Ooh! Two stories in one night!
Disclaimer: Any Recogniseable Character is J.K. Rowling's.
Katie loves Oliver, but there's something wrong with her shoulder, and she doesn't know how to tell him. She's played, but was it the best idea?
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Katie Bell
"Gryffindor, Gryffindor!!" The chant continues, but I'm in no mood to join in. My shoulder is burning with pain, and Oliver gives me a slight nod as he is swept in the other direction. Go. I'll see you later.
I walk slowly, legs and arms covered in mud and still in my jeans and Oliver's spare white t-shirt, feeling elated but lonely at the same time. I can hear the party raving around outside the castle, and my pace quickens, desperate to get away from them. I shouldn't have been playing today. I know I shouldn't.
I did it for Oliver. Oliver Wood, our captain, our coach, our lets-all-go-out-in-the-rain-and-freeze-and-even-risk-hypothermia-because-we-need-to-win mentalist who lives & breathes Quidditch and, I assume, snorts powdered golden snitches about half the time, he is that obsessed.
I wasn't going to play.
My shoulder gave out about five weeks ago, in the ridiculous match against Hufflepuff where Harry almost died. I was sitting in the changing room for half an hour afterwards, trying to get my robes off. Ange had to help me, it was that painful. Oliver was trying to drown himself. Had to get him out of that situation too. I wasn't going to play.
But I did. For Oliver, because when he looked at me that afternoon, sitting on my hospital-wing-bed-so-uncomfortable-madam-Pomfrey-LetMEGOBACK! He looked like he was going to cry. And I can't let Oli Wood down. It's not a matter of even considering it. I can't let Oliver down because… well… because I love him.
A sharp twinge of pain shoots through my shoulder as I raise my arm to knock and think of him.
"One moment." Madam Pomfrey appears and magics a bed from nowhere. "Sit! Sit child, sit." I do as I'm told and bow my head. Normally, a Quidditch match doesn't tire me out, but just…the rush of everything over the past two days has caught up with me.
"My arm, madam P. Like before." I say. "Can you fix it?" I stifle a yawn. I haven't eaten since Friday (it's now Sunday night) I got too nervy to face food. When Ange and Alicia tried to force me to eat, I took one look at the bacon sandwich and pulled back, ran off and upchucked in the girls toilets. Oh! No, I tell a lie. I did eat. Half a piece of toast, simply because Oliver said he wasn't moving until I did. And he was sitting on my hips, basically stopping my heart as well as my movement. So I half ate the toast, and he nodded a small nod, and he smiled the smile he reserves for me, then he jumped to his feet, pulled me up by my good arm and hugged me.
"Don't do that again," He whispered into my ear, talking only to me, "You scare me sometimes."
Madam Pomfrey hands me a pain- killing potion; the searing agony finally disappears, and she waves her wand around my shoulder with finality. It tightens awkwardly, but she nods, smiles, and says I can leave.
"Will it last, this time?"
"It should. Don't play too much Quidditch for a few weeks." She smiles at me and I roll my shoulder slightly. It doesn't twinge and I relish the feeling.
"Thanks Madam Pomfrey. Thank you so much." I get up, and walk the lonely walk to the common room, expecting a blast of noise to hit me as I speak the password and pull open the Fat Lady's portrait.
Nobody there. This is… Strange.
I even go back outside to the Fat Lady and ask her,
"Madam, you haven't seen most of the Gryffindor populace, have you?"
"Not yet, Katie, nobody's been up here." She swings open as I mutter the password again and curl up on my favourite armchair, scan my eyes around the room again, then close them comfortably and allow the potion-induced slumber to engulf me. I sigh happily, glad we've won the cup, and decidedly succumb to the attraction of sleep.
Oliver Wood
I want to pick her up and hug her when we all burst through the door to the common room. She's lying stretched out on the claret red armchair and she's fast asleep. I mean absolutely sparko. Beyond asleep. Her hair is criss-crossing her face and I want to brush it away, and kiss her, and thank her, and everything.
Fred and George throw me a butterbeer and for an hour… for two hours… for the rest of the night, I forget her, and party hard like I'm supposed to. Well, no I don't, because I can never forget my Kates. Top chaser. Gorgeous girl. The most valuable member of our team, and she's not joining in.
