Disclaimer: Rowling's not mine, the Acromantula line is lifted from Singing in The Rain.
A/N: Takes place during Owls Between Friends. Not necessary to have read Owls but it helps. Now all I have to do is write a story about Lee and I'll have covered the whole Quidditch gang.
Dear Alicia,
We send a SQUEEE! back to you. Finally. Now we don't have to put up with any more moaning in the locker rooms after Quidditch, in the corridors, in the dorm and the common room. We also glory in being able to say we told you so. We told you so. We told you so. We told you so.
Oh, you thought Diagon Alley was wonderful did you? Was that before or after the snog session? This is Angelina writing by the way. And don't worry about the collision, we weren't paying attention either. Oh well, that's what we get for falling for identical twins.
Katie has a SQUEEE! too. But I'll let her write now. A certain former Quidditch captain has come to his senses and asked me if I wanted to come to one of his games and if it doesn't last for two days have dinner with him after. I know, I know, but that accent, and he did the puppy dog eyes thing. That melts me.
We're really happy for you Alicia. Can't wait till school starts.
Love Kit and Angie
p.s. This is Katie again, what am I supposed to do when you two graduate? Nooo! Fail your NEWTs please.
Katie folded up the letter and tied it to Angelina's owl's leg. She'd never expected to run into Oliver Wood in Paris and neither had she expected the meeting to be amicable. Both of them had been very harsh with each other, well, Katie amended, that was an understatement, they'd been downright mean. The things they'd said to each other were calculated to wound just where it hurt the most. The two of them had known each other better than anyone else. Katie didn't know what she would do without Angelina and Alicia on her side, but she did know that for all her closeness with them, it was only Oliver who knew what she termed the real Katie.
"Kit!" Angelina waved a hand in front of her face, "Where are you? Let's go tour the rest of Paris."
Kit. She was Kit to everyone, but Oliver who had always favored Kates. But Katie liked being Kit. It reflected her personality, and she had often wished Oliver would call her Kit as well. She would have liked to hear him say it.
"OK," Kit stood up, "Say, Angie, what was that about a collision?"
Angelina began to laugh, "Well, when we were in Diagon Alley, Fred and I . . .well . . .stopped outside for a moment and became-,"
"Occupied?" Kit suggested, giggling.
"Yes and the place we chose to be occupied was the same as the one Alicia and George chose and neither of us noticed until we knocked into each other."
Kit laughed with her friend. She'd been laughing like this when they'd bumped into Oliver. She had greeted him coldly as had Angelina and Kit was thankful for her friend's loyalty.Oliver had returned her greeting just as coldly. They'd made perfunctory, unnecessary talk about the weather and how lovely France was and parted. Then Kit had thought about Cedric and realized that, but for a quirk of fate, it could have been any of them. Life was too short and she wasn't going to let past wrongs stand. He might have behaved badly but so had she. And in a fit of what Alicia had dubbed "Kit-pulse", she ran after him.
"Oliver, wait. I think we need to talk. We didn't exactly part friends"
His brown eyes had shown relief and he had smiled at her and her heart had thumped the way it used to.
"You're right, Kates, we do, but not now" Kates, he'd called her Kates.
"When?" she'd asked, knowing how important this was.
He'd considered and answered, "We've got a game with the Kestrels next week. Why don't you come see it? Afterwards, if the game doesn't last for two days, we can have dinner and talk."
She had nodded, "It's a date" and regretted the words the instant they left her mouth, but Oliver had only grinned at her.
After that, touring Paris had seemed simply to go on and on. She wanted it to be over so she could go to dinner with Oliver.
Finally, after what seemed to be an interminable length of time, the day of the Puddlemere vs. the Kestrels arrived.
It was a beautiful day which was, Kit thought, a good omen. Reconciliation would not necessarily be easy, but if the sun shining in the clear blue sky truly was an omen, it would happen.
Watching the Quidditch game was a bit of a new experience. She was used to being one of the Chasers flying round up there. It wasn't that she had never watched the other inter-house matches, but rather that for the first time, she was only watching the match for the sake of watching. She wouldn't have to make notes on how the Ravenclaw Chasers used the Hawkshead Attacking Formation or how the Hufflepuff Chasers used the Porskoff Ploy.
"And it's Waters with the Quaffle, she's streaking down the pitch, setting up for what looks like an easy shot . . .no such luck, reserve Wood has saved it and Allington is heading up the Kestrel end, he shoots and it's 10 to Puddlemere"
Kit cheered with all her might. She'd never really seen Oliver Keep before, but there was no doubt he was brilliant. The game had gone on for about an hour so far and Oliver had not once let the Quaffle through the hoops. It was clear that he was in his element. And there might just as well have been three Olivers guarding the hoops.
