This is a wee bit longer…
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I wake up at 3:35 the next morning, cursing at Peeves who had thought it funny to wake me by blowing in my ear. With the sound of the howling wind and rain, I decide that trying to fall back asleep would be useless so I get dressed and grab a book on defense spells that I had received for my birthday from Tonks, and go down to the common room to read.
To my surprise, Harry joins me about a half hour later, fully dressed and carrying his broom. Seeing as he hasn't been talking to me since my father broke into the school, I look back down at my book.
"Couldn't sleep?" Harry asks me after several moments of silence.
I look up from my book slowly, and study the nervous form of Harry. "Peeves," I state, and he smiles.
"Me too."
I nod and look back down at my book until Harry speaks again.
"I'm sorry," he states.
"I know."
"I've been acting like an idiot- everyone has."
"I know," I state again. "I'm used to it- don't worry about it."
He nods at me. "Has Oliver spoken to you at all yet?"
I shake my head. "He's tried to, I think, but only about the game today."
"He'll come out of it," Harry states.
I shrug at him, "I know. I'm not too sure I blame him. My family's had a slight history with his." I'm not sure if Harry knows about Neville's parents, so I remain as vague as possible.
Harry and I remain down in the common room until it begins to fill up and we head off to breakfast together, the past few weeks of silence suddenly forgotten. Harry takes a bowl of porridge and I choose some scrambled eggs. By the time we had finished, the rest of the team had shown up, Fred and George being last.
"It's going to be a tough one," Oliver says, not eating anything.
"Stop worrying, Oliver," Alicia states, "We don't mind a bit of rain."
Harry and I exchange glances. It was considerably more than a bit of rain out side. Making our way down to the locker room, I'm surprised at how much of the school had shown up to watch the game. We change into our robes and wait for Oliver to deliver his usual pre-game pep talk, but he is unable to speak and simply shakes his head and gestures for us to follow him.
The wind was so strong that it was blowing us all sideways. Flying in this was going to take a miracle. After Oliver shakes hands with Hufflepuff's captain, Cedric Diggory, Madam Hooch blows her whistle and both teams push off.
Within five minutes, I am completely drenched, but Angelina and I each have already scored a goal. It seems that the team thinks that winning the game is more important than ignoring me. After several more goals, and nearly colliding with a few different players due to the rain, a whistle blows, and we descend to the field.
"I called for time-out!" Oliver calls to us as we huddle towards the end of the field under a large umbrella.
"What's the score?" Fred asks.
"We're fifty points up," Oliver replies. "But unless we get the snitch soon, we'll be playing into the night."
"I've got no change with these on," Harry states, waving his glasses.
"Let me see them," I state, pulling my wand out of where it was tied to my leg. Harry hands me his glasses and I tap them stating Impervious. "They'll repel water now," I state, handing them back to him and placing my wand back on my leg.
"Brilliant," Oliver states, looking down at me. "Do you always carry your wand on you?"
"Lately," I reply, bitterly, sending him a slight glare.
He frowns at this answer, so apparently the way he's been treating me bothers him as much as it does me. "Okay team, let's go for it!"
Pushing back into the sky, the rain was worse than ever and lightning came more frequently. I look to Harry, hoping that he would catch the snitch soon and end this fiasco, but Harry was still in the air, looking towards the stands where the dog from Hogsmeade was standing.
I hear Oliver yell and Harry turns, spotting the Hufflepuff seeker chasing the Snitch. The Quaffle is passed to me, but Alicia throws it out of my reach and it falls before me. As I am diving downwards to grab hold of the Quaffle, the pitch goes suddenly silent. Looking around, at least a hundred dementors are coming towards the crowd. I stop flying when I reach about ten feet above the ground, and watch Harry's chase for the snitch as the air grows cold, eating at my insides.
Out of nowhere, a Bludger suddenly collides with my leg, sending me flying towards the ground. I hit face-first in the mud and looking up, I see Harry falling from the sky. He lands a few feet away from me, and ignoring the pain in my leg, I quickly crawl to him, checking out his unconscious form. From what I can tell, he's sustained very little, if any, injury except being unconscious.
Diggory catches the snitch, ending the game, and suddenly Dumbledore is standing next to me. He creates a stretcher out of magic and sends Harry directly to the hospital. As I push myself to a standing position, Fred and George land beside me, Fred carrying my broom with his own.
