CHAPTER 33

G,

Wrapped up my last assignment sooner than I thought. I'll be in for the Wanderers game. Can't wait to see you.

Love,

Dad

Oliver stood in front of his girlfriend's flat, fumbling with his key chain. She had given him a key about a month or so ago, after his last trip into London for his last national league trial. Preemptively, Gen had sworn that she had a feeling that he'd make the team and that since he would be coming back late, they might as well get used to spending time apart. She gave him the key so that he could come home to her, no matter what time he got back. He smiled to himself. He loved the idea that he'd come home to her after every World Cup practice. It's not that the apartment was home - but she was. And he had grown to love Freddie too as wild as the familiar was.

He knew it hadn't been long since they first started dating, but they were coming up on a year at the end of the summer and he was head over heels for her. It was too soon to say anything, but boy was he hopeful that she could be the one. He put the key into the door and turned it, hearing the click of the lock opening. Grabbing, the doorknob, he twisted it, hearing his girlfriend laugh as a deep, male voice boomed around the room. He was instantly hit with the smell of coffee and breakfast - something that he had grown accustomed to. If it were just him at home, he'd probably make a pot of coffee but that was it.

"And that's when we had to call the Department of Magical Creatures… you know… and MACUSA is quite different. The way they handle their animals and much less compassionate so that's when-," Oliver heard the voice say, stopping as soon as Oliver came into sight.

There, Gen was seated at the kitchen island on one of the bar stools right next to her father, Thomas Zhao. He looked tired and a little run down, but he had a huge smile plastered across his face. His eyes moved from Oliver to the key he held in his hand, then over to his daughter who seemed to be intentionally ignoring the look.

Thomas cleared his throat, his body stiffening a little before saying, "Wood."

"Hello, sir," Oliver said back, a little nervous by the intimidating man. He had gotten to know him and found much common ground in the time that he had been dating Gen, but he always seemed to get nervous around the man. Thomas was militant yet kind. He had a quiet strength about him and the look in his eyes said that he had seen things that no regular witch or wizard would have the stomach for.

"Come," Thomas invited, pointing to an empty bar stool. "You hungry, Wood?"

Oliver smiled sheepishly, "I don't eat much the morning of a game. My stomach can't really take it."

"I've tried," Gen shrugged, shooting her boyfriend a look.

"Believe me. She's tried," Oliver chuckled.

Thomas nodded, "Well at least have a seat and a cup of coffee."

"I just got Dad's letter last night telling me that he was coming in for the game," Gen explained. Oliver could tell that she was trying her best to contain her excitement.

"Bit of a last minute decision. Assignment ended early," Thomas added.

Oliver nodded, "That's great!"

"Half expected you to be here this morning. Last time I was in town the two of you were attached at the hip," Thomas chuckled, easing the tension in the room. He knew that he intimidated the hell out of Wood, but he liked keeping it that way. Wood was in fact dating his daughter.

"Dad!" Gen protested, rolling her eyes at her father's embarrassing remark.

"What? A simple observation is all it is," Thomas shrugged.

Wood laughed nervously, "No, I uh, I wanted to get a good night's sleep before the big match today and lately Fred's been a little ehm, a little bit of a bed hog lately." He glanced at the orange cat who had quickly sauntered into the room. The cat shot Oliver a look that looked to Thomas with a meow.

Thomas laughed in agreement, "Sounds like our Fred," as Fred grazed up against his leg, purring.

Oliver walked across the room to the french press and picked up an empty mug next to it. There had been one set out, as if they were expecting him. He poured himself a cup of coffee and added a bit of cream and sugar set out next to the cup.

"How ya feeling this morning?" Gen asked.

"Yeah, big match today, eh?" Thomas added.

Oliver sighed out, "Alright, I guess. Best I'm going to the morning of."

"High stakes, this one…" Thomas trailed off.

"Yeah," Oliver replied.

"We're ready, my love. You all have been working so hard," Gen reassured.

