Chapter Three – The Dance

August 2, 1997

Through the sound of the pouring rain, Katie heard the referee's whistle. It was the second day of the Showcase, and she'd been flying in a timed scrimmage. The whistle must have meant time assigned to her group was finished. She landed on the soggy ground and made her way toward the training facility. She was thoroughly soaked, but she felt that she had again flown well. Despite the fluttering feeling that had persisted in her stomach when she was off the pitch, she had kept her focus during the Chasers' session. Katie had always prided herself on her ability to put all other things aside and play with a level head.

Off the pitch, however, her mind swirled. The evening before, during their Floo call, Angelina had asked what held Katie up and made her late. Katie had given a vague answer about eating with a friend, which Angelina might have bought if Katie's roommate Ulla had not walked by and asked if she had been out 'shagging Oliver Wood.' Angelina had shrieked and immediately demanded full details of the evening. Katie had given her former teammate a complete retelling of her time with Oliver, the two of them giggling like they were thirteen and fourteen again, blushing over one of the more scandalous passages in a Claire Wood book.

The next morning, Katie had nearly overslept. She'd had no time to give Oliver, or even breakfast, a thought as she rushed down to the pitch. She'd immediately dove into drills and given her focus to playing well and, hopefully, making a good impression on the League team coaches in attendance.

As Katie made her way to the lunch spread provided by the hosting Falcons, she felt an unease in her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger. Gathering a sandwich and an apple on a tray, she took a seat at one of the provided tables. She looked around, half hoping to see Oliver, half hoping to not. She had thoroughly enjoyed their time together the evening before, but doubts in her mind had begun to creep in. She fancied him, that much was still true, but she found herself thinking it was unlikely he'd ever return her feelings. He'd only ever see her as a teammate, and they'd only gone out to catch up as old friends. Right? Katie tried to push the thought of Oliver from her mind. She needed to stay focused on the showcase. She couldn't let a silly crush distract her and ruin her chances of getting an offer to play professionally. Katie took a large bite of her sandwich. Just as she had resolved to put the entire matter out of her mind, she heard a voice behind her.

"That was some goal you scored at the end, well done."

It was Oliver. He was looking down at her, smiling.

Katie immediately wished she had taken a smaller bite.

Pausing to chew, she returned his smile.

"Thank you," she replied. "Care to join me?" She gestured at the empty chair opposite her, surprised by her own boldness.

"Cheers, but just for a moment. The Beaters' session is starting shortly and I've got to watch with the team," he replied as he took a seat.

He too was soaked from the rain, but rather than the merperson Katie was sure she resembled, Oliver looked positively dreamy. His wet shirt clung to his muscular chest. Katie was suddenly reminded of trying to discreetly catch a peek of Oliver in the Gryffindor locker room as he took his shirt off on the way to the showers. Her thoughts became less coherent for a moment, then she cleared her throat to jolt herself back to reality.

"So, will you be at the mixer tonight?" she asked Oliver conversationally.

The last evening of the Showcase was reserved for the mixer dinner, which gave potential players a chance to socialize with one another and, more importantly, the League coaches. Katie was nervous to meet the coaches of the professional teams she had followed for so many years. She didn't typically enjoy large social events, and she wished she could just let her playing speak for her.

"No, it's for coaches and showcase players only," Oliver said. "But when you're finished, you should come to the Sorcerer's Shanty, it's a pub. A lot of the players who come to watch the showcase go out for a drink on the second night; it would be a good chance for you to meet some of them."

"Oh. Right," Katie said hesitantly, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"And I'd like to see you again," Oliver added.

Katie's heart started beating harder.

Oliver looked out the window in the direction of the pitch.

"Looks like they're starting the Beater session," he said as he stood up from his chair. "I'll see you later on tonight?"

"Alright then," Katie said, looking at Oliver with a small smile.

xxxxxx

Katie stood outside the door of The Sorcerer's Shanty and collected herself. The two hours of the mixer had gone by in a blur; she had been nervous to speak with the coaches, but Katie was fairly certain she had presented herself well enough. Now she was about to walk into a pub full of professional Quidditch players, Oliver included. She felt that she might be even more nervous than before. She checked her reflection in the window of a neighboring Muggle shoe shop that was closed for the day. She was wearing a thin-strapped ice-blue dress that fell above her knee and black sandals that added about 5cm to her height. Katie was more comfortable in jeans or athletic clothes, but she had wanted to make a good impression on the League coaches. She ran her fingers through her hair and it fell in waves around her shoulders. She smoothed her frock and willed herself not to trip, then pulled open the door to the pub.

