A/N: Second part without fail! After reading HBP, I've refound the joy of writing fanfics! If only I had the time and inclination to finish them all! Enjoy and thanks for reviews!
Chapter Ten - Love and Blood and Stuff.
"Are you ok Oliver?" Katie bawled across the Quidditch pitch just before the teams were about to resume play.
"Yeah!" Oliver replied, grinning quite manically. Tufts of his brown hair were sticking out between where the bandage was wrapped around his head and Oliver now had a permanent goofy grin plastered on his face.
"Good," Katie replied a little uncertainly before shrugging and flying off toward Angelina and Alicia.
Oliver kept his eye on the game even though he was currently seeing triple of everything. Looking at Katie, it was quite nice, if really rather blurry.
"Sorry about that Wood," Marcus said quickly as he zoomed over, checking over his shoulder for when the game began again. "I did tell him to do it a little less obviously but, what are you going to do eh?"
"Marcus, I can three of you and it is the most horrifying sight my eyes have ever seen," Oliver replied with a smirk.
Just as Marcus was about to reply, a scream of his name flooded both Captain's ears and before either of them knew it, the Quaffle had smashed into the back of Marcus' head, causing his head to jerk forward violently and smash onto the handle of his broom.
Oliver watched all this in some kind of slow motion and whether it was the concussion creeping into his head or the fact Marcus' nose had just broken mere inches in front of him, Oliver didn't have the savvy to grab the Quaffle away.
Even though Marcus looked as if he'd been the lead in a horror film, with blood pouring from his nose and splashing down his front like some kind of hideous rain, he managed to grab the Quaffle to his chest and put it through the right hand goal hoop before Oliver could attempt to push him off his broom.
"Another ten points to Slytherin! Keeper! Seriously! What was that display about?" Lee screamed into his megaphone. "I know you were nearly killed but come on! Eye on the ball, eye on the ball people!"
"Sorry," Marcus said but smiled in a very Slytherin manner before flying off to victory high five his team mates who all tried to dodge him as his blood was now making a crimson cape behind him.
"GROSS!" Alicia screamed as she got doused as Marcus flew past her. "Madam Hooch! I've got rat blood on me!"
Angelina and Katie both half screamed in disgust and sympathy but didn't offer any support to their friend.
"Everyone stop!" Madam Hooch commanded. "Flint, get here now for Merlin's sake! Bleeding over everyone, honestly!"
She grabbed the scruff of Marcus' neck and wrenched his head backwards to stem the flow before performing a spell that ceased the blood. She then zapped him clean and did the same for Alicia.
"Can we please finish this game and stop this behaviour! I've seen more fouls in these twenty minutes than at a chicken factory! Madam Hooch ranted angrily. "RESUME!"
"This is quite possibly the most gut wrenching, puke inducing, vomit…" Lee Jordan began, making sick faces but Professor McGonagall gave him a sharp poke in the side.
"OK, OK, just saying it's disgusting all this blood. I like to be articulate Miss!" Lee protested which resulted in another poke, this time harder.
"Ouch, sorry Professor Umbridge," Lee muttered and quickly went back to commentating before McGonagall could attack once again.
"And back to the game," Lee continued finally. "Warrington in possession, dodges a Bludger from Weasley, which ever one that was, dodges Spinnet, dodges Johnson and is intercepted by Bell – who er, drops it and is caught by Flint! Marcus Flint in possession and he's heading straight for the goal! He shoots, he still shoots and he misses! Oh poor display there!"
"Ha ha," Oliver called, almost toppling off his broom.
"Quiet you," Marcus replied angrily before speeding off.
"Touchy!" Oliver called.
"And is that…? YES! It is! The Golden Snitch and Malfoy for Slytherin is on it! Come on Potter, get your finger out boy! Were you or were you not the boy who lived? I'm sure you can manage the bloody Snitch! No! Malfoy is reaching for it, it's almost in the bag for Slytherin, COME ON HARRY! Oh NO! Draco Malfoy has got the Golden Snitch, barely snatched it from under Potters nose, the little weasel!"
At that point, professor McGonagall wrestled the megaphone from Lee Jordan before his tirade of abuse started once again.
Oliver slumped on his broom, thankful the game was over. All he wanted to do was lay down and have his forehead dabbed by Katie, or if not, Madam Pomfry at least.
He decided it would be best if he landed and spoke with his team, doing the usual after game talk, well, er, rant.
Oliver pointed his broom downwards a little too quick and careered toward the ground, barely missing a crash landing. He stumbled with the broom between his legs until he came to a complete stop. He saw Harry first.
"Good game mate," He said. "Don't worry too much about it."
"Er Oliver, you alright? Where's the screams?" Harry asked timidly, not fancying a shouting match. He wasn't scared of Oliver but preferred him to be nice instead of nasty.
"They'll come later. I'm far too concussed at the minute to be honest," Oliver replied, slapping him on the shoulder and staggering over to where the twins and the Chasers were.
"Wood mate, nice hit! Took it well my man!" Fred said, patting him on the back but not too hard incase he fell over.
"I feel rough," Oliver admitted.
"We were so worried Oliver!" Angelina cried. "We thought you were going to fall to your death!"
"Well thanks for rushing over to save me!" Oliver retorted gently. He wasn't mad, he knew Angelina had her eye on the game. "Marcus was there anyway."
"Mmm," Angelina said disapprovingly but said no more.
"Good game anyway team. Nice twists Alicia, been paying attention, good girl. George, more shoulder, less wrist my man but good play. I saw you smack Pucey in the face. Illegal but good," Oliver smiled.
"I was aiming for Malfoy," George said. "I think Bole and Derrick were half the time too actually."
"Katie," Oliver began but Katie stopped him saying anymore by throwing her arms around him tightly and squeezing as hard as she could.
"Whoa!" The twins said in unison as they usually did.
"I was so worried when I saw you get hit. It was partly my fault," Katie muttered into Oliver's neck.
"It's…let go…it's ok," Oliver replied, peeling Katie from him as she stopping what little blood supply there was to his head. "Don't worry, I'm ok."
"Good," Katie replied, tucking some loose hair behind her ear, her pale cheeks blushed.
Oliver stepped forward and whether it was sense or his madness that was slowly taking over, he kissed Katie swiftly on the lips. The kiss was quick and their lips barely touched but there was certainly electricity between them for Oliver's lips still tingled as he looked at her.
"What the…" Fred began before being elbowed out of the way by Madam Pomfry who seized Oliver by the top of his arm and dragged him away, all the while muttering about banning dangerous sports and how she had better things to do than tend to injured Quidditch players.
Oliver looked over his shoulder at Katie just before he was dragged from the pitch and a strange longing inside him twinged not all unpleasantly and from that moment, even though he felt awful and was hot, sweaty and disgusting, the lingering sweet strawberry scent that was Katie told him that he was in love.