Rpov

The next week was not fun. While the major papers didn't care too much about the fight that had broken out between the fans and the team, the tabloids had a field day with it. The whole team was doing damage control all week, talking to sponsors and scheduling interviews with any magazine that would take our side of the story.

Coach was furious with us and we paid in practice. We did so many drills on Monday's practice I didn't get back to Hogwarts until Tuesday morning. The others got to sleep but I had classes and homework. All week I was running on empty, expected not only to keep up with my teacher's work load and N.E.W.T. test prep, but also keep up with the press releases of the team and interviews Max had been scheduling for me.

Saturday and the trip into Hogsmead came as a welcome relief. I couldn't wait to get away from the school and the media and just spend some time with Oliver where I didn't have to think about any of it for a while.

"We should have eaten before we left." I groaned holding my stomach as it growled.

As usual Oliver and I woken up early to practice together this morning, but we'd lost track of time and pretty much missed breakfast. Instead of rushing to the Great Hall hoping we'd make it before all the food was gone, we'd just decided to grab food in the village.

"We're almost there." He said amused. "Then you can eat all you want."

It was a nice day and as we walked, we started a conversation about Ireland's latest victory over Mexico in the preliminaries for the cup. We'd just gotten into an debate about penalties when a strange feeling crept over me.

"Is it just me, or are people staring at us?" I asked frowning noticing as couple of Ravenclaws looked in our direction and started whispering.

"It's almost like you're famous or something." He said amused.

"This is different." I said shaking my head and looking around a little anxiously. A knot of fifth years behind us were pointing excitedly and the feeling increased. "Something feels weird."

Hogwarts students were used to me now for the most part. Occasionally someone would stare, or ask me for an autograph but other than that I was treated pretty much just like a normal student. Not today though. Everyone walking into Hogsmead with us were talking, all looking at us.

"It's probably nothing." Oliver said shrugging. "You've been in the papers quite a bit lately. You know the school gets excited every time they see your name in the headlines."

"But for what?" I asked in confusion. All my interviews had been published earlier this week and Max almost always got word of a story being leaked before it was printed. He usually at least gave me a warning if I was going to see myself in the news.

"Who knows. You of all people know they'll make up anything to sell papers."

"True." I agreed and we pressed on.

I ignored the stares as we entered the village, but found it was difficult when I noticed it wasn't just the students that were staring now. Some locals had even stopped mid-step, or were attracting the attention of their friends excitedly to point at us.

"What is going on?" I asked frowning but Oliver wasn't concerned.

"Just ignore them. Let's get something to eat. I'm starving."

We made our way towards Honeydukes where we bought several bags of candy and ate as many samples as the owners would give us.

"You know we should probably go get real food." I said glancing at my watch as we stepped out of the candy shop and almost dropping a box of chocolate frogs. "It's almost lunch time."

"What, endless sugar isn't a part of you training regimen?" he asked me grinning and I laughed.

"No, not really."

"And yet you're on your forth cauldron cake."

"Says the guy who's elbow deep in a box of every flavor beans."

"You're the professional athlete not me." He said smirking and eating another bean then wincing, apparently not enjoying the flavor. "Ew, lint flavored. But you're probably right. We should eat something substantial before we crash. Alicia said she and Aiden were going to the Three Broomsticks. Want to see if we can meet up with them?"

"Sure."

We made our way towards the pub, and I couldn't help but notice there seemed to be more people on the street than there were before.

"Is it just me, or is it the village really crowded today?" I asked.

"I was thinking that too." He said looking around. "But it's a nice day, maybe people are just out and about."

"Yeah." I said uncertainly but we were attracting attention again and I was glad we'd reached the pub. That was until we stepped inside.

The moment the door opened and the sunlight flooded into the dim bar that was packed with Hogwarts students, all sound cut out. Everyone was staring at us.

"Oliver…" I muttered nervously. "What's happening?"

"You're the quidditch star, you tell me."

Suddenly, the door swung shut behind us and the sound seemed to wake everyone up. A low buzz of talk started to build as people pointed at us excitedly and whispering to their friends.

"Should we find a table?" I asked hesitantly, but before Oliver could respond, Alicia fell out of nowhere dragging Aiden with her.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked her eyes wide, she was looking at us as if we were insane.