She was met with the sound of rowdy laughter and blaring music. It was evident that the party had been going on for some time. She scanned the crowd, looking for familiar faces. Nearly everyone she saw was wearing Muggle jeans or track pants, and she immediately felt overdressed.

"Oi! Wood! Your bird's here!" she heard a man call out from across the room.

Katie felt her cheeks flush as she looked in the direction of the voice and saw Oliver standing next to a red-haired wizard who was holding a drink. She recognized him as the new Chaser for Puddlemere.

Oliver gave the other wizard a warning look and said something to him before walking over to Katie.

"You made it," he said to her, leaning closer to her ear so she could hear him over the music. "You look lovely."

Katie could smell a hint of Firewhisky on his breath. He wore jeans, a navy blue Puddlemere shirt, and an open gray zip-front sweatshirt. Merlin, he looked good.

"Can I get you a beer?" He asked.

"Please," Katie responded, hoping a drink would help to settle her nerves a bit.

The pair walked over to the bar, where Oliver ordered a pint for her, and one for himself. Katie accepted the glass from the barkeep and took a long drink.

A tall brunette witch standing next to Katie at the bar turned in her direction. Katie recognized her as Maggie Broadmoor, Seeker for the Kenmare Kestrels.

"Bell, right? Ace flying today," she commented.

"Cheers, thank you!" Katie replied enthusiastically.

Maggie raised her drink in Katie's direction then headed back into the crowd. Katie felt properly flattered.

Katie turned back to face Oliver and found that the red-headed wizard was standing next to him again.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your bird, Wood?" he said, putting his arm around Oliver's shoulder.

"Piss off, McKinnon," Oliver said, looking annoyed.

"Come now, Oliver, is that any way to speak to your teammate?" the other wizard said with mock offense.

"Katie Bell," Katie said, extending her hand to him.

"Well now, Katie Bell, it's lovely to meet you. I'm Evan McKinnon," he said as he took her hand. Instead of shaking it, he pulled it to his mouth and kissed it.

Katie couldn't help but laugh. Evan was clearly pissed. Katie recalled the Bludger Buzz article she'd read about him that had dubbed him "Puddlemere's Party Boy" and detailed his wild exploits with drinking and women, and it seemed that the gossip rag wasn't far off in its description.

"I've been wanting to meet you ever since Wood here nearly took my head off for commenting your fine arse yesterday," Evan said, slapping Wood on the back.

Katie dropped her hand and gave Evan an embarrassed smile as she took a drink. She looked at Oliver, who looked as though steam could come out of his ears.

"Fuck off, McKinnon," Wood said, turning closer to Katie. Leaning closer to her ear, he spoke just loud enough for her to hear. "Would you like to get out of here?"

"Please," she responded again. She took a final drink of her beer and set the mug on the bar. Oliver led the way through the crowd of bodies. On their way out, Katie spotted Ulla chatting flirtatiously with a wizard wearing a Ballycastle shirt. Probably best to stay away from her dorm room for a bit anyway, she thought to herself with a laugh.

The door closed behind them, muting the unruly voices and pounding music of the pub. Katie looked up at Oliver, suddenly feeling nervous again.

"Do you fancy a walk down to the beach?" Oliver asked, gesturing in the direction of the bay.

"That sounds nice," Katie replied, and they began walking down the sidewalk.

"Sorry about McKinnon," Oliver apologized. "He can be a bloody git sometimes."

"That's alright," Katie said with a laugh. "Did he really comment on my arse?"

Oliver's eyes shifted over to Katie nervously.

"Er, yes," he said.

Katie laughed again, but this time at Oliver's reaction. He had always been a bit protective of the witches on his team at Hogwarts, and it seemed nothing had changed.

"So now that the showcase is wrapped up, what are your plans?" Oliver asked Katie.

