"Are you alright there?"

The reassuring smile from the Healer gave Oliver some encouragement, and he walked fully into the ward. He'd never liked hospitals; they gave him the creeps, despite all the time he'd spent in them with Quidditch injuries.

"Hi," he said nervously. "I'm looking for Katie Bell? I was told she'd be on this level."

The Healer looked at him suspiciously. "Are you family?" she asked, looking him up and down.

"Yes," Oliver lied automatically; he very much doubted he'd be allowed to see her otherwise. "I'm her… cousin."

That seemed to be good enough, and the Healer – a kindly woman – beckoned Oliver to follow her and led him off the ward. "She's still very unwell, and I'm sure you know that there's been a lot of nasty publicity over her attack; the press are all over her, so she's in a private room," she explained, turning down a long and bare corridor. "You just missed her parents – we told them to go home, they haven't slept for days."

"That's a shame," Oliver said, though he didn't really think so. There would have been a lot of awkward questions if her parents were there, and he'd feel bad imposing himself on them at such a worrying time.

The Healer seemed to sense that Oliver didn't want to talk much, because silence fell between the two as they continued along the corridor, leaving Oliver to reflect on what he was actually doing there.

He'd always had a soft spot for Katie. She, more than any of the others on the team, had been like a little sister to him during his time as Captain. Along with Fred and George, she'd kept the team in stitches during training. And somehow, she got Oliver. She'd always known how to calm him down before a match or after a particularly difficult training session, and he'd known that he could tell her anything, and she'd understand. He didn't think he'd ever known anyone who was so wholly nice.

Which was why he got such a shock when he saw the news of her attack in the Prophet. He'd known there was a war going on, of course, but it hadn't affected him personally; it hadn't really sunk in. The fact that it had hurt Katie – someone who wouldn't wish pain on her worst enemy – really brought the reality home.

"Here's her room," the Healer said quietly as they came to a stop outside the last door in the corridor. "She's very weak, and she might not be able to talk too well, but I'll leave you to see her in peace."

"Thanks," Oliver told her warmly, and she turned around and started walking back where they came from.

Doubt started to cloud Oliver's mind as his hand hesitated on the door handle. Would she even want to see him? It had been three years, and they'd barely stayed in touch, despite their promise to stay close when Oliver left Hogwarts. Was it weird that he'd come to see her? Would things be awkward between them?

Deciding that he couldn't turn back after coming this far, he knocked softly and, remembering that if Katie was having trouble speaking he probably wouldn't hear her answer, opened the door before he could change his mind.

Katie looked exhausted; her face was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. It made Oliver angry that the Death Eaters, or whoever did this to her, dragged her into this war, which she'd expressed no desire to be a part of.

"Oliver?" she croaked, surprise as well as fatigue evident in her features.

"Hi, Katie," he said uneasily. He couldn't help noticing how different she looked compared to the last time he'd seen her, and it wasn't only due to the accident. She'd definitely grown up. He supposed she'd been pretty as a fifteen-year-old, but he'd never thought about her that way before; now, she'd blossomed.

"Why are you here? I thought it was only family allowed to visit me."

That wasn't exactly the reception he'd been hoping for. "The Healer thinks I'm your cousin. I read about your attack in the Prophet. I was worried."

"You stopped replying to my letters."

Oliver felt bad then; true, the few attempts to stay in contact over the first couple of months had nearly all been made by her. "I'm sorry," he said awkwardly. "I was busy… and you know I'm not great at writing. It doesn't mean I forgot you or anything."

"Whatever, Oliver," said Katie tiredly. "I don't want to argue now. It hurts to speak."

"I'm sorry," said Oliver guiltily. "About everything. Do you want me to go?"

Katie shrugged. "You can stay if you want, but right now I'm exhausted and I'm going to sleep. So there wouldn't be much point."

"Okay, I'll go then. Can… can I come back sometime, and talk properly?"

"If you want. I'm sorry, Oliver," she said quickly, revealing some of her former self. "You can probably see I'm feeling pretty crappy at the moment… maybe I'll be a bit better soon and feel more up for talking. I don't know."

"That's okay. Look, Katie, I'm really sorry this happened to you—"

"Save it," she interrupted. "It's already happened. Nothing we can do about it now. See you, Oliver."

Oliver felt sick when he left the room. He wanted to think that Katie only seemed angry with him because of her illness, but it was clear that he'd really upset her, even if she wouldn't normally have said so. He vowed to make more of an effort to stay in touch with her from then on. Their friendship had meant a lot to him, and it was sad that they'd grown so far apart.