"We were hoping to run into you." Oliver said frowning. "Sorry if we interrupted your date. I didn't think you'd mind."

"It's not that." She said incredulously. "You guys need to get back to the castle now. Go! Now!"

"Why?" Oliver and I asked in unison. He looked just as confused as I felt.

"Didn't you read the paper this morning?" Aiden asked frowning.

"No." Oliver said honestly. "Why? Is Ray in it?"

But I saw the hopeless look Alicia gave him and my brain seemed to be thrown into fast forward, making the connection without conscious thought.

"They didn't write something about Oliver, did they?" I asked in horror feeling panic flood through me.

Before she could answer however, the door flew open and shouted.

"They're in here!"

All four of us turned only to be blinded by camera flashes.

"Reagan! Over here!"

"Oliver! Look this way!"

"What is going on?" I asked Alicia but she'd already grabbed me and started pulling me away from the entrance of the pub. Aiden following, dragging Oliver behind him.

"There's no time to explain!" she said quickly trying to push through the tables and excited students in the pub. "Get out of my way!"

"Oliver!" said a voice and I looked up to see several of the Gryffindor quidditch team members had abandoned their tables were gesturing for us to follow them as they made a way through the crowd.

It was Katie who'd spoken, she and Angelina were holding open a door that let out behind the pub while the twins had pulled out their wands and were threatening to hex anyone who got in our way.

"Get out of here!" Alicia said pushing me towards the door. "Get back to the castle if you can. They won't be able to follow you there."

"But-"

I never got to finish my question however because both Oliver and I were forced out the door and after glancing at each other for a moment, Oliver said.

"Alicia's right. We should get out of here."

"What did they even write about?" I asked as we started to run.

"We can figure out that out later."

We hit the main road only to see that it too was flooded with reporters and their camera crews.

I shielded my face and ran with Oliver but we found the way back to school was completely blocked.

"C'mon!" Oliver shouted over the questions the reporters were hurling at us and taking my hand. "Follow me!"

He dragged me away from the main road.

I wasn't sure how long we were followed but it wasn't until we'd gone down several side streets and he pulled me into a shadowy alley that he finally let go of me.

"Alright," he said glancing out into the street before looking back at me. "I think we lost them."

"What was that all about?" I asked panting.

"I've no idea." He said frowning. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Are you?"

He nodded and we stared at each other for a moment, neither of us really sure what to do.

"Well, what now?" he asked a little awkwardly. "Should we wait here until they're gone? How long does it usually take?"

"I don't know Oliver." I said shaking my head and sitting on a crate that looked as if it had housed a case of butterbeer. "These people are insane, they waste hours just waiting for celebrities to show up. I wouldn't put it passed them to wait in the village all night."

"But what would they want with me?" he asked frowning. "How did those reporters even know my name?"

"Someone must have told them who you are and that we're friends." I said bitterly. "They're probably hoping you might give them an insider's scoop about me."

"Well that's never going to happen." He said looking annoyed and I felt myself smile slightly.

"I think Alicia was right." I said eventually. "We need to find a way to get back up to the castle."

"Yeah, maybe we might be able to get through now that they're spread out looking all over the village for us."

I nodded and stood, but right as I was about to suggest we make a break for it, I saw a copy of this morning's 'Prophet' that had been discarded at the mouth of the alley.

I picked it up and glanced at the front page only to feel my entire body go cold.

On it was a collection of pictures of Oliver and I together, walking through Hogsmead on our last trip together, talking on the roof of 'The Club' after Drake has left that night, even pictures of us together in class and in the library, that looked as if students had sent them into the Prophet.

Almost afraid to, I glanced at the Headline and saw written in bold letters was.

SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS? MYSTERY BOY REVEALED!

"What is this?" Oliver asked his eyes narrowing in confused but I felt my stomach sinking.

"No." I muttered in horror as I looked at the pictures again. They were of only Oliver and I. No one else. Not even Alicia had made an appearance. "No, no, no."

"What's wrong?" Oliver asked but I ignored him and started to read the article.

