Oliver hit the ground running the moment the match was over. The last play had been intense, and he was breathing hard as the crowd roared. Karliah was still taking her customary victory lap with the snitch, and the rest of the team hadn't yet taken notice of his descent.
He had only one thought in his head as he pushed past the throngs of reporters: he had to find Katie.
Racing to the friends and family box, he nearly missed her. In fact, he would have missed her had he not collided with her as she attempted to make a quick escape.
"Katie!" he cried, grabbing her shoulders to keep her from losing her balance. She grinned up at him.
"Congratulations, Ol" she gushed. "That was amazing! What a match!"
"Katie, where have you been?" he asked impatiently, ignoring her praise. "We've been worried about you!"
"We?" Katie asked, cocking her head to the side. In the midst of all the post-match chaos, it was impossible for Oliver to tell whether she truly didn't know who he meant, or whether this was an act. At the moment, it wasn't particularly important to him.
"Come with me," he said, taking her hand. She didn't pull away, but she did look down at his hand with such incredulity that it may as well have turned blue.
"I'm not a toddler," she said, her annoyance failing to cover her amusement.
"Then why do you keep wandering off?" Oliver countered, leading her down the steps.
It was at this moment that a camera flashed in their eyes, blinding them momentarily.
"Holy hell!" Oliver yelped as Katie shielded her face with her hands.
"Mr. Wood!" a reporter cried. "Is this your girlfriend?" Others echoed similar inquiries, but Oliver decided he wasn't going to stick around to hear any of them out. He tightened his grip on Katie's hand and practically dragged her to the locker room.
"I'm sorry about that," Oliver said to Katie once they were safe inside the locker room. Embarrassed, he dropped her hand.
"It was kind of exciting," Katie laughed. Then her face fell. "My picture isn't going to be in the paper, is it?"
Oliver grimaced. "It might be. I'm sorry," he said again.
Katie bit her lip. "It's alright."
There was an awkward silence for a moment until they were rescued from it by Oliver's teammates filing into the locker room. Their eyes were full of questions as they took a beat to look Katie up and down. Armand, naturally, spoke first.
"What the hell was that?" he asked, and though Oliver knew he didn't mean it unkindly, Katie blanched, worried that his concern for her had gotten Oliver into trouble.
"I was in a hurry," Oliver replied with a shrug. "I had to find someone."
"Looks like you found her," Karliah noted. She introduced herself to Katie with a friendly smile. The rest of the team followed suit.
"I'm Katie," she replied, warming to them. "Katie Bell."
"Not the Katie Bell?" Andrew snorted, and Oliver shot him a warning look, but it was too late.
"Excuse me?" Katie asked, and Oliver groaned.
"Oh, nothing," Andrew said. "It's just that Wood here used to go on about you. Apparently he's never seen a Chaser so young with so much raw talent."
"Or one nearly so annoying!" Alma Westley, a Chaser herself, added, grinning at Oliver, who was eyeing the ceiling. "Wood just loves to mention what a pain in his arse you were."
Katie laughed. "One of those things sounds about right," she said, her eyes sparkling.
Oliver glanced at her, and he wondered when she stopped playing Quidditch. In his early time with Puddlemere, when he was still getting to know the team, one of the few things he spoke about to them were his Hogwarts Quidditch days. His remarks about Katie's talent had been truthful. She was incredibly gifted at flying, and in her second year, at only twelve years old, she had performed better at tryouts than anyone else. The only reason Oliver had not recommended her as captain when he left was because Angelina was a more natural leader. His remarks about her ability to rile him up more than anyone else back in those days...well, those were equally true.
Looking at her now, he realized he had no idea why someone with as much skill on a broomstick as herself would be cleaning rooms at an inn instead of playing Quidditch. He resolved to ask her about it later.
Later. It was a word that hadn't really occurred to him until now. He had managed to snag Katie before she escaped the Quidditch pitch, but what was he going to do with her now? He certainly wasn't going to let her out of his sight, not when she was such an obvious flight risk. Would he take her back to his flat? To the Burrow? Would she even want him to take her anywhere? Katie was an adult, and as much as Oliver wanted to take care of her, there was the obvious possibility that she wasn't going to let him.
