2nd March: I'm uploading all the beta-ed chapters. There's no significant changes to plot lines, just minor sentence structures and such.

Disclaimer: not mine

Flying Dreams: Chapter One.

Boy meets Girl. Ollie meets Katie.

Katie

The sun shone on my face and the lush green grass was springy under my feet. The perfect setting for the International Quidditch Convention, I grinned, barely able to mask my excitement as I walked purposely toward- a tent that Dad had hired for my best friend Leanne and me to stay in. The tickets to the convention were a birthday gift and I appreciated the chance to meet up with my former Quidditch captain Oliver Wood – the evil git had claimed to be banned from writing (in case he accidentally stabbed himself with a quill), so any news about his pro-Quidditch career was via the newspapers and gossip mongers in the magic world. Whilst Oliver's low level of intelligence led me to believe poking a hole in himself with a feather was entirely possible, the evidence said otherwise - seven years at Hogwarts and he wasn't dying of blood loss yet. Gee, I wonder what pixie he'd hired as his scribe.

The Quidditch Convention was a celebration of the defeat of the Dark Lord. During the war, little of the sport was played as big gatherings attracted Death Eaters and put people at unnecessary risk, so now that Harry Potter had rid the world of the mighty evil called Voldemort, witches and wizards could finally come out and play. I recalled a movie that I'd watched before and couldn't help but hum out a line of Ding Dong the witch is dead!Beside me, Leanne gave me a funny look as I attempted a small jig, but I just shrugged in return. There had been stranger things occurring around me, Katie Bell. If that wasn't a compliment, I didn't know what was.

"Katie, you coming in?" Leanne wanted to know as she pulled open our tent flap. I nodded quickly and followed her into the place that I would be staying for the rest of the summer month. After summer was over, who knew where I'd go. Seven NEWTs and still unemployed. I pushed the thought out of my head quickly.

I dropped my duffel bag that contained toiletries onto one of the two king size beds that somehow fit inside the tent and gazed around. "This isn't very shabby, is it?" My younger brother had taken the extreme delight- of showing me the secrets of Muggle camping last week and needless to say, I was scarred for life. It took all my willpower not to beg Dad for a nearby hotel reservation instead.

"It'll do. There isn't any plumbing though," my friend announced rather grumpily as she explored the rooms. "We'll have to conjure up our own bath or shower. The bathroom's rather small for my liking, too…and what's with all this green stuff?" She gave a green tassel that was tied to the bedpost a violent yank and gazed at it in disgust.

"Green for the Irish team - we're staying on their pitch area, remember? The England team's tickets sold out in minutes, so this was the closest Dad could get us. It was either this or a country like Timbuktu."

Leanne let out a groan and collapsed next to me. "Less than one month after Hogwarts and I feel like I'm being suffocated in Slytherin colours."

I gave a little chuckle and walked up to the small mirror hanging by a wooden chest in order to inspect my looks. Four hours of flying on a broomstick in the heat did nothing for my wavy hair. I scowled at the mop of frizz that my head boasted and tied it back with the scrunchie on my wrist. "If you're planning to redecorate the place, count me out - I've got to try and find Wood and first kill him for Alicia, then tickle him to death for the twins, and then give him a massive kiss from Angelina."

"Surely it would have made more sense to reverse the order? I don't think it's wise to hang around for long after you've killed Wood, seeing as there's bound to be loads of screeching fan girls around him."

My shoulders lifted into a shrug. "Alicia insisted on being first - she's still mad that Wood made such a pathetic excuse to avoid his old team. 'The team that worked their asses off at 2 a.m. in the morning for months to win that Cup'. Hang on, what's the time? I've got to go now, but we're meeting for lunch at the food stands, right? No sense in letting you loose amongst all the buff boys without a keeper at hand."

I waited for her affirmation before stepping out into the noisy grass plains outside. A rainbow of colours assaulted my senses and I couldn't help but gape at just how many more people had arrived in that such amount of time. Above me in the skies, more and more people were flying in and every few seconds there'd be a popping sound. I grinned at some of the spectators' excitement (a wizard had used colour-changing paint to draw out the Quidditch play of 1964, when England last won the World Cup). Somehow I couldn't wait to hand out to Oliver Wood what he deserved. Banned from writing indeed!

Oliver

"Wood, are you paying attention to me?" Coach's voice barked out as he leaned down to stare directly in my face. It was only out of practice that I managed not to flinch as several large drops of saliva sprayed me.

"Yes, sir." I couldn't help the lack of enthusiasm in my voice, but Pete Garrett seemed satisfied and moved on to talk about our itinerary for the day. His voice droned on and for what seemed to be the millionth time. I appreciated just how dedicated my Hogwarts Quidditch team had been to put up with me for so long. I had been told countless times how lucky I was not to have been murdered in my bed at night. Luck had nothing to do with it, I smiled ruefully as I recalled the countless protection charms scattered around my bed. A single night raid led by a certain ginger pair was enough to smack caution into me.