"Will you two please escort Taylor to the hospital?" Dumbledore asks, looking to Fred and George.
They both nod and watch Dumbledore as he rushes away towards the dementors.
"Are you okay to walk?" George asks me, gesturing to my leg.
I place weight on it and almost collapse in pain.
"Well I'll take that as a no," George states, handing Fred his broom and rushing to my side. "Please don't try to kill me," he states as he picks me up so I'm cradled in his arms.
"If this isn't humiliating…" I state, looking towards the crowd of people leaving the pitch.
"Nothing humiliating about a broken leg," Fred replies from our right.
When we get to the hospital wing, George lets me down, keeping me off my injured leg by using him and Fred to lean between. Angelina and Alicia are beside Harry's bed along with Ron and Hermione. "Where's Oli?" I ask Angelina, wincing as Fred leads me over to a chair.
"Showers," she replies. "We decided to come here directly form the game, but you know Oliver- he doesn't take a loss too well, and with this year being his last…"
I nod in understanding and Angelia looks to me. "You and Oliver are dating, right?"
"I don't know anymore," I state bitterly, shaking my head at her and wiping a bit of mud from my face. "He's hardly spoken to me since Halloween and even then- I don't know what we were really doing."
Angelina doesn't respond, but Ron and Hermione look to me quickly, having been unaware that anything had happened between Oliver and I. I look at Harry and notice that he has opened his eyes. "Harry's up," I state.
"Harry!" Fred states," How're you feeling?"
"What happened?" He asks, sitting up.
"You fell off," Fred replies. "Must've been- what- fifty feet?"
"We thought you'd died," Alicia says quietly.
"But the match," Harry states. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?"
Harry looks around to all of us, mud caked and soaked. Most people in the room are looking at the ground.
"We didn't- lose?"
"Diggory got the snitch," George states, sitting down on the arm of my chair. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But the won fair and square…even Wood admits it."
"Where is Wood?" Harry asks, looking around and realizing that Oliver wasn't there.
"Still in the showers," Fred states. "We think he's trying to drown himself."
Harry puts his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair.
"Stop it," I state and he looks up at me. "You've never missed the snitch before, and we only need a margin of 100 points- we're still in it." I say, standing up. Forgetting for the moment the pain in my leg, I make to walk towards Harry, and instantly fall to my hands and knees in pain.
Almost instantly, George is by my side. "You need to be seen by Madam Pomfrey," he states softly. I shake my head, not moving from my current position.
"What happened to her?" Harry asks.
"She was hit in the leg by a bludger and fell off her broom," Angelina states.
"You okay, Tay?" Harry asks me.
"Fine," I state through clenched teeth. George helps me up just as Madam Pomfrey comes rushing in, checking quickly on Harry and then running over to me. She shoos the rest of the team out the door, having George help bring me to a bed.
"We'll come and see you guys later," Fred says as he leaves.
George sits beside me as Pomfrey leaves for a moment to get some healing potions.
"You're caked with mud," George says, smiling and pulling a clump of mud from my hair.
"I can't imagine why," I reply sarcastically. "You're not so clean yourself, you know. Although, granted, you didn't fall face down into the mud…"
"Well we can't all be as clumsy as you," he says with a grin.
"Cute," I state as Pomfrey comes back in and asks George to leave, stating that he can come visit me later.
When George disappears, she pulls a curtain around me and helps me into dry clothing. Once I am completely dressed, she opens the curtain back up and Harry gives me a reassuring smile from across the room with Hermione and Ron.
Pomfrey hands me two potions and tells me to drink them.
"What are they?" I ask.
She glares at me. "A pain and healing potion."
"What are they called?" I ask, smelling one.
"Just drink the potion, Black."
I turn quickly to the door where Snape is walking over towards me, a smirk on his lips. "I believe that you might be the first student to injure herself to get out of a detention for me."
"Yeah, like this was planned, and somehow I doubt that statement," I reply, quickly drinking the two potions. I turn back to Pomfrey, "How long will I be in here, Poppy?"
"You and Potter may both leave on Monday morning," she states, walking away from me and entering her office.
"I suppose I will see you Monday after dinner then," Snape sneers and walks out of the room.