"We are," Oliver nodded in agreement. "We've been training a lot. Brilliant new plays and a killer strategy but… I dunno. I have the best games when I least expect it and when I go in feeling like it's going to go one way, it never does."

Thomas nodded with a sigh, "It's always like that: quidditch, the work I do, life. Looking forward to getting to watch today, Wood."

"Thank you, sir," Oliver smiled, sitting down next to Gen and taking her hand. She squeezed his hand back in reassurance - though he wasn't sure whether it was for today's game or her father's surprise visit.

"Addington to Hornsby then Hornsby back to Addington. Addington is in the scoring zone and, ooooh there it goes. Ten points to Puddlemere United!" Johnson, the quidditch announcer cried out as the whole Puddlemere section of the stadium cheered.

Gen glanced over at Dan and Philbert, sitting in the row in front of them, in the Puddlemere box. They looked pleased and she couldn't help but be excited for not just her team, but for Oliver. She knew how much this meant to him. As the cheers died down and the game continued, she looked to her father, pensively watching the game. He looked like he had something to say. She turned her attention back to the game as well, waiting for him to speak.

After a long silence, Thomas finally cleared his throat, glancing towards his daughter.

"A key to your place, eh?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gen nodded slowly, "Yes." So that's what the awkward silence was about. She had to admit, her father had been off this visit. He seemed quieter than usual and a little more tense. She wondered whether it had to do with the mission he was on or if something else was going on. "Don't be mad. The last round of trials… well he knew he'd be getting in so late and, well, you know… with him on the national team and everything we'll be spending some time apart till the World Cup and… well, it just felt like the right thing. For us. You know… to have keys to each others' places."

There was another pause before her father responded which only made her antsier.

"You two are getting serious," Thomas finally stated, as if it were a fact.

"I suppose so," Gen replied, as the two watched the quaffle soar from Addy Addington to Nate Hornsby as Hamilton's loud voice boomed, announcing it across the stadium.

Thomas stiffened up a bit, causing Gen to question what was up, "What's wrong, Dad?"

"Nothing," Thomas shook his head. "I-..."

He took a long pause, choosing his words carefully.

"I'm glad that you have someone…. Someone good… in your life. I know I can't be here all the time and-," Thomas began.

"Dad, I don't expect you to!" Gen interrupted.

"No, I know," Thomas continued.

"Your job is important-," Gen added.

"And so are you," Thomas said, concluding the back and forth. "I'm glad that you have him. He's good. I guess I just didn't know how serious you were. Do you… you think… you think he'll be in your life… you know… the World Cup is a year away."

"I hope so. I think-, well, I think… we hope so," Gen said.

Thomas nodded slowly, taking in the information, "I knew. When I met him. That you could trust him. That you would. He cares for you. A lot."

"How did you know?" Gen asked, chuckling a little.

"My dear, it's my job. I observe people for a living," Thomas answered, lightly.

"Right," Gen sighed. "You know… you scare the shite out of him."

It was Thomas' turn to laugh, "I know."

"Dad," Gen groaned.

"That's also my job: to keep you safe. He-, he may be a good man but… doesn't mean I'm letting him off the hook that easy," Thomas said with a chuckle.

"Uch," Gen sounded.

Thomas looked over to her, "After everything we've been through, sweetheart, no way I'm trusting anyone that easily… not even Wood. But… he's earning it. He's… proven alright." Gen nodded in response. He knew he had the best intentions and more than anything, she knew he trusted her too.

The game went on as Gen and Thomas focused their attention back onto the quidditch players. It was tense game and Gen knew that it'd be a close one. Puddlemere was only leading by 30 points and it was up to Benjy to catch the snitch. Back and forth, they watched the Wanderers give the hardworking team a run for their money, but in the end, Puddlemere pulled ahead.

"And Benjy Williams of Puddlemere United catches the snitch!" Hamilton screamed, practically jumping out of her seat.

"Leading with 170 points, Hamilton! Absolutely incredible catch by Williams," Johnson continued.