"I'm Apparating home in the morning," Katie replied. "It's my mum's birthday so we'll have a big lunch to celebrate. Then my brother Ryan has a match the following weekend that I'm going to. I haven't seen him play in such a long time. I suppose after that I'll wait to see if I get an owl from any of the League teams. If I do, I imagine I'll start practice soon. If I don't, well, I'm not really sure,"her voice trailed off. Playing professional Quidditch had been Katie's dream since she made the House team her second year. Making a backup plan felt like it jinxed her chances of being signed. In retrospect, though, maybe she should have given some thought to what a future without Quidditch would look like.

"I'll be moving in with Alicia Spinnet as well, she's got a flat in London," she added.

"I'm telling you, Katie. You'll definitely get offers," Oliver told her confidently. "You were one of the best Chasers at Hogwarts, and you outflew every other prospect these past two days."

Merlin, Katie liked it when Oliver called her by her first name. It felt, sweeter, more tender than when he called her Bell. Less like he was her captain and more like her…friend? Her stomach fluttered nervously again.

"Thank you, Oliver. I really hope so," Katie said.

A breeze blew from the direction of the bay and Katie shivered. The rain that had fallen earlier in the day had quit hours ago, but it had brought a chill to the air.

Oliver noticed her rub her arms for warmth and shed his sweatshirt.

"Here," he said as he placed it around her shoulders.

"Thank you," Katie said as she accepted the garment. Its sleeves fell past her fingertips. She pushed them up and snuggled into the soft fabric. It was warm and smelled like broomstick polish and a delicious musky scent that Katie couldn't name. It smelled like Oliver.

The two of them reached shoreline. The moon in the clear sky reflected off of the gentle ocean waves. Katie slipped off her shoes and held them in her hand as they stepped out on to the sand.

"So what's it like playing in the League? How does it compare with playing at Hogwarts?" Katie asked as they walked along the shore.

"It's a new level of sport, that's for sure," Oliver answered. "The plays are more complex and the pace is much faster. A good deal more off-pitch training as well. But it's nice to be able to just play Quidditch and not worry about Charms homework or a Potions essay. And the other players are focused too; it's not like playing with the blasted Weasley twins again."

"How very Oliver Wood of you," Katie laughed. "Finally you're among other players who are just as Quidditch-mad as you." She gave him a teasing shove. "I bet they wake up at dawn to practice all on their own instead of you having to drag them out of bed."

"Aye, I might have been a little extreme at Hogwarts," he admitted with a laugh. "But it was worth it to win the Cup."

Again, Katie's mind flashed back to the kiss. It seemed that the memory of her first Quidditch Cup and that first kiss with Oliver were inextricably linked.

"It was," she agreed, looking out over the water.

"Although my one Quidditch Cup doesn't exactly stack up to your three," Oliver said, tilting his head to the side to look at Katie. "Quite impressive."

"It could have been four, as well, if they hadn't cancelled the season in my fifth year," Katie added. "We still had Angelina and Alicia, and the twins. We would have been a strong contender that year."

"That's right, the Triwizard Tournament," Oliver recalled. "Merlin, I still can't imagine a whole year at Hogwarts without Quidditch." He shook his head.

"Yes, but the Tournament was interesting," Katie said. "You should have seen Harry dodging that dragon on his broomstick, it was brilliant!" Katie laughed. "And the Yule Ball was fun as well; did you know they booked the Weird Sisters?"

"Aye, I heard," said Oliver.

Suddenly he stopped walking and turned toward Katie, a more serious look on his face.

"That would have been the one thing to make up for not having Quidditch," he said, looking her in the eye.

"What, the Weird Sisters? I didn't know you were a fan," Katie said playfully. The look Oliver was giving her was beginning to make her nervous.

"No lass, the chance to ask you to dance," Oliver said, his voice husky and an intense look burning in his eyes.

"Oh," was all Katie managed to say as she looked down at her feet. What did he mean, ask her to dance? Did this mean…had he fancied her back at Hogwarts? Did he fancy her now as well? Katie's mind began to spin and she felt heat burning in her cheeks.

Before she could say anything, Oliver extended his hand to her, palm upward.

"Dance with me, Katie," he invited her quietly.

"Dance with – here?" Katie stuttered.

"Aye, here," Oliver said, his hand still reached toward her.

Katie put her hand in his with uncertainty. His hand was strong and warm.

Oliver pulled her closer and wrapped his other arm lightly around her, resting his hand in the middle of her back. Katie glanced up at him nervously as they began to sway to the sound of the waves crashing behind them. She put her free hand on his muscular bicep. Silently, they slowly pivoted. Katie breathed in Oliver's enchanting scent, snuggling closer to his warmth. After a moment, she laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

They danced for what feels like a peaceful eternity, as well as a brief moment. Oliver leaned down and kissed the top of Katie's head and they stopped swaying.