This was not the Katie he remembered, nothing like her. The Death Eaters had done this to her, and Oliver was disgusted at himself for ignoring the fact that there was a war going on. It affected Katie, and sooner or later it was going to affect everyone in the Wizarding world, and that gave Oliver a burning desire to fight.

And despite everything, he also couldn't stop himself from thinking about how beautiful she'd become.

It was over two weeks before Oliver plucked up the courage to visit again.

"Oliver!" Katie sounded just as surprised as she had the first time he'd visited, but far less bitter. "I didn't think you were going to come back!"

"You looked like you needed some time. And I've been busy with training and stuff." That was a lie. He'd been no more busy than usual, and he'd taken to waiting in the street outside the department store which was the entrance to St Mungo's for Katie's parents to leave each evening, but he'd always chickened out of going in to see her afterwards.

"Sorry I was kind of a bitch last time you came."

"No. You had every right to be," he insisted. "But I swear it's not that I didn't want to stay in touch with you. It's just… I spend eight hours a day training. When I get home, I like to collapse into a chair and relax in front of the fire, not sit at a table and write a letter. It's nothing personal. I'm just useless with that sort of thing."

"No it's fine, I understand," Katie said quickly, looking slightly ashamed of herself. She looked much better today; some of the colour had started to return to her face. "I just missed you, that's all. But you're here now."

It sounded like she didn't want to talk any more about the subject. "So… how are you feeling?" Oliver asked concernedly. "Is it still painful to talk?"

Katie thought for a moment. "There are good days and bad days. Today is a good day."

"Glad to hear it," Oliver said, smiling. "Do you… do you know how long you'll be in here for then? And… what actually happened to you?" he asked, unable to keep himself from asking, despite deciding earlier that he wasn't going to push her into talking about it. "I saw in the Prophet that you touched a cursed necklace or something? Where did that come from?"

She sighed. "I've blocked it out; I can't remember any of it. Apparently I was under the Imperius Curse. But Leanne said I went to the loo in the Three Broomsticks and came out with this package with the necklace in. She thought it was weird so we had a fight and the package ripped – I had a hole in my glove so it touched my skin."

"And?"

"Apparently I rose up into the air and screamed a lot, but I don't know what it actually did to me. All I know is that I've lost most of the movement in my legs, and that it feels like someone is sitting on my rib cage whenever I move. Or even when I breathe sometimes. They said it'll be a long-term recovery… I don't know how long that means, though."

Oliver didn't know what to say. He couldn't even imagine how much his life would change if that had happened to him. And it was amazing that Katie could talk about it so casually. "Katie, I'm so sorry—"

"Thanks Oliver, but just don't," she cut in, just like she had last time. "I don't want sympathy. In fact, I don't really want to talk about this at all. Enough about me. How about you? What's it like being a professional Quidditch star?" she asked, grinning.

He was kind of glad for the change of subject. It was always hard to know how to react to people who'd had such terrible things happen to them. "Well, I'd hardly call myself a star. I'm only on the reserve team. I doubt anyone except the proper Puddlemere supporters would recognise me."

"Ah no, I thought I was friends with someone famous for a bit there. I'm disappointed in you, Oliver," Katie teased.

"I'm sorry," he said, laughing. "Maybe I'll be famous one day."

"I know you will," Katie assured him, beaming. "But even if you aren't, that's not what matters, is it? What matters is that you get to spend every day doing what you love."

"That's true. So do you know what you're going to do next year? Well, assuming you…" He trailed off awkwardly, gesturing towards her legs. Obviously she wouldn't be able to follow through whatever career plans she had until she'd been discharged from the hospital.

Katie smiled sadly. "Well, I've been accepted onto a Healer training course assuming I get the NEWT grades I need. But if I have to miss a lot of school, who knows if that'll happen? Besides, I don't know if I'll want to spend any more time stuck in this place."

"I can understand that," Oliver said with a shudder. "I've always hated hospitals."

"Really?" Katie asked in surprise. "And you're still here? You didn't have to come, Oliver."

"'Course I did. I missed my favourite team-mate."

She rolled her eyes. "There's no need for meaningless flattery just because I'm ill."

"It's the truth!" he said defensively – of course the team had bonded during their many matches and training sessions, but Katie was strangely the only one he'd formed a close friendship with. "Anyway, it'll work out for you, Kates," he assured her, using his old nickname for her; she smiled. "These things always do."

"Thanks, Oliver."

He checked his watch; it seemed like they'd been talking for a long time. "I'd better be off, let you get some rest," he said finally. "Look after yourself, Katie."

"I will," she promised. "Oliver?"

