dating Katie Bell. Katie had been almost killed fighting a group of Death Eaters during the very beginning of the war and for the longest time even the Weasley twins had remained laughless at the weeks during her recovery. Harry Potter though, he hadn't heard from in a long time.
Quite ironic and funny really, Voldemort had protected himself from dying from magic and yet he had not protected himself from being killed by a non-magical (though rather out of date) method; being beheaded by a sword. Harry had held the sword of Godric Gryffindor to the head of the leader of the Death Eaters after being held prisoner in his headquarters for three days. And yet, many had still died throughout the war. Arthur and Percy Weasley while protecting the Ministry, Cho Chang while helping little children from a daycare runaway, and Parvati Patil and her twin sister Padma when they were captured while going through Diagon Alley one day were only a few. Lucius Malfoy had been responsible for the twins' death. But now Lucius was dead as well and his wife lived happily at the Malfoy Manor with her only son, both innocent from doing any wrong during the war. Draco Malfoy, whom Oliver remembered to be, a snot-nosed, spoiled brat was now a renowned potions master and the potions professor at his former school (being that Severus Snape had decided to finally stop trying to teach such dunderheads—simply put, retire). And, he also knew the fact that Draco Malfoy was currently dating his team mate, Alicia.
Just as Oliver turned to leave the store without buying anything, the door opened and four students entered the already crowded shop.
"There has to be some way to contact the Puddlemere team." One of the boys said. "Isn't Professor Malfoy dating Alicia Spinnet from the team? Maybe he can help us contact their team."
"But we aren't to let anyone know! And I'm telling you that they are probably all so popular that they each probably receive more fan owls everyday then you get regular owls in one year. How can we be sure that they'll read our letter? Even if we are Professor Malfoy's students, they'll just think that we are crazy fans willing to do anything to get top box tickets. So how are we going to contact them?"
"I don't know! But we have to come up with something!"
Oliver couldn't help but become curious at why these four students would need to talk to his team so badly so he walked a little bit closer to them looking as if he was interested in the new Lightingbolt broom, the famed successor of the Firebolt, sitting a stand in front of him, even though he already had one.
"Professor Potter is the best Seeker in the world! And with the Puddlemere Seeker retiring he would be the best!"
"Yeah, and I read that the Keeper, Oliver Wood, is homosexual as well! He used to be the Quidditch captain when Professor Potter first started on the house team. Can you imagine! And you know if they got together they would be so cute! Oliver with that dreamy accent and beautiful arms and Professor Potter with his amazing eyes and Greek god body. They are both so cute. Just picture them together! And they're both famous as well so they can't get hassled anymore than they are already used to anyway. I mean, can you understand the whole cuteness behind the story if we could make it true?"
"Bridget, you think that everything is cute."
"I do not. Worms, slugs, rats, and bugs are utterly disgusting in my opinion."
Oliver jolted when he heard about the thought of him and Harry Potter together. Not that he would mind, but he had never really thought of it before. Actually Harry Potter had always been pretty in a boyish way but he hadn't seen the person up close since the Quidditch World Cup over five years ago so for all he knew Harry could be (as the Gryffindor girl, Bridget, had said) a Greek god in a mortal form. Which wouldn't surprise him, of course. If he thought that he received a lot of fan owls then he'd hate to be Harry. He had heard of how after the defeat of Voldemort over three hundred girls and boys for that matter had sent Harry prospective marriage proposals among other more indecent things.
"So how has Harry been?" Oliver finally asked when only the four students were near him by the Lightningbolt. His Scottish accent was carefully hidden under a practiced tone. People always recognized him too easily with his voice; he had learned that the hard way.
The four students whirled around to look at Oliver. "Harry? Do you mean Professor Potter?"
"Ah! I had heard how Potter had become a teacher along with Granger and Malfoy. So tell me are they any good?"
"All three of them are! But Professor Granger gives too much homework and Professor Malfoy gives us complicated work. Professor Potter explains everything a lot more to make it easier."
"Yes, well, I would assume that Harry has had a lot more experience with his subject than others usually get to do. So you're trying to contact the Puddlemere United team to try to get Harry Potter to join the team?"
"He's outstanding! You have to see him fly sometime! He does it for fun only now and sometimes flies with Professor Malfoy, who's awesome as well but doesn't wish to play as much anymore, but even he's better than the Puddlemere Seeker ever was."
"I have no doubt about that. I'll see what the coach says. Who knows, if Harry accepts he may very well be playing at the Quidditch World Cup in seven months. Of course, he'd have to adjust to the murderous training schedules. Does he have a Lightningbolt by any chance?"
"Yes, he got one on Christmas. Cost a ton of galleons, I heard. It was a joint present from Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Granger, Professor Malfoy—who also has one, Mr. Black and Lupin, and all the Weasleys. Why do you need to know? Are you some sort of scouting agent? Because if you are come down to the school and you can see him fly tonight! He always flies every night, no fail, except for bad weather. Professor Malfoy even admits that Professor Potter is better than him! And you have probably heard that Malfoys rarely do that. You can come watch; I'm sure you can!"
Oliver grinned. "I'd like that—I'll bring some of my colleagues over as well… Around what time?"
"Be at the Quidditch field at eight. That's when he always does his rounds." The two boys said eagerly.
"I'll be there. And please don't inform Mr. Potter that I will be there. I wish to see his natural work."
The four students nodded eagerly and Oliver smiled as he walked out of Quality Quidditch Supplies and headed down to Hogs-Suites, the star hotel of Hogsmeade, to his rooms to contact all his team mates and coach and see if they would come to see Harry Potter fly that night.
TBC