Just gone midnight. Three people left in the common room. Potter, talking to Granger, trying to get her to talk to Weasley. He gives up and pushes past me on the staircase.
"Katie's still asleep." He says, second-guessing me. Damn boy. "You'll need Hermione to get her to bed." I pull a face, confused.
"Boys can't go up the girls' staircase."
"Really?" I never knew. "I never knew, Potter." another pause, "Thank you." then there's an awkward pause, "Bloody well done this afternoon. Good seeking. You listened to me." I smile and he grins back, "You only caught the snitch when we were-"
"Fifty points ahead of Slytherin. Yes, Oliver, I finally got it. Please, never tell me again." There's another slight pause and he looks down at his feet, "Good luck," And he runs up the staircase before I can ask why he's wishing-… oh. Oh, he thinks… he thinks I might actually tell Katie I love her. Haha… It's somewhat laughable. She's been dating Davies. Roger Arch-Enemy-Evil-Git-Ravenclaw-Captain-Tried-To-Stop-Her-But-She-Cried-And-Everything-And-I-Couldn't-Break-Her-Heart Davies… Who apparently is very nice. So I daren't tell her.
Otherwise, we'd have another episode on our hands.
I gently cross the room and crouch down in front of her, summoning two bottles of butterbeer from the table across the room.
"Kates… Kates, wake up!" I touch her face with the tips of my fingers, and her eyes blink open. "Good afternoon!" I laugh and she confusedly sits and looks around her.
"Wassgoinon?" She groans as she sits and leans one arm on the chair to look at me in the face. She sees me and smiles wildly, "Did I miss the celebrations?"
"Yes." I grin and hand her the butterbeer. "Private party?"
"Yeah, OK." she grins and sips from the bottle, "I got up here before everyone, this afternoon. I would have done something and made the place look amazing, but I think the stuff Madame Pomfrey gave me knocked me out a bit." I can't help but hug her tightly.
"It's OK, I thought you'd've come and said well done though."
"Oli Wood." She says sternly, and then her face breaks into another smile, "I was dreaming it." She yawns and shifts up so we can share the chair. I pull her across me and we stare into the fire for about five minutes, then I sip the butterbeer and she looks at me. It's a look I've gotten used to seeing from her, a bit of admiration, tiredness and pain, and this other element. I don't have a clue… what it is, but… it's there, and I like it.
Katie Bell
He tightens his grip around me and smiles back.
"I'm…" I start. Oliver frowns and knows what I'm going to say.
"It's the end of the season anyway. No Quidditch until next ye-"
"That's not what I was going to say." Oh, crap, here we go. Motor mouth rides again.
"Oh…" He's confused, "What were you-" I climb off him and stand up. "Kates… Katie, where are you going?"
"Nowhere." I say sullenly. He rises too.
"Don't avoid me, Katie." He starts. "I'm your captain, and I'm ordering you to say what you were going to say." He's using The Voice. The Voice is the voice that nobody on the team will disobey. Apart, apparently, from me, right now.
"You won't listen, Oliver." My voice starts to rise and Hermione Granger looks up at me. I look back at Oliver, not meeting his eye.
"I always listen to you… Katie, if this is-"
"Let me speak!"
"Stop shouting. You'll wake the whole House!"
"I'm not shouting, You are!"
"No, you Are" Our voices are at their peaks. This is Quidditch Pitch Volume.
"You Are" The Common Room has started to fill up.
"You Are" A soft cough from one of the prefects makes us turn around.
We've descended into madness. Percy is looking at Oliver, who is staring back at him, daring him to open his mouth and say a word. The girls, Ange and Lici are about to step forward, to stop me doing something stupid.
"You are." I say, dropping my voice. I have to win the argument. The whole house is looking at me, but I'm about to step beyond humiliation. Strangely, I'm OK with it. "You Always shout, and you never listen. I would do anything for you, and anything for the team. You knew that and you exploited it." I breathe in and out, hyperventilating, "And you know what, as well, I fell for you, because you had ambition, and drive and kindness and the looks and the way that you make me laugh and the way you always ask for help… And you knew it, and you used it for your own ends. You knew I shouldn't have played today. I've screwed my shoulder. Because of you. I'm sorry, Oli. Last match. At least I went out with a bang." It's a lie, and I know it, but I don't care. I know he knows I love him now, but I don't care.
