I was really disappointed with the feedback I got with the last chapter. Personally, I thought it was one of my best chapters, but apparently not. I'm not terribly confident in my writing, and getting barely any reviews doesn't help. So please leave a review! It'd make my day.
"Katie, wake up!" A voice demanded my attention. I groaned and shied away from the grating voice. "If you don't get up in five seconds, I'm getting the twins. They're much more inventive than I am." My eyes blinked open to sleepily glare at Lila, who was now threatening me. "Oh, good. You're up," she said, smiling at me.
"You're evil," I muttered.
"Maybe so, but do you really want to sleep in and miss your boyfriend's graduation day? Besides, I heard he has something planned for you, before the whole graduation begins," she added. I sat upright hurriedly and swung my feet out of bed.
"I forgot about that," I groaned. I didn't want to accept that Oliver was graduating. After school ended, we'd rarely see each other. It didn't help that he'd been signed as a reserve keeper on Puddlemere United, which meant that he'd be busy all of summer as well. Not that that was a bad thing, I was ecstatic that he was signed; it had been his dream since he was a toddler to play professional. "Wait, did you say he has something planned?"
She nodded. "You'd better hurry and get dressed. He's getting rather impatient down there, and I believe he doesn't care if you're in pajamas or clothes." I rolled my eyes, but was pleased. We hadn't done anything special or romantic in ages, with exams and everything going on. I got dressed quickly and headed downstairs.
"There you are," Oliver said, rising from the couch when he spotted me.
"Sorry, I wasn't aware we were doing anything today," I replied, reaching up to peck him on the lips quickly.
"It's a surprise. Lila didn't say anything, did she?" he asked worriedly.
"No, nothing. Don't worry," I said and smiled up at him. Oliver looked relieved and laced his hand through mine.
"Well, then let's go!" he exclaimed. I smiled at his enthusiasm.
"Where are we going?" I asked as we walked out of the common room and down the hallway.
"That is part of the surprise," he said, smiling down at me. Normally I would have questioned him until he gave up and told me, but I was intrigued. So instead, I gave a little sigh and stayed quiet. He grinned again at my reaction but didn't say anything else. Soon enough, I realized that we were heading outside. We exited the castle and kept on walking. As we approached the lake, I saw a little picnic set up, complete with a checkered blanket and all of my breakfast favorites. I looked at Oliver and smiled. He was gauging my reaction carefully, trying to see if I liked it. I reached up and kissed him.
"When did you have time to plan this?" I asked.
"It wasn't that hard," he said and shrugged. I smiled again. We sat down and started eating and talking, making sure to keep away from the topic of the day's approaching activities. "So, how was it?" he asked when we finished eating.
"It was wonderful. Thank you, Ollie," I said before shifting my position to rest my head in his lap.
"Hey, I'm not finished yet. You can't fall asleep," he protested, and jiggled his leg to get me back up.
I grumbled, but sat back up, wondering what else he could possibly have planned.
"Thank you," he huffed at my reluctance. I smiled brightly at him, trying to show I was ready now. He smiled in response and dug into the now empty basket. Apparently it wasn't so empty though, because now he had a small box clasped in his hand. I hesitated, wondering what could be in the box. "Calm down," he said, when he saw my face. "I am not proposing to you." I let out a slight breath of relief and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue.
"Katie, I know that it's going to be hard, with you still in school and me with Quidditch. But I wanted to give you something to remind you that we're going to make it," he said, sounding a little bashful. I nodded, agreeing that we're going to make it and showing he should continue. "And, since I'm absolute rubbish with gifts and everything, this is the best I could come up with." He opened the box and presented it to me, his cheeks slightly flushed as if he was embarrassed. I peered into it, studying the small pendant resting on a little puff of fabric. My breath caught when I realized what I was looking at.
"If you don't like it, I can get something else," Oliver started saying quickly.
"No, I love it!"I protested, and I put my hand over his and gave it a squeeze of reassurance. The gift was a pendant of the Puddlemere United's emblem, two crossed golden bulrushes. The chain was gold, to match the bulrushes, and the background behind the bulrushes was a dark blue, matching the team's color. I honestly wouldn't expect anything less from Oliver. "It's perfect," I said. "Put it on me?" He nodded and took it from the box. I turned around and pulled my hair to the side so he could fasten the necklace.
