Disclaimer: World of HP does not belong to me but to the awesome J. K. Rowling. For the "Decisions... Decisions Competition" and "The If You Dare Challenge".

Decisions... Decisions Competition Prompts: Someone rolls their eyes, "Do I have a choice?" and the quote by Ray Bradbury.

The If You Dare Challenge Prompt: Demanded (#331)

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Bossy

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"First you jump off the cliff and you build your wings on the way down."
-Ray Bradbury

"So... are you going to go over there and talk to him?" Ginny asked as she sidled up to Katie Bell, her teammate and friend.

"Talk to who?" Katie asked, hoping that the heat in her cheeks was mistakenly attributed to the beer in her hands. She really hoped she hadn't been so obvious in her staring, or that Ginny had been too busy making out with her boyfriend to notice Katie's dance of avoiding Oliver Wood.

"To Wood!" Ginny exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

"Why?" Katie asked, taking a sip of her beer and avoiding Ginny's brown eyes. Her own, cinnamon colored eyes swept the somewhat crowded room.

"Because you are bloody in love with him!" Ginny cried, thankfully mostly drowned out by the loud music pulsing through the room. Katie did a spit-take, and turned wide, horrified eyes to Ginny as her already flushed cheeks turned apple-red. "Oh come on," Ginny said, slapping the elder girl on the back as she continued to cough and sputter beer. "It's not exactly a secret. You've fancied him ever since you were on the Gryffindor team together."

Katie turned to Ginny and for a moment merely stared at the girl trying to regain some sense of composure and her breath while glaring at the heavy-handed, younger girl.

Katie had technically been a part of the Gryffindor team since her first year, though as a reserve. She didn't get to play in an actual game until her second year, when she made first string for the team.

"You weren't even in school yet then! How would you even know?" Katie said as she looked at the nineteen year old girl beside her with slightly pursed lips.

"I heard it at some point from my older brothers, and from Angie," Ginny replied with nonchalant shrug.

Katie huffed. It must have been from the twins, she thought, because Ron wasn't on the team while Wood was still in Hogwarts. Besides that, Ron was oblivious about those kinds of things. And Angelina was discreet.

"So come on, go over there!" Ginny said, nudging Katie, who was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

"You're so bossy! I don't think I've ever had a bossier friend than you," Katie said playfully annoyed tones, hoping that Ginny would just forget about this if she could distract her.

"And that's why I'm the best friend you'll ever have," Ginny grinned cockily. "Because who else is going to force you to flirt with the boy you've been in love with for years?"

"Flirt?!" Katie asked, alarmed. Katie, though friendly, had never managed the art of flirting. Perhaps that was why at the age of twenty-one, she hadn't ever been on a real date. Boys either tended to judge her as plain on sight, or if they knew her well, they treated her as one of the boys. "I'm no good at flirting," Katie muttered, staring down at her beer and turning the bottle in her hands nervously.

"Well, you're never going to get any better at it if you don't practice," Ginny pointed out.

Katie looked at the pretty, red-head and she didn't really know how Ginny did it. Ginny was much more of a tomboy than even Katie was. She didn't look, or really dress or even act in a way that was refined and feminine. And yet... she still had gads of male interest, even when they were in Hogwarts... since she was a third year nonetheless! From older boys!

"I don't know. Maybe it won't matter anyway. I think I must put off some vibe that yells at potential dates that I'm not approachable," Katie frowned, pushing some of her loose, brown hair out of her face.

Ginny, reaching the limit to her patience, pulled the beer from Katie's hand and put it on the bar behind her before calling for a glass of Firewhiskey.

"You're very pretty, sweet and nice, Katie. You're at a party, this is not place for you to have your own pity party," Ginny started to argue, before turning back to the brunette with a glass of Firewhiskey in her hands. "Now I know you're a great Gryffindor, but even we sometimes need to boost our courage. So here, drink up."

Katie only barely managed to keep the amber liquid that was thrust into her hands, from sloshing out of the glass and all over her robes.

She shot Ginny a dubious look before sighing and raising the glass to her lips to have a sip.

"Not like that, all of it," Ginny demanded, reaching over and tilting the glass before Katie could pull it away and forcing Katie to take large gulps to keep from choking or spitting out the expensive, hard liquor. By the time she'd finished the drink in hand and was able to pull it away from her lips, her eyes were filled with tears because of the way her throat was burning.

She coughed and sputtered a bit, causing Ginny to slap her back again, hard. Katie would have glared at the younger girl when she was able to straighten up, but her head felt very light and like it was twirling. Her entire chest felt uncomfortably warm, and she was sure her cheeks were rosy.

"There, now go talk to wood!"

"Do I have a choice?" Katie asked as she felt Ginny grabbing her by the arm and turning her.

"Nope, 'cause here he comes!" Ginny stated, far too cheerfully before shoving Katie hard.

As Katie stumbled away, thinking that with friends like Ginny, who needed enemies, she suddenly felt herself caught and steadied by very strong but gentle hands.

"I'm sorry," Katie started to apologize as she righted her feet and started to look up only to find Oliver Wood's warm brown eyes gazing at her with concern.

"Are you okay, Katie?" Oliver asked, his scottish brogue doing things to Katie that made her already heated body burn all the brighter. Katie for the moment felt tongue-tied, before losing even the ability to think when she felt one of Oliver's hands tucking a stand of her hair behind her ear.

"You know I've dealt with much worse in a game or during practice, I'm perfect," Katie said as she straightened, only then realizing that her hands were holding onto Oliver's forearms.

However, she completely forgot that as Oliver smiled fondly at her, his eyes full of genuine affection that completely stunned Katie.

"Yeah," Oliver agreed. "It's one of the reasons I've always said, you're one of the best Chasers I've ever seen... or had the pleasure to play with."

Katie blushed, turning to look over at her shoulder as her stomach coiled with delight. Upon spotting Ginny, she found the red-head grinning at her and giving her a thumbs up.

Katie couldn't help laughing suddenly. She'd always known becoming friends with a Weasley would surely mean trouble. But at the moment, she didn't think that she really minded as she turned to find Oliver still smiling at her but looking at her questioningly.

"Well you know Oliver, some of the credit is due to you. You were after all, my first captain," Katie grinned, poking Oliver gently in the chest, thrilled that the handsome, scottish man was still gently holding onto her elbows.

As Oliver's cheeks turned slightly pink, Katie couldn't help thanking Ginny Weasley for being the bossiest friend she ever had.

~End~

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