He stopped just as he was about to open the door and leave. "Yes?"

"You... you'll visit again sometime, won't you?"

Oliver saw a lot of emotions that he couldn't quite place on her face at that moment, but the one thing he was sure of was the amount of vulnerability that she was displaying. It was almost heartbreaking. "Of course I will."

Relief flooded over her face. "Good. I mean... it was nice to talk to someone who wasn't my parents or a Healer for a change," she said quickly.

"Sure. I'll come when I can," he promised. "See you soon."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Weeks passed, and Katie slowly but surely started to get better. Her parents were less of a constant presence in her room after a while, meaning that there was more and more potential time Oliver could spend with her. It surprised him how quickly he was getting over his dislike for hospitals; he really enjoyed his visits, and actually felt perfectly comfortable while he was there.

Sometimes they'd play a game of chess or Exploding Snap, but usually they'd just talk. As they got to know each other again, Oliver became aware of how much he really had missed their friendship. A lot had changed in the past three years, but despite that, conversation was nearly always effortless. He would leave the room smiling.

It was on a day two months after the accident that Oliver realised he loved her.

He walked into her room, and there was something about her smile that meant he knew immediately that something good had happened.

"Hey, Kates," he greeted her warmly. "How are you feeling?"

She grinned. "Good. No, not just good. Great."

"Any particular reason?"

Katie hesitated for a moment, clearly torn between something. "Well, the Healer told me not to over-exert myself... but I just have to show you this!"

"Katie! Be careful!" Oliver warned her, not at all sure what was coming.

Katie just laughed and sat up, moving to the edge of the bed and dangling her legs above the ground, before transferring her weight onto them and taking hold of what looked like a steel walking frame.

It almost hurt for Oliver to watch as she took the first step. Her legs shook from the burden of supporting her weight, and her face screwed up every so often; it was clear that this was causing her a lot of pain. But the determination that radiated from her was remarkable, and this was a trait Oliver recognised in her from their Quidditch days. He admired it. And when Katie had finally walked all the way across the room to the window and back to her bed again, Oliver got the feeling that she'd shared something really special with him.

"That's brilliant, Kates!" he told her as she threw her arms around him. "You'll be out of here in no time."

"Hardly," she said. "But it's the first step."

"Exactly," he agreed.

He couldn't stop thinking about her after that.

The next time Oliver visited Katie was an entirely different story.

He waved cheerfully to the Healer as usual as he walked past the desk on the ward; she recognised him by now (although she still thought he was Katie's cousin - she was now allowed visits from friends, but Oliver could hardly admit that he lied), and usually let him pass without questioning. But Oliver knew that something was wrong when she hurried after him.

"Wait a minute!" she called as Oliver was about to turn down the corridor that led to Katie's room. "You should probably know this before you go in... Katie's taken a turn for the worse."

The words refused to compute in Oliver's brain. A turn for the worse? What did that mean? She'd been so much better last time he saw her - he'd really started to see hope in her.

"You can stay, but I can only give you five minutes, I'm afraid. She needs rest. All that extra movement she had in her legs... it's gone. We're almost back to square one. We've no idea what happened."

Oliver nodded slowly. "Thanks for letting me know," he said.

"Five minutes," the Healer reminded him sternly as he set off down the corridor, more hesitantly than usual. He was almost afraid of what he would find at the other end.

Katie's face looked grey, twisted with pain and fatigue. He didn't think that her condition was any worse than it had been the first time he'd visited, but this time he could sense despair in her that hadn't been there before. It made everything seem so much more serious.

"Hey, Katie," he said quietly - he sensed that he would need to be gentle around her today. "I'm not allowed to stay long."

He noticed a tear streaking down her cheek; he'd never seen her cry before. "I'm never going to get out of here, Oliver," she wailed. "Whenever I think I'm nearly there... something else happens. What if I'm here for the rest of my life?"

"Shh, it's okay," Oliver soothed her, stroking her hair gently as he sat down on the bed next to her. "You won't be."

"How do you know?" The fear was written plainly on her face.

"Because I do," said Oliver simply. "You're so strong, Katie - if there's anyone who can get through this, it's you."

The ghost of a smile appeared on Katie's face. "Thanks, Oliver. You always know what to say. That means a lot." She paused. "Do... do you want to know why I was so angry with you the first time you came?" she asked hesitantly.

"Okay."

"I had a crush on you when you were at Hogwarts," she admitted, and Oliver could tell that this was something she'd been wanting to tell him for a long time. "I didn't tell you because you were so much older, so you wouldn't have looked at me in that way. When you didn't reply to my letters, I convinced myself that I'd never see you again. So... it was just a shock to see you here, that's all. I'm really sorry."