"I really do love it. Thank you," I said again. Oliver nodded, he looked very happy I liked the gift. "I was going to wait until after the ceremony to give you yours, but I might as well do it now. It's up in my room though. Should we cut our picnic short to go get it?" I asked.
"Yes, we should," Oliver agreed. I helped him fold the blanket and put it in the basket. Although I offered to carry the basket, he refused.
"You're much too old-fashioned. I'm perfectly capable of carrying a basket," I complained as we started walking.
"I know you are," Oliver replied. "But I like doing things for you." I didn't have a response to that, so I just linked our hands and kept quiet on the way back to the castle. As we were walking through the hallways, I noticed that it was unusually quiet. Everyone was either sleeping late, or making their private goodbyes now, like Oliver and I. The common room was thankfully quite empty. I made Oliver sit on the couch and ran up to retrieve my present for him. Suddenly, I was worried that he wouldn't like it. I had actually put a long thought into coming up with the gift and hoped he like it. It was magical picture frame that shifted pictures every few seconds. They were mostly of Oliver and I, but a few of our whole group. Each picture had a quote, either one that someone in the picture had said, or a famous one that fit the scene. I clutched the wrapped box to my chest anxiously.
"Calm down, Katie. He's going to love it," Alicia said from her bed. I looked up, startled. I hadn't seen her when I had rushed into the room.
"Are you sure?" I double-checked worriedly.
"He will. And even if he didn't, it's coming from you, which means he'd love it anyway. You can do no wrong, to him. Except on the pitch," she added, grinning. I rolled my eyes, but I was grateful for her input.
"You're the best, Lich," I said, before slipping out of the door and back downstairs.
"I know!" she yelled after me. I smiled at her words.
Oliver was sitting right where I had left him. The room was still empty, which I was glad for. I didn't want anyone else to witness Oliver's reaction to my gift.
"Took you long enough," he teased as he stood up.
"I had to find it first! It was hidden from the other girls," I admitted. He smiled at me, before looking expectantly at the package in my arms. "Oh! Here you go," I said, blushing as I handed it over to him. We sat back down onto the couch and I waited for him to open it.
"Come on, you don't need to save the paper," I exclaimed, nerves getting the best of me as he carefully undid the tape. He smirked at my rush to have him open it, but did so anyway. When he saw it, he just stared for a moment, watching the pictures change. I was biting my lip nervously, waiting for a reaction.
"Kates, this is amazing," he breathed, still staring at it. I let out a sigh of relief, which caught his attention. "Did you think I wasn't going to like it?" he asked, dropping his gaze from the pictures.
"I wasn't sure," I admitted.
"Well, I love it. Now I feel bad though, your gift is so much more thoughtful than the necklace," he whined. "You always have to outdo me." I smirked.
"It's a gift. But seriously, I love the necklace," I said, touching the necklace as I spoke.
"I'm glad," Oliver replied. He was about to lean forward and kiss me, but there was a sudden flurry of activity as people flew down the stairs.
"Morning lovebirds!" Fred called cheerfully. George was right behind him, followed by Alicia. Oliver groaned, but I just smiled. The twins can't help but be themselves, so you might as well just go with it.
"Morning, Fred," I responded. "Where's Angie?"
"She went to get breakfast, and I am about to join her," he answered, and left without another word. I smiled at Fred's odd behavior.
"Katie, I like that color on your necklace," Alicia started to say as she moved closer. Then she noticed what was on it. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked, starting to laugh. I nodded, but my hand reached up to curl around the necklace defensively. "Oh, calm down. I like it. And honestly, I didn't expect anything else from our lovely captain." Oliver didn't know whether to look insulted or glad she approved of his gift. I squeezed his hand and he settled for smiling at Alicia.
"Well, we're going to get some breakfast too. See you later," George said, tugging on Alicia's hand. We spent the time alone talking, somewhat broaching on the subject of the advancing summer.
"I do get days off. We could go out and do something fun," he suggested.
"You'd have to apparate to my house," I said, thinking it through.
"I can do that," he reassured me. I nodded and settled back against Oliver's side. I tucked my legs under me and waited for Oliver to reach his arm and tug me slightly closer. He did so, and I relaxed into his hold.
"I'm going to miss this," I said quietly.
