A/N: I'm a HUGE Oliver/Katie shipper, but this is the first time I've ever tried to write them, so I'm not sure how it'll turn out. I'm not sure how long it's going to end up being yet, but I want to have a chance to explore their future a little bit. This story starts almost the moment after Harry defeated Voldemort. I hope you like it!

Katie wandered through the crowds of people in the Great Hall, looking for someone, anyone, that she could help. Katie was one of those high-energy people. She had a good heart, but was very active in whatever she chose to do, and she couldn't stand the idea of sitting around when there was so much work to do. Also, work helped distract her from thinking. She was horribly cut up about Fred. He and George had only been a year older than her, and ever since she joined the Quidditch team in her second year she'd been really close to them. In spite of herself she became lost in her thoughts and memories of Fred, and she accidentally bumped into a tall brunette that she recognized at once, though she hadn't seen him in years.

"Oliver!" she said in surprise as she stepped back. He looked just the same. He was still a good few inches taller than her 5 foot 7 inches, and she'd put him at about 6 foot. He had the same slightly shaggy brown hair, and his hazel eyes hadn't changed a bit in color, but there was a lingering seriousness and sadness that hadn't been there when he'd been at school.

"Katie!" he said, looking her up and down. She'd grown since he'd last saw her, but he supposed that she would have to look different at 18 from when she was 14. Her blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but he could tell it would make it to her waist if she let it down. She was taller, too. Her eyes, though, were just the same. Her bubbly blue eyes still showed every emotion she had, because that was who Katie was. It didn't surprise him at all when she gave him a hug.

"It's been ages! How have you been?" she asked, sitting down on the nearest bench (which happened to be alongside the Ravenclaw table).

He joined her and said, "Great. I'm on Puddlemere Untied's real team now, and--"

"Oliver that's great!" she was always interrupting him, and to this day it still made him smile. "I'm so glad to see you! It's been such a long time. But, I see four years hasn't changed you at all. Still Quidditch obsessed?" she checked.

"Well," he said with a smirk, "I wouldn't be Oliver Wood if I wasn't Quidditch obsessed, now would I?"

"No, you 'wood' not," she said with her own smirk.

He laughed. It'd been his and Katie's joke since her third year. She had a knack for slipping his name into at least every other sentence when she tried. "How've you been?"

"I've been good," she said, "I've been on the Holy Head Harpies reserve team, actually."

"Really?" he asked, "No way!"

"Yeah, way" she said.

"Wood! Bell!" came Professor McGonagall's voice, "Could you lend us a hand please?"

They both looked thunderstruck. For the first time all day they'd both forgotten about the war, about the battle, about the deaths..........about Fred.

"Yes of course," said Katie, "What do you need?"

"Well," said McGonagall, "We've got to get as many of the injured as possible up to the hospital wing, and then we need to conjure beds wherever there's room for the rest."

"Okay," said Oliver. They both headed over to the portion of the hall that had been occupied by the sick. Katie approached a girl who look about the same age as her. She was pale with black hair and blue eyes, and Katie recognized her at once. They may not have seen each other much since leaving Hogwarts, but Katie wouldn't forget her best friend so easily. "Leanne! Are you alright?"

"Katie," she whispered.

"I'm here," said Katie, who glanced down at her. Her entire torso was blood-soaked. "We're gonna get you to Madame Pomfry." She nodded, clearly too tired to answer, and closed her eyes. "Oliver!" called Katie over her shoulder, almost at the point of hysterics. She was smart enough to know that when a person closes their eyes while bleeding profusely it could easily turn into more than sleep

"I need some help moving her," she said, "She's really not well."

He nodded, and picked her up carefully. Katie found herself slightly surprised by how strong he was, but realized that she shouldn't have been with all the training he went through.

When they reached the Hospital Wing they deposited Leanne in a bed that Katie conjured just inside the door. They spent the rest of the day helping around the hospital, but both were glad to have each other around. When they finished for the day they went to find somewhere to sleep for the night. Most were conjuring beds in any old hallway, and they soon found a suitable nook in the fifth floor. They conjured up bed but for a while just sat a talked.

"So, how is it being with the Harpies," he asked.

"It's great. I've made all of these friends on the reserve team. Gwenog can be a bit of a snob occasionally, but she's not too bad."

Oliver laughed, "I had heard that, though since I wasn't on the real team until recently I've never played or met her."

"Well believe me, you don't want to."

They sat in a companionable silence for a while before Katie, always one to bring up the difficult subjects said, "Do you think everything will go back to normal? I mean, can it?"

"Why not?" returned Oliver, "People can always rebuild. There'll be grieving, but at the end of the day we've got to be strong and move on. No one who died this morning or last night would want us to spend the rest of the lives they saved for us wallowing. Think of Fred...he wouldn't want George or anyone else to spend time grieving. He'd want us to all celebrate and embrace life the way he did."

Katie contemplated that for a moment, before saying, "I'm really glad you're here Oliver."

"I'm glad you're here too," he said, "I don't think I'd be able to face all of this alone."

They sat in silence for a few moments longer before Oliver said, "Well, there'll be more work tomorrow, so we should probably get some sleep."

"Always the responsible one," said Katie with a joking smile, "But you're right. We do need to be asleep."

"Goodnight Katie."

"Goodnight Oliver."

I hope you guys liked it! I know it wasn't romantic, but realistically I just don't see them falling for each other right away when they hadn't seen each other in four years. I hope you liked the way their friendship is developing (or redeveloping is probably a better word). PLEASE leave me a review!!!

XOXO

GossipGirlHere