Disclaimer: I don't own anything, just trying to fill the void that Harry Potter has left.

A/N: This story takes place at the very end of Deathly Hallows, I changed the plot in the book a little for my own purposes. Hope you enjoy

A Long Time Coming

Chapter One

Katie Bell was sitting in her bedroom watching television late on a June evening. She had grown up in a half-muggle household, so it gave her some comfort to watch reruns of her favorite shows as a kid when she knew terrors were possibly taking place outside the walls of her home. She had just gotten up to turn of the television and was about to turn of the lights when a sliver cheetah appear in her bedroom. The voice of her old friend Angelina Johnson echoed around the room.

"You-Know-Who is at Hogwarts. Apparate to the Hog's Head Bar. From there you can take a passage into the school."

Katie, who was already in her pajamas, rushed over to her wardrobe and pulled a clean pair of robes over her pajamas. She grabbed her wand and turned on her heel, picturing the Hog's Head bar in her mind.

"Another one?" said an unfamiliar voice.

Katie turned to see the bartender of the Hog's Head staring at her. "Yes," she gasped, the air still returning to her lungs from her recent apparition.

"Up this way," he said beckoning her up the stairs. But just as Katie started to move, there was a loud 'pop' and something heavy landed on Katie's big toe!

"Ouch!"

"Oh! Sorry Katie!" said none other than Fred Weasley,

"How have you been Katie?" said George, as the three of them followed the bartender up the stairs and threw a portrait of a young girl above the mantel.

"Well my toe certainly has been better," she said as she limped slightly behind them through the passage. The three soon emerged into a room filled with people, which Katie soon realized was the Room of Requirement. Nearly all the members of the D.A. were present as well as other students. Angelina walked up to Katie and gave her a hug.

"I'm so glad you made it," Angelina said.

"Your patronus nearly gave me a panic attack!" Katie said, sitting down next Angelina in the rows of chairs that were facing the portrait. The portrait kept opening as more and more students and adult wizards continued to pour through. The portrait opened again and Katie's former Quidditch teammate, Oliver Wood, emerged. Oliver looked around, spotted Katie and Angelina, waved, and began walking toward them. Katie's heartbeat quickened, she hadn't seen Oliver since she ran into him at the Quiddtich World Cup three years ago. Katie zoned out as she began to remember all the times she had spent with Oliver at school.

Flashback

The first time Katie had met Oliver was on her first day of Hogwarts ever. Her muggle father was somewhat uncomfortable among all the wizards, so her parents had both hung back rather than stand close to the train windows like the other parents. This had left Katie to struggle with her trunk, which was quite heavy for an eleven year old. She had made it up one stair and was about to lose her grip, when a very attractive face appeared at the bottom of the stairs and caught the other end of the trunk.

"Need some help?"

"Yes," gushed Katie, as he helped her get the trunk up the stairs. They emerged with her trunk between in the hallway and Katie hesitated not sure which way to go because she didn't know where or with whom to sit.

"This way," said Oliver seeing her hesitation, "You can sit with me and my friends. I'm Oliver Wood by the way."

"I'm Katie Bell," said Katie relieved that she wouldn't have to sit by herself for the entire train ride. She followed him into compartment that was already pretty full.

"Guys this is Katie," said Oliver as he easily lifted her trunk into the racks above. Katie was greeted with a chorus of 'hello's from whom Katie would soon come to know Fred, George, Lee, Alicia, and Angelina. Katie sat quietly for sometime while the others chattered loudly, until one of the redheads said something about the Chudley Cannons making it to Quidditch finals this year.

"Are you kidding?" said Katie suddenly and everyone glanced at her. "Well I-I mean they've got Meyer playing keeper, haven't they? He plays as if he's confounded!"

There was silence for a few seconds. "She's right, you know," said Oliver, giving Katie a bemused look. "And the chasers aren't anything to get excited about either."

"Well then, who do you think will make it this year?" challenged George.

The discussion of Quidditch carried them through a large portion of the train ride and Katie also learned that all of them were either on the Gryffindor house team or planning to try-out that year.

After that experience Katie became good friends with all those who were in the compartment on her first train ride, and especially good friends with Wood. Throughout her first year she had to be content to watch her friends play and envision what it would be like next year when she could take over the open position of chaser. Katie had never been particularly good a Quidditch, but she had been practicing three times a week with Oliver, who was very intent on her being on the team the following year.

Thanks to Oliver's help, Katie did make the team and she and Oliver became even closer. As time went on Katie did develop a crush on Oliver, but all Oliver ever seemed to have on his mind was Quidditch and Katie was too shy to make the first move. In Oliver's final year at Hogwarts, the Gryffindor team won the cup for the first time since either she or Oliver had been at Hogwarts. When the team had landed after Harry caught the snitch, Katie ran towards Oliver and gave him a big hug. Oliver pulled back out of the hugged and looked like he was about to kiss her when the crowd engulfed them, pulled them apart, and hoisted them into the air carrying them to receive the cup. Nothing more ever came of that moment, as Oliver graduated a few weeks later.