"Is it safe out there yet?" Oliver asked, interrupting the gentle teasing Katie had been enduring while he was lost in thought. Armand, the only one among them brave enough to risk a glance out, gave them an affirmative answer.
"We should pop in for dinner at the Burrow," Katie suggested, as if reading Oliver's mind. "I know it's rude to invite ourselves over, but Molly once told me I'm welcome 'any time', so that sounds like an invitation to me!"
Oliver was hit with the distinct impression that she was humoring him somehow, despite the fact that this plan had been her own suggestion. He found that he didn't enjoy the way Katie had him constantly second guessing himself, nor the way he wasn't quite sure of her motives. Still, he was relieved that she wasn't attempting to get away from him, so he agreed.
They said goodbye to the rest of the Puddlemere team and headed towards the Burrow. Only when it was too late did Oliver remember that he and Charlie had planned to meet here after the match, along with the rest of the Weasley family, to resume the search for Katie. He thought to warn her about this about the time they were approaching the Burrow, as most of the Weasley family was already pouring out to envelope Katie.
"Uh, did I miss something?" Katie asked as she was hugged forcefully by Molly Weasley.
"We've been worried sick about you!" Molly scolded. "How can you disappear on us like that again?"
Katie's face reddened. "I didn't mean to disappear," she muttered.
"What were you doing staying with Roger again?" Ginny demanded, grabbing Katie's hand.
Oliver watched, silent. He saw the look in Katie's eyes, watched the anger that flashed, knew that she wanted to tell Ginny to mind her own business, but as quickly as it was there, it was gone.
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
Ginny threw her arms around Katie's neck. "How many times do I have to tell you," she said into the top of Katie's head, "that we love you. You are our family. Did you think we wouldn't notice that you were gone?"
Katie closed her eyes and shrugged. The crowd began to disperse back into the Burrow, Molly Weasley calling for everyone to sit for supper. Charlie caught up with Oliver on the way inside.
"Where has she been?" he asked.
"She showed up at the match," Oliver said. "I'd forgotten I'd sent her tickets."
Charlie grinned at him. "Thanks for bringing her home."`
Oliver laid awake once more that night, thinking about family. He wondered if having Katie in his life would mean that he would have the Weasleys in it too. He wondered if Katie even was in his life.
Dinner had been a boisterous affair. Molly fussed endlessly over Katie. Ginny shared her wedding plans with Hermione, who merely shrugged when asked about her plans for marriage. Ron and Harry made a show of having their mouths far to full of food to comment on these matters. Victoire was cooed over by anyone and everyone. Everyone seemed to know about Katie and Oliver's night after the wedding, and Charlie made a point to make them the butt of any lewd joke he could think up while Molly pretended not to notice. George and Angelina were still away on their honeymoon.
It was strange to him to think that only a few days ago none of this had happened yet. It was difficult for Oliver to wrap his mind around the fact that events that could alter the path you are on so drastically could take place in such a short amount of time.
At some point during dinner, Charlie had asked Katie where she was staying.
"She'll be staying here of course," Mrs. Weasley had replied without missing a beat. The look on Katie's face said otherwise, but Molly ignored it.
"I don't need to stay here, Molly," Katie replied firmly. Molly, who was piling more food onto Harry's plate, paid her no attention.
"You're too skinny," she informed him before turning back to Katie. "Well then tell me, dear, where are you staying?"
Katie bit her lip. It was a simple enough questions, but she had no answer to it. Oliver remembered her earlier comment. I'm not a toddler. For someone who didn't want to be taken care of or fussed over Katie, certainly gave the people who cared for her cause for concern.
"Actually," Oliver said offhandedly, surprising even himself. "I've offered Katie my spare room." There was a pause in which everyone took in the fact that Oliver had just undermined the Weasley matriarch. Oliver blinked, his own words swirling in his head. What was he saying?
Katie smiled. "Yes. I'm going to be staying with Oliver for a little while."
Molly cleared her throat. "Well that's just lovely," she said politely, clearly hurt.