She'd always known he was talented and remembered when they'd practiced, just the two of them, knowing that if she got the Quaffle past Oliver, she'd be able to get it past the Slytherin Keeper with no trouble. She'd flown straight at him and he'd flown out to meet her, ready for the Quaffle. She'd drawn up till she was level with him, given him a mischievous wink, kissed him, and while he was recovering from the shock tossed the Quaffle through the goal.
"That . . . that doesn't count," he protested.
She grinned at him as she retrieved the Quaffle, "No, true, but it was fun, wasn't it?"
He gave her an eyebrow raised smile, "You had better not use that trick during the match."
She pretended to be violently sick at the thought, "Kiss Bletchley? I'd rather kiss an Acromantula. In fact, Oliver, go find me an Acromantula."
Oliver grinned and kissed her instead.
"Oh, look at that, the Chaser has caught the Keeper or has the Keeper caught the Chaser?" Kit teased.
"The Keeper has caught the Chaser and he's going to Keep 'er" Oliver replied.
She groaned, "You're worse than the twins."
The commentator's voice blew her back from the memories.
"And it's amazing, who knows why Oliver Wood was a reserve? Puddlemere should have started him right away. Not only has he done a lovely Sloth Grip Roll, it appears that he has perfected the Starfish and Stick. He hasn't let a single Quaffle in. He ought to play for England. Kestrel hasn't got a chance any more not even if their Seeker finds the Snitch."
The memories rushed back again. This time, it was the dreadful fight they'd had.
"What should I do then?" she inquired, "To get you to spend time with me again?"
Oliver barely looked up from the strategies he was devising.
"Katie, sweetheart, I'm working and you're noisy."
"On what? What can you possibly be working on? You've won the bloody Cup! What more can you possibly need?"
"I want to make sure Gryffindor will always win, this is a list of the strategies I used against all the house teams."
"That's admirable, but you aren't spending any time with me!" The words had come out louder than she'd intended.
Oliver put down the strategy and glared at her, "Don't call the kettle black! That Charms Club hasn't exactly made you available."
That hurt, "It's not as though I never asked you to come with me. You were always thinking about Quidditch."
"So then we're even," and Oliver went back to his list.
"Oh, so Quidditch is definitely more important than me then?"
"Well," Oliver muttered, "It's certainly more stable than you. I know Quidditch will always be around."
That hurt too. She knew she was a bit changeable, but on some things she stayed put. She exploded.
"Oh, well, should I wear red and pretend to be a Quaffle then? You know, that thing you so enjoy holding?!"
And he had lost it too, "At least a Quaffle doesn't go round never being able to decide what it is or what it likes best!"
"I'm young! I'm not supposed to know what I want yet!" she countered.
"You're flighty, Katie! You flit from one charm to one spell to a divination in tea leaves with nothing in between. You've never been stable a day in your life! A Quaffle is stable, it doesn't change, it's always red."
"Variety is the spice of life," she quoted at him.
"Not your type of variety. You never pick one thing and stick with it."
"And Quidditch doesn't count?" she hurled the words at him.
"Even your Quidditch. You never decide which play you want to use. A Quaffle is stable," he repeated.
"And a Quaffle is heartless, just as you seem to be," she replied, ready to storm out of the door. She stopped and turned back to look at him, "Goodbye, Wood" she said formally. The use of his last name made things clear. That was it, they were over.
The Quidditch commentator brought her back again.
"And that's it, that's the game for Puddlemere. Bletchley has got the Snitch. What a fantastic surprise this has been. Puddlemere has really got a treasure."
She waited outside the stadium for Oliver. He hadn't really changed that much. Once a Quidditch player, always a Quidditch player. He smiled at her, the same one that made her heart thud.
"Katie! Well, how was it being in the stands for once?"
"Lovely! I realized how brilliant your Keeping is. I never got a chance to see when you were at school," something registered, "How on earth did Alex Bletchley become a Seeker?"
"Ambition," Oliver grinned, "Slytherins are all about ambition. Bletchley may not have been much a Keeper but he practiced and practiced and you know what?"
"What?" asked Kit.
"He's a damn good Seeker and I'm proud to have him on my team."
She blinked, "You sound as though you like him."
"I do like him," Oliver answered, "You can't be on a team without getting to know the players. We miss out at Hogwarts by stereotyping. Bletchley's a good guy, maybe a bit unscrupulous at times but by no means a Death Eater. Well, let's get going. We've got reservations," he winked at her, "I got top marks in Divination, bet you didn't know that."
