First Date Nerves

Katie looked around Honeydukes, her palms sweaty and her heart beating fast. She had agreed to meet Oliver here, but he was nowhere to be seen. Katie knew that she wasn't exactly tall, but she could usually pick Oliver out of a crowd without much trouble.

The colorful candy shop was bustling with activity—groups of Hogwarts students milling about, several older wizards who seemed to be shopping for their wives, and even a goblin that had apparently taken a liking to the Ice Mice.

"I don't see him, Leanne," Katie moaned to her friend. She glanced at her watch and let out a small yelp. "He said he'd be here fifteen minutes ago!"

"He'll be here," Leanne reassured her. "He's crazy about you, Katie—he wouldn't stand you up."

Katie bit her lip. The thought of Oliver standing her up hadn't even occurred to her. She had been worried that something might have happened to him, but now she wondered if he had just changed his mind about their date.

"Hey, it's alright," her friend said sympathetically. "We can always just go to The Three Broomsticks and drown our sorrows in butterbeer, right?"

Katie sighed. "Yeah, that's true." Her eyes drifted down to her watch again, but only one minute had passed since she had last looked at it.

"Don't keep checking the time," Leanne said wisely. "I want to pick up some Licorice Wands but then we can head to The Three Broomsticks, if you want."

Katie agreed, and followed Leanne as she picked up several packets of candy. At the register, Katie decided to buy a small bar of chocolate to cheer herself up. She handed several coins to the woman behind the counter and made her way to the door.

It was windy outside, so she and Leanne tucked their purchases into their pockets and huddled under their cloaks as they headed for the popular pub.

"I can't wait to get some butterbeer," Katie said, her teeth chattering. She looked over at her friend and burst out laughing. "Leanne, your hair!"

Leanne's long, dark hair had blown into her face, and it was a miracle that she hadn't run into anything yet. Katie was so busy giggling at the spectacle that she didn't watch where she was going, and walked right into someone.

As she dusted herself off, she looked up and realized that the person she had collided with was none other than Oliver. Anger bubbled up inside of her. She crossed her arms and gave him her best glare. "Fancy seeing you here, Oliver."

The Quidditch captain grimaced. "Katie, hey, I am so sorry—"

"Oh, you're sorry," Katie scoffed. She tried to give her hair an angry toss, but the dramatic effect was lessened by the wind. "Do you have any idea how awful it feels to be stood up? What planet do you come from that you think that's okay?"

"I know it sucks, but I was trying to get you some flowers!" Oliver practically shouted this at her, but she was so incensed that she barely heard him.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself—" Katie blinked. "Hang on, flowers?"

"Yeah, I thought, you know, it'd be nice to get you flowers for our first date," Oliver mumbled. "There's supposed to be a little flower shop here now but I guess it hasn't opened yet—and I couldn't quite get the spell right to transfigure some myself."

"Oh." Katie stared at the ground, unable to meet his eyes. "That was...that was really sweet of you, Oliver."

"It was my mum's idea," Oliver admitted, eliciting another giggle from Katie.

"Well, it was sweet of her, then," she corrected.

Leanne grinned at Katie. "I'll just leave you two alone now." She waved goodbye and continued on in the direction of the pub.

Katie tore her gaze away from her friend's retreating figure to look at Oliver again. His brown eyes were intensely focused on her, causing her to blush. "So... did you still want to go to Honeydukes, or…?"

"Erm," Oliver shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "I've actually been wanting to check out Quality Quidditch Supplies, see if they have any new gloves in."

"Oh, of course," Katie snorted. "I should have known."

Oliver gave her a sheepish look. "If you'd rather not…"

"No, no, that's fine," she said hastily. At least the Quidditch shop would give them a common topic to discuss. She suddenly felt nervous around her date, even though they had known each other for several years. This was unexplored territory, and she didn't know where it would lead. Taking a deep breath, she bravely reached for his hand.

He looked down at her and smiled, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. That small gesture boosted Katie's confidence immensely, and she found herself leading the way to Quality Quidditch Supplies.

"Didn't you just buy a new pair of gloves?" she asked as they walked along the cobblestone street. Oliver had put his arm around her, and she was grateful for the warmth.

He chuckled. "Have you met me? I fly a lot, Katie. Those things get worn out in no time."

"Really?" Katie pretended to be shocked. "Oliver Wood likes to fly?"

The teasing made her feel much more relaxed about the date ahead. This wasn't any different than what she and Oliver usually did, there was just more hand-holding than normal. She would get through this, and even if things didn't work out between them, at least she could count him as a very good friend.

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