"Thank you," he said quietly as he pulled away slightly.

The two began to walk further down the beach, but Oliver did not drop Katie's hand. Silently, they continued down the shore, each sneaking glances at the other, their fingers interlocked. They arrived at a park bench overlooking the water. Oliver released Katie's hand, but put his arm around her as they sat.

"Did you hear about Bill Weasley's wedding?" Oliver asked Katie after a few moments.

"No," she said as she sat up straighter, "What happened?"

"Death Eaters crashed the reception. Looking for Harry. There are rumors that the Ministry has been infiltrated by You-Know-Who's supporters," Oliver told her.

"Oh Merlin," Katie said with concern. "My dad works at the Ministry. Was everyone at the wedding OK? Was Harry OK?" A flood of bad scenarios entered Katie's mind.

"I heard most people were able to Apparate away," Oliver replied, "but they trashed the Weasley's house and interrogated the family. Apparently Harry wasn't there, though."

Katie sunk against the back of the bench. She thought back to her conversation with Ryan when he suggested she come home and keep herself safe. She had spoken then about bravery, but now she felt afraid and unsure.

"How terrible," Katie said.

"Aye," Oliver replied.

The two sat in silence for a few moments more.

"I want to find a way to help," Oliver said, still looking ahead. "But I'm not sure what I could do. I thought about sending an owl to Charlie Weasley, his family is supposed to be working with Dumbledore's side. Maybe he can tell me something."

Katie nodded but said nothing. They sat silently again. Katie thought of her father again, and suddenly she felt anxious to return home.

"Oliver, I think I need to go home tonight. With what's happening at the Ministry, I need to go and check on my dad," Katie said

"Of course," Oliver replied. "You'll send me an owl and let me know how they are? I want to hear when you receive offers as well." Oliver gave Katie a smile.

"Yes, I'll write," Katie promised. "Where are you going tomorrow? Back to your flat?"

"Aye, for a few days. Then I'm going to go see my parents next week, it's been a while since I was home," Oliver told her. "Plus my sister is visiting so Mum will want to have us all 'round for dinner."

"Maybe you could come and visit me before you start training again in September," Katie offered. "If you want." Katie was unsure where she and Oliver stood. He had held her hand and they'd danced together on the beach, but would he want to stay in touch once they parted ways? Or had this just been a fun couple of days together?

"Aye, I'd like that," Oliver said as he met Katie's eye. "Send me an owl and I'll be there."

"I will," Katie said, returning his gaze.

The pair rose. They walked hand-in-hand to a nearby pier. Checking to see that no one was around, they stepped in the shadow underneath the structure to Apparate. They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment.

"I'll owl you," Katie said.

"Aye, and I'll see you soon," Oliver said, squeezing her hand and releasing it.

Katie looked up at Oliver uncertainly. Should she hug him? Shake his hand? She refused to let her mind consider other possibilities.

After a pause, Katie gave Oliver a small, resigned smile. Just as she turned so she could step away to Apparate, Oliver caught her by the elbow. Katie turned to face him. Oliver took a step closer to her as he raised his hand to her face and tucked her hair behind her ear. Katie's cheeks burned, and it felt as though there were hippogriffs flying in her stomach.

Oliver gently cupped her cheek as he leaned down toward Katie, and he kissed her. Heat flared inside Katie's chest and she closed her eyes.

Oliver's kiss was gentle and warm. This was not the hurried, sloppy kiss from the common room those four years ago. This was tender and intimate, and unlike any other kiss Katie had experienced before. Oliver pulled his lips away slightly, then kissed Katie gently on the forehead. He stood straight and gave her a nervous smile.

Katie's legs felt weak and her head felt fuzzy. She drew in a breath and took a step back, and her face spread into a shy grin.

"Take care of yourself, Katie," Oliver said gently.

"You too, Oliver," Katie said, unable to stop smiling.

The two looked at one another for a moment, and then both turned on the spot and Apparated away.

xxxxxx

Author's note: I hope you've enjoyed the story so far! Check back for Chapter Four: Football being posted next week. If you like what you've read so far, let me know! I love reading your reviews.