"I know. I am too. But just think, when you're done with school, we'll see each other a lot more," he reminded me. I smiled and nodded.
"I know. But a year is a long time. You're going to be a famous Quidditch player who could have any girl he wants. It's a little hard to think about," I admitted, burrowing my head further into his side to avoid what he was going to say next.
"I don't want any girl but you, Kates," Oliver said earnestly. He shifted so I was looking him in the eyes. "I'm pretty sure you're the only one for me," he said softly, his eyes glancing downwards for a second before they flashed back up to mine. I blushed at his words. "Believe me yet?" he asked. My look turned playful.
"Hmm… I might need a little convincing," I said, hoping he'd get the hint. He did, he closed the gap and kissed me softly.
"Oh! I'm sorry," a voice interrupted. Oliver groaned before looking up and the person. It was Angelina and Fred. "McGonagall is rounding up all of the students for the ceremony." Oliver groaned again, slumping into the couch.
"Come on," I laughed. "This will be fun. You get to see your family soon," I coaxed. He sat up and let me pull him up from the couch. He left with one last kiss and a wave. I sat back on the couch and let Angelina examine my necklace.
"For Oliver, this is pretty thoughtful. Now you'll always think of him when you look at it," she mused.
"Yeah, I was pretty surprised. I'm just really glad that he liked the pictures," I said.
"It is a pretty cool idea," Angelina said.
"Thanks. What time is it now?" I asked.
"It's almost ten," Fred answered me.
"Okay, and we need to be outside at noon, right?" I asked. They nodded.
"How are you holding up with this? It's a pretty big deal," Angelina said gently.
"I know. We've talked about it. We're going to make it work. This summer, we'll have dates when we can, and we'll write during school. And he'll try to come to Hogsmeade trips," I answered.
"That sounds good," she replied. I nodded and then we were quiet.
"This is boring," Fred announced after a few minutes of silence. "We should do something."
"Like what?" I questioned.
"I don't know. Play exploding snap?" Angelina and I exchanged glances before agreeing. We didn't have anything better to do.
We played for over an hour before George and Alicia joined us. George instantly wanted to play. We let him play with Fred and sat that round out. Before we knew it, it was nearly noon. Fred and George packed up their game and we left to get seats outside. It was totally transformed from this morning when I was out there. There were a lot of chairs, and a large platform, for the students to walk across. When we sat down, I was looking around for Oliver. Soon, the seats were filled with family and friends and it was starting. I caught Oliver's eye and he sent me a huge smile. I waved in response. The ceremony was a fast blur. I vaguely remember Oliver crossing the stage and shaking Dumbledore's and McGonagall's hands. Then it was over and Oliver was beside me, tugging my arm to drag me to his family.
"Congratulations, dear," Mrs. Wood said, hugging Oliver tightly.
"Thanks, Mum," he said, hugging her back.
"I'm proud of you," his father said, giving him a slap on the back.
"Never thought I'd see the day you graduated," Christopher, Oliver's older brother said, smiling.
Oliver rolled his eyes, but pulled his brother in for a quick hug anyway.
"How are you doing, Katie?" Mrs. Wood asked me.
"I'm doing okay," I said, not wanting to admit how real the ceremony had made everything.
"You know you're more than welcome to come and stay with us for a while, during the summer. We could always find something to do while Oliver's working, if you don't mind being with an old woman, that is," she said teasingly.
"I'd love that, Mrs. Wood, and you are not old," I replied. She smiled again.
"You did pick a good one, Oliver," she said, as she gave me a hug. "A bit on the thin side, but nothing I can't fix with a few good meals."
"Please, I don't think Katie can gain weight no matter what she eats. She eats at least as much as I do," Oliver protested, then hissed as I elbowed him.
"That is not polite, Oliver," she scolded as Christopher laughed at him.
"I think I figured that out," he said as he rubbed his side and glared at me. I smiled back innocently. The family moved on to socialize a bit and Oliver and I were alone.
"Kates, I just wanted to say that you're so amazing, and you don't have to worry about us drifting apart at all. You're stuck with me," Oliver said, smiling slightly at his own words.
I stretched up on my tiptoes and whispered, "I'm okay with that." Then I kissed him and realized that we were going to make it.
I can't believe it's done! Thank you so much for sticking with me and this story. I know it's been a long time, so thank you! Feedback is much appreciated!
Allie