Katie's point of view

"Ol, where did you put my purse?"

"What in Merlin's name would I be doing with your purse?"

I groaned dramatically and continued my way through the flat, searching for my bag. It'd been three weeks since Chris and I broke up, but it already felt like it'd been months.

I was still hurting from everything that had happened, but Oliver had been patient with me. Not that he had to wait that long as we'd probably managed to snog in every corner of the flat within three days.

Tonight, our parents were coming over for dinner and we planned to tell them about our newfound relationship. I'd already told my parents the wedding was off the day after I'd stormed out of Chris's flat. They were disappointed, embarrassed and confused. I didn't tell them the full story about Oliver and me. I simply told them that Chris had been cheating on me, and they eventually understood. Soon, word spread that the wedding was off and friends and family began reaching out to check on me. I politely thanked them all, though their concerns felt unnecessary. Truth be told, I was doing all right.

I was nervous about that evening, which was a new feeling. I'd always been so comfortable around the Woods. They'd become like second parents to me, and they loved my parents as well. But everything had happened so fast, I was fearful Mr. and Mrs. Wood would think poorly of me for jumping from one man to another. Honestly, I'd probably judge someone for doing the same thing if I hadn't experienced it firsthand.

Oliver must have noticed my anxiety as he watched me search for my bag from the kitchen. "They're going to be thrilled, you know," he said as he stirred something in a saucepot. He reached for my arm and pulled me toward him.

"What if they're horrified?"

"Horrified?" Oliver laughed, his hands resting on my hips. "Kate, my mum's wanted you as a daughter since she met you. Though if you were her daughter, that'd make this a bit awkward." I made a face.

"What if she thinks I'm a giant whore?"

"She doesn't think that. She adores you and I think she'll be happy seeing me happy. She knew about my feelings for you, you know. I didn't tell her, but she knew." He pulled me in for a long kiss. "What about your parents? How do you think they'll react when they find out I helped break up your engagement?"

"If it were anyone else, they'd probably be less than thrilled," I said. "But since it's you, they'll probably start hounding you about proposing to me. How could they not be excited?"

He shrugged. "It is hard not to love me, isn't it?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to need to adjust to this new lifestyle of dating a quidditch star. You lot are completely mental. Egos unlike anything I've seen." Oliver smirked and I melted as his hands made their way up and down my back.

"You have to admit," he said, his lips an inch from my ear. "It makes life a bit more interesting."

Suddenly, we were snogging again, for probably the tenth time that day. I pulled Oliver closer, pinning myself against the kitchen counter. He lifted me onto the counter and I wrapped my legs around him, kissing him fervidly. He rested one hand on my thigh, the other pressing into the small of my back, and suddenly, I forgot all about dinner with our parents, until…

"Er, is this a bad time?"

Oliver and I jumped so much, he nearly knocked the pot off the stove. Meanwhile, I'd thrown myself off the counter and knocked the trash can over.

Both sets of our parents were standing in our living room, staring at us.

"We knocked but you apparently didn't hear us," Mrs. Wood said.

"Now we know why," my dad said.

"And now we know why they've invited us to dinner," Mr. Wood added.

I was mortified as I picked the trash can up, but Oliver seemed completely unfazed. He hugged his parents and my mom before shaking my dad's hand. Meanwhile, I hovered in the kitchen. This wasn't how we'd been planning on telling them.

"Katie, come here," my mother demanded. I thought about punching the air with my fists, but instead made my way to Mom to hug her. "You look better than the last time we saw you." She glanced at Oliver. "Now I know why."

"Mom!"

Suddenly, our parents were laughing, leaving Oliver and me standing in our living room, bewildered. "What's so funny?" Oliver demanded.

"Nothing, dear," Mrs. Wood said. "It's just that it's about time."

"We were really worried Katie was going to marry that sorry bloke," my dad said.

"What?!" I realized my mouth was gaping open, but I wasn't sure I'd heard him correctly.

"I just wish she would have come to her senses before we put the deposit down on the wedding venue," Dad continued.

"Dad, what are you talking about?" I demanded.

"Oh come on, Katie," Mom said. "We've been waiting years for you two to get your heads out of your arses."

"Am I the only one who wasn't in on this?" I exclaimed. It almost felt like they were all ganging up on me.

"Yeah, it sure looks that way," Oliver said from behind me. I spun and shot him a look. He grinned sheepishly at me and reached for my hand.

I sighed. "Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now," I said.

Mrs. Wood suddenly brandished a bottle of champagne from her purse. "This calls for a celebration!" she said. "I was saving this for brunch with my girlfriends tomorrow, but they'll understand. They'll be thrilled when they hear our Ollie's got himself a lass." I knew I always liked that woman. "Though the last time Katie had champagne might have been what started all of this."

I flushed so red, she actually looked at me with concern. "My dear!" she said, pulling me into a hug. "I was only joking! You know you're welcome to stay with us anytime, in whichever bed you choose."

I turned to my mom and dad, who were looking confused by Mrs. Wood's remark. "You two didn't like Chris?" I asked in an attempt to divert the subject from whose bed I'd been sleeping in.

"It's not that we didn't like him," my mother said carefully. "We just… he wasn't…"

"He's not a quidditch star," my dad blurted out.

"Dad!"

"That's not the only reason we like you, bloke," Dad said, clapping Oliver on the back. "It's just that you're a bit more interesting and likable than that Chris fellow. He was rather dry, you know?"

"Handsome fellow, but not quite the looker you are," Mom added.

I was speechless, but the conversation soon shifted away from Oliver and me as my dad was eager to discuss Puddlemere United's playoff run. We drank to that, drank to Oliver and me, then drank just because.

It felt a bit surreal as I looked around the dinner table and watched as our parents roared with laughter while Oliver beamed at me. How had I left myself miss out on this all these years? We were all so happy together, like one big, happy family. I felt stupid for taking this for granted for so long. Beneath the table, I could feel Oliver's hand gently resting on my knee. I glanced at him and he caught me, offering me a smirk as he squeezed my leg.

Three hours later, our parents were pulling us into hugs and saying farewell. Mrs. Wood gave me an especially long hug, relieving my fears that she was mortified at the thought of me dating her son.

"I'm glad the two of you have each other," she said, smiling at me before she turned to leave. "It's been a long time coming."

I watched Oliver shut and lock the front door and began clearing the dinner table, feeling happy that we'd had such a pleasant night with our families. I tossed some dishes into the sink as I felt Oliver's arms snake their way around my waist. I turned around to face him and he flicked his wand, sending the remaining dishes flying into the sink to begin scrubbing themselves clean.

Oliver picked me up and set me on the counter again. "Now," he said, leaning in to kiss me. "We can finish what we started."