During the following years, Katie and Oliver exchanged letters, but the number of letters sent declined steadily each year and eventually stopped all together, as Oliver became a starting player for Puddlemere and Katie began her job as a healer.

End Flashback

"Earth to Katie," said Oliver waving a hand in front of her face. "Anybody home?"

"What? Sorry," said Katie sheepishly coming out of her daze.

"How have you been Katie?' said Oliver giving Katie a firm hug.

"Good. And you?" said Katie gazing at him, his face even more handsome than it had been at school.

"Not bad. Missing Quidditch."

"What?"

"Katie, do you ever leave that hospital?" asked Angelina. "No one has been playing Quidditch for months. It isn't safe to gather such large groups of people together."

Katie was spared her embarrassment, as it was apparently time to leave the Room of Requirement for the battle. Everyone was spilt up into groups and led to different locations. Katie and Oliver were both sent to the entrance hall. They set off at a brisk pace down the stairs.

"Remember any spells, Oliver?" asked Katie falling into pace with Oliver as they walked.

"Huh?"

"Well you've been playing Quidditch these past through years, I was under the impression that no spells could be used during a match," teased Katie.

"For your information, I haven't been on the Quidditch pitch every minute since I left Hogwarts. I have come across many occasions when I was able to put my Hogwarts education to good use," said Oliver smiling.

"Fine I concede," said Katie. "I guess you must have had some chance to use magic in the 15 percent of the time you aren't on the pitch."

Oliver laughed but didn't have time to retort as they had reached the doors leading out to the Hogwarts grounds. Both Oliver and Katie pulled their wands from inside their robes. They were able to hear the foot steps of the approaching Death Eaters and fear finally settled in on Katie. She glanced nervously at Oliver.

"It will be okay," said Oliver reassuringly, giving her arm a squeeze, which only gave Katie goosebumps. "We just have to watch out for each other."

"Okay," said Katie shakily.

"Really, it will be okay," he said flashing her a smile and patting her shoulder. Seconds later the doors were blasted open and a dozen hooded figures appeared. A dozen death eaters verse their eight. Several jets of green were sent past their heads which they managed to avoid. Three Death Eaters approached the pair. Both Katie and Oliver shot several at the Death Eaters, while avoiding spells cast their way.

Oliver, whose strongest subject had always been transfiguration, cast a spell at one of the Death Eaters, who was suddenly turned into bludger. Katie was so surprised by this she let her attention turn from the Death Eater she was dueling. Katie watched as the Death Eater-turned-Bludger went speeding forward into the head of one of the Death Eaters they were dueling with a sickening crack. Katie glanced at Oliver to congratulate him on his handiwork only to see him lunging in front of her. Her head whipped forward just in time to see Oliver take a spell to the chest that would have hit her. Oliver crumpled to the floor and Katie screamed. Luckily her instincts took over and she cast a stunning spell at the last of their three Death Eaters.

She bent over Oliver who appeared to have been knocked unconscious and was bleeding heavily from a gash in his chest. Katie thought that she would be able to heal it, but she knew it would not be wise to try to heal him in the middle of a full-fledged battle. She glanced around and saw a broom closet. She tried to lift Oliver's body, but had as much luck moving his body as she had had with her trunk first year. She levitated the body into the broom closet and locked the door behind them. She laid Oliver down on the closet floor and sat down and pulled his head into her lap.

"Lumos," she muttered with Oliver's wand so that she could use her own to perform the healing charms. It was easy to stop the bleeding, a simple spell she used nearly everyday at St. Mungo's, but she couldn't heal the wound completely.

"Consanesco," she muttered. "Now for the unconscious part." She conjured some smelling salts, a muggle remedy she had learned from her doctor father. Healers always laughed when she wanted to use smelling salts, but they had never let her down. She put the smelling salts under his nose and his head jerked back.

"Wha-what happened?" said Oliver looking around very confused.

"You dove in front of me and took a curse that was headed my way. You were knocked out and bleeding pretty badly. It was all very thrilling," she said.

"Sorry I missed it," he said trying to sit up. "But you failed to say how we got here."

"Oh well I levitated you into this broom closet and healed you up. Can you go back out there?" she asked looking concerned.

"Yeah I'll be okay. Just try not to be so dazzled by my work next time," said Oliver standing up and extending a hand to her. Katie got up and unlocked the door.

"Bell, you locked me in a broom closet with you? Did you have intentions other than healing me?" said Oliver before they were out the door.

"You wish," she said.

The scene outside was much worse than the one they left. Death Eaters outnumbered their group and the floor was littered with figures. Oliver went out the door backwards still facing her.

"You're right, I do," said Oliver smirking. But just as he finished his sentence he was hit in the back with a spell and he fell to the floor unconscious again. Katie was so shocked by what Oliver had just said that the fact that he was once again on the floor took a few moments to sink in. Coming back to her sense she, bent over his body to check his vital signs, but before she could get a reading she was hit with a spell and fell forward on top of Oliver's body.