"Can't wait," I say, pushing myself up on the bed.
I look across the room where Harry is in discussion with Ron and Hermione. I hear him ask about his broom and from the looks that Hermione and Ron were making, I know that is can't be good news. Hermione states something about the Whomping Willow and empties a bag of twigs out on Harry's lap, which used to be his Nimbus.
In a few moments time, and as an absolute shock to me, Oliver walks into the room. He looks away quickly when we meet eyes and he approaches Harry and tells him that he doesn't blame him for today's loss- a noble statement coming from Oliver.
Oliver looks as if he debates walking out of the door, but he slowly walks over to me, taking the seat beside my bed. I notice that Hermione and Ron are watching me and Ron leans in to tell something to Harry.
"What do you want, Oliver?" I ask, when Oliver doesn't say anything. He frowns when I use his full first name, something that I haven't done since first year.
"Well…" He states, looking at his hands. "I'm your captain and you were injured today, so I wanted to make sure that you were okay."
"And that's it?" I ask, bitterly.
"No," he says with a shrug, and finally looks back up at me. "I miss you, Tay."
"You did that yourself," I reply, my eyes narrowed.
"I know, and I feel horrible. I was talking to Toph and he told me I was being a right idiot. He's been trying to find you, by the way, but hasn't been able to other than dinner."
"I've taken to hiding in the library so I can't be cursed. It seems to be the school's new game to aim hexes at me."
"Do you hate me?" Oliver asks softly.
I shake my head at him, "No- never. This thing with my father has turned many people against me... I can't say that I haven't been disappointed, but I could never hate you."
"I really am sorry," he states. "I know that you don't have anything to do with your father, but ever since I was little Mum told me stories about my Uncle and Aunt and what your cousin had done to them…It's no excuse for my actions," he says, looking at me with determination on his face. "You're not them, and I know that."
"You're only human Oli," I reply. "My family's evil, I'm well aware, and yours has been on the receiving end of it. I promise you, I don't hate you."
He smiles at me for the first time in a good while and I scoot over in the bed, leaving room beside me. "Come on," I say, smiling back at him, and patting the space I had just made.
With slight hesitation, he gets into the bed beside me. I lay back down as he turns towards me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close to him. He holds his breath for a moment as I turn on my side, facing away from him so our bodies are pushed as close as they can be against each other, my backside resting in his lap where his feelings for me are suddenly quite apparent.
I choose to ignore the unspoken awkwardness at the newness of this part of our relationship, and I close my eyes, finding comfort in the rising and falling of Oliver's chest behind me.
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I wake up in the morning to Draco by my side. "We've got to stop meeting like this," I state, making him jump slightly.
"Hey you," he replies with a smile as I push myself up. Looking across the room, I notice Hermione and Ron are at Harry's side; Harry and Ron playing a game of chess. When Harry sees that I am awake, he calls out to me.
"The team is supposed to be showing up in about a half hour, George was here last night again for you but when Pomfrey let him in she was quite peeved at you and Oliver sleeping in the same bed and kicked the two of them out. Oliver's brother was here this morning."
"Thanks," I reply, ignoring the odd feeling of guilt I had for George seeing me and Oliver like that. It shouldn't matter, because George and I are only friends, but I've known his feelings for me for over a year now.
I turn back to Draco. "You actually stayed in here?" I ask.
He shrugs at me. "They didn't try and curse me. The mudblood actually smiled at me."
"She won't if she hears you calling her that. I notice you're out of your bandages finally?"
"I thought it was about time," he replies.
"You're up to something."
He grins at me but doesn't answer. When the team shows up, Draco quickly leaves, knowing that the team is peeved at him for having to play Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin the first place.
This time, Oliver comes with the rest of the team, and yet again tells Harry that he doesn't blame him for losing the match. I can tell that Harry doesn't believe him, and I'm not too sure that I do either, but at least he's stating it.
While the teams talks to Harry, George walks over to my bed, sitting down beside me. "I came here last night, but I was kicked out."
"Yeah," I reply, awkwardly. "Harry told me. Thanks."
He shrugs and I notice that Oliver is glancing in our direction. "Oli apologized last night- he came after your guys had all left."
"I noticed."