"Don't be," Oliver insisted. "Look, I should probably go - please try and get some rest. I'll be back in a few days. I'll expect you to be up and about by then."

"I wish," Katie said bitterly. "But I'll try. See you, Oliver."

As Oliver left the hospital, he knew that Katie's confession had been his cue to admit his own feelings for her, but he just hadn't been able to. She looked so vulnerable, and the way she spoke about it sounded like her feelings for Oliver had caused her a lot of pain and confusion over the years; he didn't want to put her through any of that again. Plus, she sounded very much like she'd got over it. She'd used the past tense.

She's too young for me, anyway, Oliver told himself firmly. She's just a schoolgirl. She deserves to find happiness with someone her own age.

But he really knew that she was so much more than 'just a schoolgirl.'

Weeks turned into months, and before long at all, Katie was back on the road to recovery. She had setbacks, but none as bad as the first. Her willpower triumphed over all of the obstacles, and after a while Oliver would tend to find her sitting in the chair by the window instead of lying in bed. It got to the point when she could walk almost normally again.

"Katie, how are you?" Oliver asked as he arrived after training one evening.

"Absolutely fine, just like I have been for the last month!" Katie exclaimed frustratedly. "I could go over there and dance a bloody Irish jig if I wanted to. Seriously, Oliver, I'm sick of this place. I'm thinking of discharging myself."

Oliver was alarmed at this prospect. "No, Katie, you can't do that!" he protested. "They must be keeping you in for a reason. What if you deteriorated again and there was nobody who knew how to look after you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Unlikely. I'll have Madam Pomfrey at Hogwarts. Anyway, when did you get so paranoid?"

"I... care about you, that's all."

"Really?"

"Of course! Okay, I may not have acted like it over the last few years," he admitted guiltily, "but I do."

She looked at him worriedly. "Even so, Oliver, I might be getting out of here soon. And if I do, will things just go back to how they were before? Will I write, and then you not bother to reply? Will we go back to being strangers again?"

"I'll make an effort this time. I promise."

"You say that now, but—"

"I love you."

He hadn't meant to confess his feelings like that, but it just slipped out. He could think of no other way to prove that he'd try harder this time, and he'd instinctively come out and said it.

Katie looked stunned. "What?"

"I... I love you. I'm really sorry, Kates, I wasn't going to say anything... I know you've moved on, and you're right that I didn't see you that way at Hogwarts, but now I do; I've really enjoyed getting to know you again these past few months, and—"

"Oliver," she interrupted, and his heart stopped - was she angry? Was she going to tell him to leave? "For once in your life, please stop talking. Just shut up and kiss me."

He didn't have time to process her words, because she pulled him towards her and crashed her lips onto his. His brain went foggy; it felt like something was dancing in his stomach as they poured out months of unspoken feelings into the action, but soon it wasn't enough - she wrapped her arms around his neck, and they were moving backwards so that before long she was pressed against the wall, his fingers tangling in her hair—

The door opened; the Healer let out a squeal of surprise and went back out again.

"Oops," Oliver said as they straightened themselves out.

"No. I'd been waiting a long time for that," Katie told him, grinning as she brushed through the knots in her hair with her fingers.

Oliver grinned back. "Me too."

The disgruntled-looking Healer came back in. "That didn't look like very cousinly behaviour," she said disapprovingly, and Oliver avoided her eyes as Katie let out a snort. "I was just dropping these off," she told Katie, handing her a box of pills.

"Thanks," said Katie, still fighting the urge to burst out laughing.

"You," the Healer said, gesturing towards Oliver, "out."

Katie started to protest. "But—"

"Now."

Oliver set off down the corridor, unsure whether to be upset or over the moon. He'd finally told Katie how he felt about her, and despite it only being their first, it was one of the best kisses he'd ever had. But he'd been told to leave - did that mean he wouldn't be able to see Katie again? He wondered if he could send her letters while she was in hospital.

"Oliver?" a voice called after him. He turned around to see the Healer rushing after him. "Wait. You... you seem like a nice bloke, so how about we forget the cousin thing ever happened?"

He beamed. "Thank you. Thank you so much. And I'm sorry about that," he added guiltily.

"No worries," the Healer said, with a knowing smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Oliver left the hospital with a spring in his step.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I love this pairing and I hadn't written it for absolutely ages, which is probably why this is so long. :P Written for Fizzing Whizbees which is part of the Honeydukes Competition on HPFC.

Disclaimer: I'm not J K Rowling, otherwise this would definitely be canon. ;)