Katie's face softened. "If I'm staying with Oliver, I'll be close by," she said kindly. "I can come over for dinner more often!"
Molly recovered quickly, and beamed at Katie. "It will be so wonderful to have you nearby again, dear."
Everyone was quick to voice their agreement.
Pulled from his thoughts, Oliver sat up upon hearing a soft knock in his door.
"Are you awake?" Katie asked meekly, pushing open the door. Belinda perked her head up.
Oliver nodded. Then, realizing that it was dark, he cleared his throat and said "Yes."
Katie crossed the small space between the door and the bed, then stopped short. "Do you mind if I..." she trailed off, unsure of how to word her request. It didn't matter anyway; Oliver understood.
"Sure," Oliver said, much more nonchalant in tone than in feeling. As he moved over and pulled back his blanket for her, he thought about the last time she was in his bed, and he wondered for the first time who had invited who there. He decided that now was not the time to ask.
Katie slid into bed next to him smoothly, as though she had done so a million times before. She lay on her back for a moment, an uncomfortable silence passing between them. Then, slowly, she rolled onto her side to face Oliver. Reaching for his arm, she wrapped it in both of her own, leaning her forehead on his shoulder. He stared up at the ceiling and lost track of time as he listened to her breath slow as she drifted off to sleep. At some point he realized that Belinda, annoyed, had gone in search of another place to sleep.
Turning his head slightly, Oliver noted that Katie's hair smelled faintly of coconut. Her cheek was warm and soft against his arm. Instinctively seeking warmth, her toes pressed themselves against his calves.
Around the time Oliver's arm fell asleep, so did he.
When Oliver opened his eyes, the first thing he became aware of was the fact that Katie's head had shifted from his shoulder to his chest, and their legs were now tangled together. Oliver closed his eyes again and, for a moment, imagined that the situation were different...
He didn't want to indulge these thoughts long however, so he opened his eyes and very gently and carefully removed himself from the bed without waking Katie. Making his way to the kitchen, he decided that it was as good a morning as any to learn to cook.
Katie was awoken by the sound of Oliver cursing loudly, and the first thing she was aware of was the smell of smoke. She rushed into the kitchen to see him yelling obscenities as a smoking pan - Merlin only knows what it had been before it was burnt beyond recognition.
"What in Merlin's name are you doing?" Katie cried, and Oliver swung around. His face turned a deep crimson as it dawned on him that he was caught in his ridiculous endeavor.
"I was making you breakfast," he confessed. "But breakfast didn't want to be made."
Katie paused for a moment, taking the scene in. Then she smiled slowly. The smile turned into a chuckle, and within seconds she was doubled over in a deep laughter that Oliver couldn't help but catch. They laughed until their sides hurt, and only when their laughter and the smoke in the air made it difficult to breathe did they stop.
"I bet you're wishing you had stayed at the Burrow right about now," Oliver said as he retrieved his wand to clear the air.
Katie just shook her head, still giggling, as she retreated into the living room.
"What would be so bad about staying at the Burrow?" Oliver asked.
Katie shook her head again, frowning this time. "They treat me like I'm made of glass. Molly is absolutely wonderful, but she fusses over me like I'm a child. I'm not a child," she finished, looking into Oliver's eyes. He wasn't sure what she meant by that, but it made him slightly uneasy.
"Well, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like," Oliver replied, and he was surprised to find that he meant it completely. Katie smiled at him and leaned to hug him. Oliver held out his arms to her.
Suddenly, boldly, Oliver changed his course. He kissed Katie.
Katie pulled back, but she didn't look angry. "Slow down there, Wood," she said. Smirking, she added, "Just because you're famous doesn't mean I'm going to keep ending up in bed with you."
Oliver hugged her, kissing the top of her head lightly. "We'll see," he mumbled, surprising himself once again. If he had been looking at Katie's face instead of resting his chin on top of her head, he would have seen her eyes sparkle once more.
Hey guys! I really hope you all are enjoying this story, but whether you are or not, your reviews help me grow as a writer! I only ask that criticism be constructive and not mean!
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