February 6, 1994
Girls' Dormitory
When I was little, my brothers and I used to build tents in the parlor. They were elaborate and painstaking with our towers of pillows, piles of blankets, sheets draped over the couches and chairs arranged so perfectly. We would spend balmy summer nights under our tents, whispering that would sometimes escalate into wrestling matches and squabbles over our favorite pillow. When my brothers fell asleep, I would stare up at the sheet hanging over us, feeling so safe and relaxed.
Last night, the celebrations for our win against Ravenclaw were cut short. Sirius Black, notorious murderer, escaped prisoner of Azkaban, the reason why those horrible Dementors are here, managed to make it past the Fat Lady and into the dormitories. After seeing the Fat Lady's shredded portrait, I shuddered at the thought of being in the common room when he forced his way in, climbed up the stairs to the boys' dormitories, to Ron Weasley's bed. My heart sunk at the thought of Black rampaging through Oliver's dormitory.
We were all gathered, confused and scared, into the Great Hall for the night. It felt a little like those summer nights with my brothers and our tents, but I felt scared. Even as I stared at the twinkling stars above my head, I was uneasy. The fearful whispers filled the dark room. I heard a small whimper somewhere to my left. After a few minutes, there was silence, but I knew mostly everyone was wide awake. I could hear Leanne's soft breathing next to me, and I shifted, rolling onto my side. I looked at the rows of dark bodies surrounding me, wondering where Fred and George were to tell me some sort of joke. Whenever I was nervous before a game, they always seemed to find a way to relax me.
I felt a foot graze my outstretched hand. "Katie?" Oliver. I didn't know how long he was there in front of me, but I was too distracted with thoughts of Sirius Black to notice much. I squinted and finally saw his hazel eyes staring at me. My eyes finally focused on him, and I could see his fuzzy face, outlined by the starlight, his head resting on his arm as he turned his body towards me. "You okay?" His whispered voice sounded worried, and I thought I could see worry on his shadowed face. "When I heard about Black…I was so relieved you weren't in the common room." I thought I heard his voice crack a little.
The thought of Black somewhere in Hogwarts…the possibility of him bursting into the Great Hall and murdering everyone. I told him I was scared. I could feel the tears in my eyes and in my voice. There was a pause, and suddenly, he shifted down next to me and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close and holding tight. He inhaled, like he was about to say something, but then exhaled, like he had changed his mind.
In other circumstances, my heart would be beating so fast that I'd feel like I'd throw it up. But it felt surprisingly normal with Oliver Wood's arm wrapped around me. For the first time that night, I felt safe. Thoughts of Sirius Black faded away, and I fell asleep so quick that I didn't realize I had until this morning when I woke up to Oliver Wood snoring next to me with his heavy arm sprawled across my back, his mouth open, a string of drool on his pillow.
I think I may be falling in love with Oliver Wood.
February 12, 1994
Common Room
Today was a Hogsmeade weekend, and a much needed trip to Honeydukes was in order. Since that night, I have been on an emotional roller coaster, and my stash of chocolate was depleted. Leanne caught some sort of cold earlier this week and, after much debate, decided to stay behind. Angelina and Alicia had already left with the twins and Lee. I figured I could meet them at the Three Broomsticks later for a butterbeer or two.
As I walked down from my room, I expected a mostly empty common room. The castle was always oddly empty on Hogsmeade weekends. What I wasn't expecting was Oliver sitting in his usual corner, reading Quidditch Throughout the Ages. The same copy I had given him. Normal people would relax considering the next Quidditch match was in more than a month. But Wood, he never stops. I could tell he was stuck on a play because he was reading (a Quidditch book, no less) for inspiration. He looked up at me and gave me a small smile. He sighed, lowered his book, and ran a hand through his already ruffled hair. He looked handsome, freshly shaven, sporting a navy jumper with the sleeves pushed up. He also looked worried, but he always looks worried lately. I asked him if he was going to Hogsmeade. He gave me an incredulous look, as though offended I had even asked him. "I don't have time for that! Need to finish these plays," he said gesturing to the papers scattered across the table.
For someone who vowed to stop thinking about Oliver Wood, stop talking to Oliver Wood, stop associating with Oliver Wood outside of Quidditch, I am doing a terrible job. Naturally, I convinced him to go to Hogsmeade with me. I told him that since he was already stuck, he might as well get some fresh air. Maybe something in Hogsmeade would inspire him. Surprisingly, it didn't take much wheedling for him to finally gather his papers and tuck them into his bag.