"Kates…" He breathes, but I turn on my heel, and run and leave the common room, which means I'll get in trouble, but I run to professor McGonagall's office and hammer on the door. She opens it, holding a small lantern.
"Dear girl… It's awfully late." she says, although she's grinning wildly. I've been one of her favourites since I aced my transfiguration OWL.
"I know, professor, but I just needed to get away from the common room."
"Would you like a cup of tea?" I shake my head, "To talk?" I nod.
She lets me in, and I tell her everything. Fifteen minutes later, I leave and, crying, stumble away.
Oliver Wood
The whole fucking house. She's left me standing here with the whole House staring at me. I've blown it, completely. And I can barely murmur her name as she strides away, leaves me, standing in the middle of this mess.
"Kates…"
Fred and George appear, frowning. They were happy earlier. They were loving life about an hour ago. Now they're scowling like I've rpunched their mother. Fuck. They're going to kill me. Actually going to get their wands out and stab me in the face, or something. I close my eyes and brace myself.
"What did you do to her?" George starts. I warily open my eyes to see them standing, surrounding me. Oh no.
"Why didn't you tell us about her shoulder?" Alicia joins in.
"Why didn't she say anything?" Angelina asks, a murderous scowl on her face. "Did you tell her not to?"
"You exploit her, because you knew she loved you? That's sick, Oliver, Twisted." Fred mutters.
"I can't believe you!" Potter says simply. "I thought you were a good…" He shakes his head. "Too good to be true, I suppose."
"Go and find her." Angelina Johnson says, "Otherwise we'll break your face." Well, that's a simple enough choice.
"I'm going to apologise to her." I announce to the team a little awkwardly. "Right now."
"Good." Five voices tell me. "You're a prat." They state in unison again. And when I don't move, "Go on then." And Ange shoves me in the small of the back.
I stumble around the castle in the darkness, avoiding teachers and heading towards the only place I know she will take refuge. The pitch. It's where she likes to hide. But it's not much of a hiding place to be honest with you.
When I'm walking around the edge of the pitch, watching the flight of the lone chaser taking place above me, I whistle once, the figure comes to an abrupt halt and swoops down, sitting, waiting in the middle of the pitch.
"Yes." She calls, "What?" I can tell she's been crying, it's in her voice.
"Wondered if there was room for a keeper in the chaser's life?" I stride slowly towards her. She bucks the broom up to about nine feet, so she's just out of my reach… well, two foot eight out of my reach.
"Might be." She mutters, decidedly looking away from me. "Depends if he's not going to use her." I crouch down, elbow on knee, hand in hair, looking up at her. She smiles slightly.
"I didn't know." I say softly. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have made you do it." She drops down a foot, warming to me again, "Kates, if it's any consolation, I didn't realise I'd fallen for you until this year, start of train-" Shit. "Shit."
"You-" She drops down all the way and gracefully disembarks from the broom, even though she's in T-shirt and jeans. She leans slightly towards me and tilts her head, completely nonplussed. "You've fallen for me?" She asks incredulously. I nod hesitantly, "Why on Earth didn't you say anything?"
"I didn't know you felt the same. Roger Davies-"
"Is a complete fucking pillock compared to you. He dumped me last week."
"You never sai-"
"Because I am an idiot." She whispers simply, "You know me, falls for everything going. Thought everyone would think it was my fault."
"I never knew about your shoulder." I murmur, striding closer to her, "I didn't realise it was that bad." She shakes her head.
"No?"
"No." She says more forcefully, "It's not that bad."
"Kates, you can't play anymore."
"Yes, yes I can. I spoke to McGonagall. She was a great help." She starts talking like she lives in a period drama. "Well, I told her all about my general predicament and it made it seem so insignificant. Pomfrey told me just to leave it until next year." She pauses, spasms of sobs wracking her body, and I reach her, pull her into my arms and hold her for a minute. After about five minutes of standing together, in the middle of the Quidditch pitch that bought us together, I look down at her and smile.
"What do you want, Oli?" She says as I lean away and tilt her head up slightly with my right index finger.
"You to stop crying. Me to kiss you." She pauses mid breath as I lean closer to her. "You're scared?" I pull out of the move immediately.