The restaurant was pleasant enough, it was a tiny Italian spot and it was quiet. There was a long uncomfortable silence. Both of them knew what they were here to talk about and neither wanted to bring it up.
Finally, Oliver broke the silence, "Katie, are all the rumors about the Yule Ball true?"
Kit sighed. The twins had spiked her pumpkin juice with something that was supposed to release inhibitions. They'd meant for it Alicia because they'd wanted to see what sensible, staid Alicia would be like uninhibited, but the two of them had accidentally switched glasses. Alicia had ended up with purple hair, and Katie had ended up flirting and dancing with any member of the male sex who approached her. Alicia had joked that that made her the Bell of the Ball.
"It depends on what you've heard," she replied, "And anyway, it was all Fred and George's fault."
"That you made a pass at everyone there."
Kit sighed again, "No, only at those who approached me, and trust me, the next morning, I was horribly embarrassed and apologized for my behavior. It was not a good thing even for someone as flighty as I am."
"Katie, I'm sorry about what I said then, I thought a lot about it and I shouldn't have said it. You were right. You shouldn't have to have settled on anything."
Kit blinked. She hadn't expected him to apologize to her or to bring things up so quickly. She responded in kind.
"No, you were right, I am flighty. I shouldn't have said that about you being heartless. You're not. Anyone who plays the way you do must have heart to put into the game."
Oliver looked hesitantly at her and took her hand, "Katie, when I heard about the Yule Ball, it really bothered me. I realized that I missed you and I didn't want any other guy going after you."
She stared, "Really?"
"Really. Katie," he paused, "Kit, you're my Chaser. I lost you once and if you can forgive me, I won't lose you again."
And she felt the tears flow. It was because he had called her Kit.
And just like every other guy she knew, at the sight of her tears, Oliver panicked.
"Oh no, no, don't cry, I didn't mean to make you cry. Kit . . ."
She smiled and through the tears said, "I'll forgive you if you forgive me. All right?"
He nodded, "Of course. I'm going to do a better job of Keeping you this time."
They kissed across the table heedless of the other patrons most of whom smiled indulgently at the young couple.
"Oliver, I'm going to try to be less flighty and more practical like Alicia," Kit smiled at him, but he spoke before she could continue.
"And how is Lady Green-eyes anyway?"
Kit grinned, "Very happy. She and George seem to have resolved things according to her letters and Angelina's accounts."
Everyone had always been surprised that Kit had never been interested in either of the twins that way. She'd said it was because she needed a balance. She was too much like the twins to ever fall for one of them while Alicia and Angelina who were both more serious than Kit needed the twins' humor and the twins needed their seriousness.
"Anyway," she added, "My question was what we're going to do with me still in school for another two years and you off playing for Puddlemere."
"Kates, that's simple. I can Apparate, you know and it won't be long before you can as well. And you still have Hogsmeade weekends. Plus Puddlemere will be doing some traveling"
"I had forgotten. You're right. And you'll send me owls?"
Oliver threw her a carelessly mischievous grin, "Only if you dress in red and pretend to be a Quaffle."
She grinned back, "It's a deal."
Dear Alicia and Angelina,
I know. My parents are getting more and more active. They're stepping up the search for any DEs who might have gotten away. Funnily enough, I think it makes them happy. There's a constant buzz of activity round the house and Mum has gotten out all the old Dark detectors.
But they say there are a lot of people who aren't happy and won't believe it. Their department is already splitting down the middle.
The Puddlemere game was amazing. Oliver told me since he was a reserve not to expect him to play but their Keeper was injured so he had to play. We always knew he was good but since we were concentrating on Chasing we never really saw him play.
He's an amazing Keeper. I've never seen anything like it. I have no idea why he is still only a reserve. He didn't let the Quaffle in once the whole game. The Kestrels were absolutely mortified because you know their Chasers are some of the best in the league, but they couldn't get past Oliver. The game was over pretty quickly so Oliver and I ended up having a nice leisurely dinner together.
We talked over a lot of things that needed to be said that hadn't been. He says what he heard about the Yule Ball really bothered him. Which is good as that is partially what I was trying to do (yes, I know, sneaky Kit). But that's what let us talk. And though it will be a bit long distance till I graduate from Hogwarts, we've worked it out. He says it doesn't matter as Puddlemere will be doing a lot of traveling too. Funny how useful Apparating is though. I'm considerably happy about this. It was enough to warrant a SQUEE! then but now it's settled into a sort of just happy contentment enough to ward off whatever dreadful DADA teacher we'll have. Mum says Slinkhard is a coward if she ever read one.
Love,
Kit