We hadn't talked about that night. I'm not sure if there was anything to talk about. Leanne thought there was certainly something to talk about the next day. "You two slept together! That's a big deal," she kept hissing in my ear the entire time it took for us to reach our dormitory. She made it seem like something indecent happened. We technically slept next to each other, and his arm happened to be around me. He didn't make a big deal out of it when we woke up. He didn't say anything at all.
As we made our way to the front doors, the silence stretched between us. It seemed like forever as we walked through the empty winding corridors. It has been a while since we have actually had our late night talks. Oliver has been too consumed with the prospects of the Cup. I understood. It was his last year after all. With that thought, I felt like my heart was being crushed in a vice.
I wasn't paying attention, and I stepped into a trick stair. As I quickly realized my mistake and tried to tug on my leg, my foot sunk in deeper. I nearly toppled over, but Oliver, with his catlike reflexes, snatched the back of my robes and pulled me upright easily. He started laughing. It had been a while since I heard him laughing. It was uproarious, bouncing off the walls. I hit him. Wanker. He told me he was tempted to leave me, but still chuckling, he grabbed me by the armpits and forcefully pulled me out of the step. And with that, everything was normal again.
He told me about his dream, more so nightmare, he kept having when he was able to fall asleep—we won the Quidditch Cup, but then the giant squid grabbed it from him and pulled it into the lake. He apparently doesn't know how to swim, to which I could not stop laughing. Honestly, who does not know how to swim? He glared at me, but it only made me laugh harder. "Anyway," he cut across my giggles, "Marcus Flint jumps in because he knows how to swim and stole the Cup…and Dumbledore let him keep it." I assured him that the likelihood of his dream becoming reality was almost nonexistent. Not to mention a Summoning Charm would probably do the trick, but the idea of delving into the logistics of Oliver's dream sounded a little tiring.
My stomach hurt from laughter by the time we finally got to Honeydukes. But as we stepped through the door, my stomach dropped. It had been a while since he had mentioned her, but then again, it had been a while since we had really talked.
Hailey Tobias. Her gorgeous blue eyes, her pretty smile. I almost forgot how beautiful she was...just like how I seemed to have forgotten to brush my hair this morning. I quickly glanced at Oliver to see his reaction. He gave her a small smile when they made eye contact. "Hey, Hailey." She grinned at him, revealing her perfectly straight, white teeth. "Hey, Oliver." Even her voice sounded beautiful. I had a strong urge to throw a box of Cockroach Clusters at her head, so I stuck my hands in my pockets.
"This is my good friend, Katie Bell. She's also one of my Chasers," Oliver said placing a hand on my shoulder. I gave her a small smile, which probably looked more like a scowl, and she smiled back at me.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Hailey." I wanted to tell her I knew exactly who she was, but instead, I mumbled the same sentiment, even though I hated her because Oliver was crazy about her. With that, Oliver led me to the wall of chocolates. I immediately turned to him questioningly. He raised an eyebrow at me, looking a little amused at my crossed arms and demanding look. He merely answered with a shrug."I've been busy with Quidditch, with the Cup and the talent scout. I don't know, I just got tired of her. She's very pretty but boring." Then he started talking about how Cockroach Clusters aren't really that bad and that he was a little fond of them. I almost gagged.
Oliver bought one bar of chocolate. I left with bags full of chocolate bars, Chocoballs, Chocolate Wands, Chocolate Frogs, Peppermint Toads, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. We wasted the rest of the afternoon on a bench, eating Every Flavor Beans. We had a bet going because Oliver claimed that he had eaten them so many times that he could avoid all the disgusting flavors. The game ended when he chose a vomit-flavored bean and nearly vomited himself.
When I finally got back, Leanne asked me how Hogsmeade was without her. To be honest, it was one of the best trips I have had in a while, but I didn't tell her that. Leanne mentioned how surprising it was that Oliver even tore himself away from his diagrams for an afternoon. She was right. It was unusual. I don't even remember ever seeing him in Hogsmeade. But then again, Oliver Wood is a very odd person.
I wasn't sure what to make of the whole Hailey Tobias situation, but I knew that if Oliver chose to focus on Quidditch over someone as beautiful as Hailey, I stood no chance. I'm tired of waiting around, pining for someone who doesn't feel the same way about me. I deserve better. I hate Oliver. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him.
But I really don't.
A/N: But really, thanks to anyone who is reading this. I know it's pretty ridiculous that I'm trying to finish this after six years. I really have missed writing though. I'm glad I remembered my password for this account hah.