"No," She breathes, "Not around you." There's a pause, I lean over and kiss her cheek, then whisper an apology to her.
Katie Bell
"I'm really sorry for being a humiliating bastard, Kates." he murmurs into my ear. Then he kisses my cheek so softly and sweetly again.
"It's OK, Oliver." I can just about stop myself from swooning as he leans down and locks his lips over mine. A shudder slides down my spine and he pulls me closer, shifting his feet apart so I can stand closer to him. My hands press on his chest, and for once, I feel like I'm comfortable around him. I sigh into his mouth as he pulls away.
Admittedly, for most of my Hogwarts-cum-Gryffindor-Chaser life, I've spent a few good hours a day fantasising about kissing Oliver Wood. Mainly around the time we left the team changing room together, or we arrived at the same time. Bridget Jones moments. Though I didn't say that to Ange or Alicia, because they didn't have a clue who, or what, Bridget Jones was.
I'm distracting myself. Anyway, never, and I mean never, did I imagine the breathing difficulty, gasping for more breath, the need for more Oliver-tainted air, never in my mind did I see the trembling, crumbling mess my body, my resolve would turn into. He can feel me shaking against him, but he doesn't mention it, he just smiles and kisses me again. I could hardly dream of the feel of his soft skin, for he wasn't that stubbly, as I reached my hand up and slid it into his hair.
When we finally parted, to slowly collapse back onto the grass in the middle of the pitch, I knew my face was pink and slightly embarrassed. His face was flushed too, eyes wild, staring straight at me. My breathing matched his.
"Katie…"
"Mmm?"
"We should really talk about this."
"mmm," I half agreed.
Without a word, he reached forward and pulled me into another kiss. This one was just as gentle, just as soft, but somehow, twice as romantic.
I walk back to put my broom in the shed, and Oli follows me and takes my hand, lacing our fingers together. He has big, big hands. Soft and slightly rough. I look up at him, silhouetted in the moonlight, and lean over to kiss him.
"Oi!" I look around, jerking backwards from the almost-kiss. Nobody there. "Katie, Wood." Harry's head appears from nowhere, and I jump back, almost into Oliver's arms, completely terrified. "Invisibility cloak." He says dismissively by way of explanation. "Get under here. There's no way you'll get back into the castle if you don't."
"I'm really sorry, Harry," I murmur as I duck under next to him, Oliver nods next to me.
"Sorry."
"'S'alright." He pauses and nods.
"I guess…" Oliver mutters beside me. "I've apologised to Katie." He says to Potter as though I'm not there. "We've made up."
"I can see that." He nods at our clearly laced hands and the flush on both of our faces. "The team's waiting up in the common room. To talk to you guys." He adds simply.
"Oh. OK." I speak for Oliver as well, "Sorry I ran out on you lot."
"You had us terrified you were going to throw yourself off the top of the Owlery or something. We all knew why you were so…" he breathes out, "Davies is going to get a visit from Fred and George in the morning." I stop walking and look at Potter.
"Davies?" I laugh aloud, then drop my voice, "You lot thought this was about Davies?"
"Well… yeah… isn't it?"
"God, no." Oliver smiles uncertainly as I look up at his words. "Oh dear god no."
"Oh. Well… um… You might want to talk to Fred and George then."
"Oh, no, I'm going to go with them and have a word with Davies, actually." he decides.
"Oh, Oliver, no." I say, pleading and squeezing his hand. "There's no need. He'll be jealous as hell when he finds out."
"About what?" Potter says, clearly bemused.
"You mug, it was about me and Oliver." I indicate the laced hands and bright, matching blushes.
"All this was about him being ridiculous and stupid?" Potter says, then closes his mouth as we pass the Bloody Baron. "And blind?" he adds as an afterthought. Oliver obediently nods.
"Yes. I was stupid and now I have Kates and I won't be stupid." He says like a clockwork doll.
"That'll do." I grin as the Fat Lady swings open at Potter's command.
Gracefully, he swishes the invisibility cloak from Oliver and I, and we are presented to the remaining, concerned Gryffindors. Fred and George look from me to him, then cheer. Ange and Lici are slightly confused, but then I smile and let them know silently who has just kissed who.
--
Hope you enjoyed!
The Ending was awful and for that, I'm incredibly sorry...
however, if you did like it, I'd love to have some feedback )