Since her arrival in England over the last summer, popular quidditch star Reagan Williams has be making headlines for everything from her record breaking career to her charitable organization, but when it came to the celebrity herself, we've had very little to write about. Notoriously private about her personal life, the wizarding community was astounded when she went public with her brief but well covered relationship with singer Drake Dennings. Since their break up, with the exception of a brawl before her last game against the United States, Williams seemed to have return to her policy of relative privacy, for a celebrity at least. Busy with classes and her career, little is known about Reagan's daily life at school but rumors have been circulation of a close friendship developing between her and one of her classmates. Spotted together in numerous places, from her games to a night in the city with the quidditch star, fans were bound to wonder who this mystery boy was. When asked about this relationship, Reagan's teammate Jason Styles and refused to comment, but the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal the identity of this boy to be none other than Oliver Wood, Gryffindor quidditch captain and fellow seventh year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry which Ms. Williams currently attends. In an interview with Connie Williams, Reagan's mother, about her upcoming book which features the young quidditch star, Connie confirms an extremely close relationship between Williams and Wood. (For more information on the upcoming book 'Raising Reagan' see pg. 7). While a romantic relationship is yet to be confirmed, Oliver was spotted in America with Reagan during England's match against the U. S and several Hogwarts students have confirmed with photographic evidence the two are almost inseparable at school. Are Wood and Williams just friends as they make it seem? Or is there more to this relationship than meets the eye?

I finished the article and threw the paper away in fury.

"Well I guess we know how they found out who I am." Oliver said quietly.

"I can't believe her!" I said my voice shaking. "Oliver, I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He said but I shook my head shutting my eyes.

"No." I said furiously. "It's not fair. You didn't do anything and now you're being chased around by cameras."

"Reagan." He said sounding a little alarmed at my anger. "It's ok."

"Not it's not." I said. "This is all my fault. I never meant for you to get involved in any of this. I should have known-"

"Known what? That they were going to ambush you?" he said but I found couldn't look at him. "That your mum was going to put your personal life all over the front page?"

"You've been so nice to me all this year, and now they're going to throw you into this media mess." I said my anger transforming into panic.

"It'll be alright." He said putting his hands on my shoulders.

"No it won't." I said bitterly. "Oliver," I said finally looking up at him and saw he was looking down at me with concern I didn't feel I deserved. "You don't understand. They got even more pictures of us together and my mother already told them who you are. They've already gotten everything they need to make this a major story. They're not going to leave you alone."

"Reagan," he said steadily. "Calm down."

"This is all my fault." I said my voice still wavering. "I'm sorr-"

"Don't be sorry." He said quietly. "It's not your fault."

"But it is." I said desperately. I should have known something like this was going to happen. That I couldn't have normal friends and a normal life without people like Oliver getting dragged into this insanity I'd invited into my life. What had I been thinking? I should never have let things get this far…

"I don't care." He said quickly and I stared at him.

"What?" I asked my mind still racing. How was I going to fix this? Not even Max would be able to keep a lid on a story like this. I didn't see a way out.

"I don't care." He repeated. "I don't care what they write about me, I don't care who sees it. They can put my picture in the paper a thousand times and it wouldn't bother me as long as it meant you were in my life."

"But why?" I asked confused.

"You're worth it." He said simply.

I looked at him trying to find a way to express what his words meant to me but they failed me. All I could do was look at him. I'd expected him to be angry, to hate me for all the craziness I'd dragged him through. Constantly getting ambushed by the press, nearly getting him cursed in New York, having to worry the next story or where we could go in case it was going to be photographed. But he didn't look angry at all.

"I don't care what they do." He said softly. "If that's what I have to deal with to have you in my life then that's what I have to deal with, but don't apologize and don't feel guilty."

"Why?"

"Because you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"How can you say that?" I asked incredulously. "All of done is gotten you tangled in the mess the media has made my life."

But the next thing I knew, he'd taken my face between his hands and kissed me. All the anger and panic I'd been feeling had vanished. It dissolved as he pulled me closer, and i found that my had brain simply stopped working.

My heart was pounding and I felt suddenly weightless. Like I'd entered the free fall of a dive after a quaffle. I found I didn't care about the article that had come out or what my mother had done. I didn't even care how it would look if someone were to find us right now. We could have ended up on the front page again and it wouldn't have bothered me.

I didn't know how long we stood there, all I knew was that when we broke apart, all I could do was stare at him in shock.

"I'd rather be in your life, even if it means dealing with that mess, than live my life without it if that meant letting you go."

I couldn't help it. I kissed him again.