The crowd went wild, an echo chamber of cheers of applause and joy! The Puddlemere began to touch down, eager to celebrate. Gen and Thomas jumped to their feet right behind the Deverills and hugged each other immediately. Gen watched as Dan and Philbert left their aisle to greet the players on the pitch, hurriedly stepping over people to get to the exit of their box.

"Well, go on," Thomas encouraged his daughter, nodding to the exit.

Gen grinned, "Thanks, Dad. See you in a bit."

"I'll be right here, kid," Thomas smiled, happy to see his daughter happy.

Gen muttered a few excuse me's as she climbed over the people next to her, hurrying out of the Puddlemere team box. She ran down the steps, almost too fast for her own feet and followed the Deverills, sprinting out onto the pitch. Cress had landed already and was hugging her partner, Jon Bell.

"Cress!" Gen yelled, grabbing her attention.

"We did it! We're going to the finals against the Harpies!" Cress shrieked, immediately jumping up and down with her best friend.

"You were brilliant," Gen beamed.

"She was, wasn't she?" Jon smiled, standing behind her.

"Go get your man," Cress smirked, as she saw Oliver touchdown out of the corner of her eye. "We all know that's why you're really here." Gen shot her a look, before beginning to run towards her boyfriend.

Immediately, he spotted her, and she jumped into his arms. He caught her, spinning her around once before placing a huge kiss on her lips. She smiled into it, kissing him back.

"Congratulations, my love. Well done," Gen said.

"Did you see that?! Did you see that save against the Wanderers? Bernard had the quaffle and it was coming towards the top hoop and-," Oliver rambled, overcome with excitement.

"Yes! You were brilliant," Gen beamed once agai.

"I love you," he said softly. In a loud stadium, it was like those three soft words were all that mattered. "You once asked me what my dream was. This is it. This is… quidditch… and you. This is it."

"I love you too," Gen smiled back.

"You didn't have to stay home with me. You could've gone out with your friends," Thomas said as he and Gen washed dishes together after dinner.

Gen shook her head with a small laugh, "I think I'm all partied out. We've done a lot of celebrating this season."

"You've done a lot of winning," her father pointed out.

"That's true," Gen dad got quiet once again as they continued their task. She washed and he dried. "Besides… I see them all the time. I don't get to see you as often, Dad." Her words were met with more silence. She glanced over at her father and could see him thinking. She could see him trying to choose his words carefully.

"Actually," he began, opening one of the cabinets to put the plates he had just stacked together in. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Gen asked, nervously. Something about his tone of voice scared her a little bit - like he had bad news.

"Sit down," he encouraged, setting down his dish towel. He motioned over to the kitchen island and the two made their way to the stools. "Sweetheart I… I didn't come just for a visit."

"Uh oh," Gen sounded, swallowing nervously.

"I had to leave the assignment early because, well, there's something you should know. Something I have to tell you. I wanted to tell you… in person… before you saw it in the papers," Thomas began. Gen was quiet. She could feel it in her gut that this wasn't good and she just wanted to wait to hear what would come out of his mouth next.

"Cepheus is… going to trial in two weeks. Nw, it's not necessary, please hear me when I say it's not necessary. We have a case. We'd have a perfectly good case without it but… but the team at the Magical Law Enforcement office has requested that you testify. I asked them to hold off on the announcement in the papers and in the official owl to you… until I could tell you myself," Thomas explained. Gen sat, staring at the floor, just listening. "Again, it's not necessary that you do… but we all think it would really help the case against him. But if it's not something you're ready for… not something you feel like you can do, we have a good enough case."

"No-," Gen began.

"It's alright," her father said back, quickly.

"No, I want to. I want to testify against him… so it never happens again. I want to, Dad," Gen said.

"Sweetheart," her dad started.

"I think… I think maybe it'd give me an ending to all of this. To face him. To what he did. To what I almost did to him. I think… I think that I should," Gen said, looking up at her father, her eyes watery. The thought of it made her want to break but for some reason it felt like something she had to do.

"Sleep on it, will you? At least hink on it for a night?" Thomas asked.

She nodded, "Sure."