Hello!
Special shout out to RedIsNotAColour and deimahori who have been the only two people to review this story! Thank you so much, you guys! Your reviews are encouraging and helpful. They really put a smile on my face. (:
And now, on with the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.
It was some time around March, and the weather was becoming considerably better. Before, every day it was freezing cold and the students at Hogwarts would often wake up to find the grounds covered in a silver sheet of ice. Now, the lake was starting to melt and the giant squid could resurface, much to everyone's delight; they all knew it was friendlier than Mrs Norris, Filch the caretaker's sneaky cat, that would run straight to Filch if you were somewhere you weren't supposed to be, even if it was only by accident.
Oliver, true to his promise, had started training Katie first thing on Boxing Day. They spent the remainder of the Christmas holidays on their broomsticks. He tested Katie in different positions and Katie decided that she was most comfortable as a chaser.
"You have a real knack for it, Kates." Oliver had told her during one of their training sessions. Katie blushed at his compliment as well as the fact that he called her 'Kates' which he had started doing more often. Katie didn't mind though. In fact she really liked the nickname given to her by Angelina and Alicia.
Once they established that Katie's position would be as a chaser, they began coming up with drills and special moves. She would be constantly taking shots into Oliver, who was an excellent keeper in Katie's opinion. This didn't stop her scoring quite a few. Oliver would also giver her lots of tips on defending the opposing chasers and special moves she could use to skill them. These training sessions continued when they returned to Hogwarts, however they weren't as frequent, due to Oliver having to train for the upcoming game against Hufflepuff and not to mention the mounds of homework they were both receiving in preparation for the end of year exams. Yet, Oliver would always manage to find some time for Katie- he must be eager to get me a spot on the team next year, Katie thought.
Katie was more determined to get on next years team than ever. The three current chasers- Peter Williams, Alex Jones, Sophie Harris- and the two current beaters- Philip Burgess, Liam Buckley- were all in their seventh year, meaning they would all be leaving at the end of the year and leaving five spaces open on the team. Katie would have a lot of of competition, plenty from older students. Katie expressed this worry to Oliver one night after a long and successful training session.
"If you keep this up Katie, and we train enough in the summer, you'll get a spot for sure." He told her. She still looked worried though. "Don't worry Kates, you're brilliant. Trust me." He assured her. This put a smile on her face that was still there when she went to bed that night.
Angelina and Alicia were just as excited as Katie about the five spaces on the Gryffindor team that would be free the next year. In fact, they started asking Katie if she could ask Oliver to train them too. Oliver was reluctant at first, but once she explained that they would play as chasers too he finally agreed.
"Wow, you three make a really good team." He had told them after their first training session the four of them. He looked slightly taken aback by their team work.
"No need to seem so surprised." Angelina had replied.
"Yeah, I know we're girls but that doesn't mean that we're not capable." Alicia chipped in.
Oliver looked even more taken aback than before. "It's not that you are girls, it's just that...for your age...oh never mind." He trailed off as he saw the look Angelina was giving him. Katie stood there quietly, trying not to laugh at the look on Angelina's face.
"You know, Oliver isn't as attractive when he's shocked at our abilities purely down to the fact that we are girls and only eleven and twelve. I am a strong, independent woman." Angelina told Katie and Alicia in the changing rooms. Both the girls started giggling. "What? I do not like him anymore, especially if he's going to be like that. He's all yours, Kates."
"What?" Katie spluttered.
"You like each other, don't you?" Angelina asked her, a confused expression now upon her face. Alicia stopped what she was doing to listen.
"No! Absolutely not!" Katie assured her best friends. "I've known him forever, besides he's like my older brother." She told them.
"Oh that's a shame." Alicia said, shaking her head slightly.
"Yeah, you two suit each other." Angelina said teasingly.
"Oh, shut up." Katie muttered, going slightly red. She had no idea her two best friends thought that about her and Oliver.
As soon as Fred and George found out that Oliver was training Katie, Angelina and Alicia, they begged him to train them too. They were hoping to be beaters. Oliver, knowing how much trouble they caused, refused point blank. However, after the twins cornering him numerous times with the promise that they would be good and that if he wouldn't train them they would set off a dung bomb in his dormitory, he finally gave in.
"Those twins are a nightmare." He huffed, after he finally agreed to training them, flopping down next to Katie on a couch in the common room.
"You get used to it after a while." Alicia assured him. "And Ange will keep them in line, won't you Ange?"
"Yeah, I can be a strong woman." She said pointedly at Oliver, to which he rolled his eyes.
So now, at least once every week, the five first years would be trained by Oliver. Despite being a keeper, Oliver actually had good tips for all of them. Fred and George must have been eager to get on the team because they didn't cause trouble, as you would expect from them, and they listened to everything Oliver had to tell them. It was safe to say training with Oliver had made Katie much more confident and she would be sure to thank him graciously if she got a spot on the team next year.
Sorry, that was a really short chapter!
However, please do tell me what you thought, reviews are REALLY appreciated.
Thank you for reading :D
Lumos-Hermione-Nox