A flash of guilt went through me and I recalled the countless letters from my Chasers, Beaters and Seeker, all filled with Hogwarts news when I first started to play pro-Quidditch. I didn't have the time to reply to them then and now it was too late to get in contact. I miss them, I thought sadly.

Just before the England team left for the Convention, I received an owl from Katie Bell, one of my Chasers. She told me that for her birthday present, she had received tickets to the Convention and would love to meet me there. In my flash of nostalgia for the good old Hogwarts days and snake-ass whooping, I had replied 'yes' to her letter.

It's almost time, I realised nervously and gave Coach a glance. He was still going on about our schedule. After 3 years of not seeing Katie, I didn't know what to expect and I was rather scared of what my old team mate would think of me. I had changed a lot in the short years out of Hogwarts and I didn't know what she thought when she read about me in the papers. Silly? Perhaps, but who said stomachs would listen to reason? I growled at the flip-flip feeling in my belly that normally only occurred on match days and stood up. "Coach, may I be excused?" I asked politely. My team members looked at me in surprise - they had all drifted off in the haze of the heat. Melina Coil, a Chaser, gave me a quizzical look but closed her eyes again when she realised I wasn't about to do anything vaguely dramatic or interesting at all. Such as lap dance for Garrett.

"Excused?" Coach snapped, face red from the exertion of talking too long in one breath.

"Remember? You gave me permission yesterday. I have to meet a friend of mine soon."

"Um…" He scratched his grizzly grey hair and finally waved me off. "Don't forget the noon lunch with the American team though! One o'clock prompt, and WEAR DRESS ROBES!!" he bellowed the last bit seeing as I was already out of the tent.

I found the ice-lolly stand that we arranged to meet at with little problem. No one had recognised me yet, which was a great relief, although that may have had to do with the fact Victor Krum had just arrived in the Bulgaria section and was signing autographs and giving away free Bulgarian team scarves as promotional goodies. Just what those shrill fan girls needed on a summer's day - fainting fits.

Feeling silly just standing there with nothing to do, I decided to buy a dragon shaped lolly for when Katie arrived since it gave me an excuse to actually stare at something without seeming to be rude. Almost immediately, I could feel prickling at the back of my neck.

"Wood?"

"Katie Bell." I turned to see a petite girl standing in front of me. Her honey brown hair was tied back in a haphazard manner just like the olden days. I thrust the lolly to her. "Here, try it. It's the latest flavour on the market - sharkskin melon. It bites, mind."

She took it with interest. "So how have you been, Wood?"

"Fine, fine - can't complain. You?" I grinned and tried to sound casual.

Katie eyed me with a twinkle in her eyes and leaned forward in a conniving way. I could smell the light citrus scent in her hair from the closeness. "Everyone has left me with a series of tasks that I must perform…don't say you haven't been warned."

"They?"

"Angelina, Alicia, Fred and George - the old crowd. They were quite upset by you, you know." She continued in the same conspiring tone. "Okay, I'm not sure about Angie since her task was rather…different, but we know that's due to the numerous bludgers sent her way during the games."

"Um…so what are these tasks? I almost hesitate to ask."

"That would be telling now, wouldn't it, Ollie dahling?" Katie drawled. "You should be scared though…very, very scared."

I gulped. The twins' reputation for trouble making hasn't diminished over time. In fact, it had grown tremendously.

Without warning, she pounced on me. I staggered back in surprise as her hands closed around my throat. "K-Katie!" I managed to splutter out as I landed on my back with her on top.

"Alicia was adamant that I killed you, I'm afraid. Sorry Ollie, but she's far scarier than you are, even when you go into Nazi-mode." The girl on top of me said, her face a picture of sorrow. Only her gleaming eyes betrayed her.

Just as I was about to pass out from the lack of air, I realised that I could breathe again. For a second, anyway. The next thing I knew, I was curled into a ball and helplessly laughing as Katie employed a tickling charm to find all my weak areas.

"H-h-have mer-" I spluttered out a row of giggles, "-cy!" I begged her from the ground, torn by the laughter. She relented after what seemed like an eternity. I groaned and clutched my sore stomach as I tried to stand up.

"That's Leesh and the twins done. Here's Angelina's." Katie pulled me up with more strength than I would have credited her miniature frame for and smacked a kiss on my cheek.

I stared at her. "Angelina sent me a kiss?" I wanted to know incredulously. Somehow, the others punishments seemed to make more sense.

"Oh, that's because she knew what I had planned." Sporting a wicked grin on her face, I didn't have time to register that she said before I saw a fist flying into my face. The next thing I heard was someone shrieking, "Oh my god! That girl just hit Oliver Wood!!"

Katie leaned over to pat me on the back. "Now we're even, Wood. Good to see you again! So how's life?"

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