"I just couldn't blame him," I state with a sigh, not believing how badly I feel right now.
"Sure you can," George replies, bitterly. "Not everyone has been treating you like shit the past month or so."
"Only a vast majority…"
"I haven't."
"But you like me, George."
"And so, supposedly, does Wood. You deserve someone who acts like it."
I don't reply and George knows that he's won this argument. When Angelina and Alicia walk over to me, George gets up to go talk to Harry.
"How're you feeling?" Angelina asks.
"Decent," I reply. "It was just a broken leg. Usually Pomfrey lets people out the same day with broken bones."
"Listen," Alicia states. "We want to apologize."
"Don't worry about it," I reply.
"No," Angelina says fiercely. "We've been horrible to you and we really are sorry."
I nod my head at her. "I believe you. Thanks."
She smiles and approaches closer to my bed, leaning in so just Alicia and I can hear her. "So, have you talked to Oliver at all yet?"
"Yeah," I reply. "He came by last night to say sorry."
"Are you two still- together?" she asks.
"As much as we were before," I reply. This is what I hate about girls. The 'girl talk.' Most of the people I can stand to talk to are male, so this seldom happens. Hermione isn't overly girly so I mainly get this from Ginny, who loves to make fun of me for how close I am to Fred and George, especially after I had let it slip that Fred and I had kissed during my first year.
"What about George?" Alicia asks.
"What about him?"
"Everyone saw you two dancing together and you're almost always together outside of classes."
"I believe that's called 'a friend.'" I reply and both Angelina and Alicia smile as if they know something that I don't.
"Okay," Alicia states. "Oliver's coming over, so we're going to leave you two alone."
I glare at where they leave me, stopping to say goodbye to Harry and then leaving the hospital. Fred and George are still at Harry's bed.
"I thought that I'd save you from those two," Oliver states with a smile, and sits down on the edge of my bed.
"Appreciated," I state.
"I can't really stay, I've got a captain's meeting to go to, but I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."
"I am, Oli- thanks."
"No problem Tay," he replies, leaning down to kiss my lips before leaving the room.
"How are things between you and loverboy?"
I look at Fred and glare at him as a large grin is plastered on his face. From beside him, George looks at me apologetically.
"You seem to like that word," I reply. "Any particular reason you're using it this time?"
"Aren't you two dating, that's what Angelina told me."
"Well, your precious Angelina is only slightly correct," I state.
From beside him, George snickers. It was common knowledge that Fred sought Angelina and has for a good while.
"Slightly?" Hermione asks.
"Well we're not officially anything," I reply. "Not that it makes that much of a difference."
There is a knock at the door, and Remus is standing there, looking very tired; an after effect of the full moon.
"Damn- you look like shit," I state.
"Thanks Taylor," he replies with a small grin. "And how are you two feeling?" He asks looking back and forth between Harry and me.
"Good," Harry replies as I state, "Fine."
"So I suppose that means you'll be in my class tomorrow?"
"As long as you are," I mutter.
Remus smiles, stupid werewolf hearing, "I take it you didn't enjoy whoever covered?"
"No way," Ron animatedly states, "One class with Snape is beyond enough."
"I'm sure Professor Snape wasn't so bad. And Taylor, I thought that you were his disciple- that's the word around the school, at least."
"Sure," I reply frowning. "I mean- I only left class with a detention and a two roll paper on how to recognize and kill werewolves."
Remus tries to hide his surprise, but I catch it, and from the look on Hermione's face, she catches it as well. "And what did you do to earn yourself another detention with Professor Snape?"
"I'm not actually sure," I state innocently. "I think it might be either because I flipped him off or told him that he was an asshole."
Fred and George, who had been quiet for some time now, loudly crack up laughing, gaining the attention of Pomfrey. She looks into the room, sees Remus with us, and goes back into her office.
"That might be reason enough," Remus states, frowning over George's laughter. "I just stopped by to make sure that you guys were okay. I have a decent amount of papers to grade, so I'll see you in class tomorrow."
There's a chorus of goodbyes as he leaves. "He really doesn't look too well, does he?" Ron asks.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Hermione replies, glancing shortly in my direction.
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I appreciate reviews as always
Oh,
And last chapter was the most reviews per chapter for this story thus far,
Thank you all a super large amount!!