Chapter 14: Surname

March 21, 1998

Katie heard the sound of movement and clattering in the kitchen. She peeked one eye open and looked at the clock. It was 6:30 on a Saturday morning, and Oliver was already awake. Katie closed her eyes and hoped for a few more minutes of rest before he came in and woke her with a cup of coffee and a chipper greeting, as he always did.

Even when they had been on their trip to Cornwall for Katie's birthday, Oliver had greeted her early every morning with a cup of coffee. Katie felt like she had seen more sunrises in the last three months than she had in her entire life, but there was something quite lovely about starting the day slowly. The getaway had been such a welcome retreat from the pressures of day-to-day life; when they had been watching the sun rise, snuggled up together on the couch, or walking hand-in-hand on the beach, it had been almost possible to completely forget the bleak realities waiting for them back at home. When she had a stressful day, or the news from the war effort was bad, Katie found herself daydreaming about returning to their seaside cottage and again living forever that quiet bliss. As Katie began to doze, her mind drifted to the memories of their weekend trip.

xxxxxx

Katie and Oliver had arrived in Falmouth late on a Friday after they'd both finished training. That evening, Oliver asked Katie if she wanted to go out for dinner, but she said she preferred to stay in. She didn't want to spend their weekend away with a bunch of other people, she'd told him. They had ordered takeaway from a nearby restaurant and enjoyed delicious lobster rolls, grilled garlic potatoes, and cherry cobbler and spent the evening stargazing from the large picture window in the bedroom of their cozy cottage. The next day they had planned to do some sightseeing, but heavy rain had caused them to stay in, which Katie found she didn't mind at all. In the evening, after Oliver had cooked them a delicious pasta dinner, the pair had lit a fire in the tiny stone fireplace and split a bottle of wine. Katie felt herself drawn closer to Oliver than she ever had, whether through the aid of the wine, the romantic setting, the warm fire, or some combination. After vowing to not discuss the war, protective patrols, or even Quidditch, they found themselves trading questions about their lives. Their inquiries ranged from silly and embarrassing to thoughtful and deep.

"Erm, what's your favorite thing that we do together?" Katie asked, struggling to think of another question but not wanting Oliver to stop talking, telling her more about himself. Oliver raised his eyebrows at her. "Besides that!" Katie amended with a laugh.

Oliver laughed as well.

"I'm only kidding," he told her. "Mostly. But I love when we fly together."

"Mm, me too," Katie agreed. They had only gone flying together a handful times since they had started seeing one another, but Katie enjoyed it every time. Flying solo had always been a love of Katie's, but there was something extra exhilarating about the bite of the cold air on her face contrasted with the warmth of Oliver's body against hers.

"What about yours?" Oliver asked, interrupting Katie's thoughts.

"Hmm," she contemplated. "I love falling asleep next to you." Oliver nodded in agreement.

"Ok, I've got one," he said. "If you could change one decision you've made in your life, what would it be?"

"Oh, goodness," Katie said as she considered her response. She was lying across the sofa on her back with her head in Oliver's lap. "I suppose the obvious answer would be that I wouldn't go to the loo at the Three Broomsticks on the day I was cursed, but that's a complicated choice. If it wasn't me that got the necklace, it would have been someone else. And what if they died? Or what if they actually got the necklace to Professor Dumbledore and he was killed?" She was quiet for a moment. "As terrible as it is that I was cursed, things could have been much worse. So I really don't know. Maybe I wouldn't cut those horrid bangs I had in my third year." She laughed as she looked up to Oliver. "What would you choose?

Oliver contemplated the question for a few moments as well.

"That day, when I came to see you in Hogsmeade. I should have told you I had feelings for you as well," he said as he toyed with a strand of Katie's hair.

"Yea?" Katie responded. "You think we could have made it work back then? Me being at Hogwarts still? Only seeing each other every few months?"

"I don't know," Oliver admitted. "Maybe I should have gone to see you at St. Mungo's after you woke up. Or maybe I'd take back a few of the drunken nights out with Evan."

Katie knew he was referring to the women that had come with those drunken nights.

"You know I don't begrudge you your past," she reassured him. "I'm just glad to be in your present."

"I'll have you in my future too, if you'll keep me around," Oliver responded with a smile. When he leaned down to kiss Katie, she could taste the sweet crispness of the wine on his lips. She set her own glass aside on the coffee table, and the conversation evolved into other means of expression.

xxxxxx

The sound of a neighbor's dog barking pulled Katie out of her musing and served as a stark reminder that they were no longer in their seaside haven, but instead at Oliver's flat. Katie groaned as she rolled over and wrapped herself tighter in the blankets.

Katie and Oliver now spent about half of their nights together, sometimes at her flat and sometimes at his. After the first few times Oliver had stayed over at her place, Katie had spoken with Alicia to make sure she didn't mind the extra company. Her roommate had assured her that she wasn't bothered, as long as Katie and Oliver didn't overdo the PDA when she was around. Katie had rolled her eyes at Alicia when the other witch had jokingly told her she didn't even mind if she caught a glimpse of their former captain's bare arse on his way to the loo.

Just as she began to doze again, Katie heard the bedroom door creak open and felt Oliver sit on the edge of the bed next to her. She could smell the woodsy scent of his sandalwood soap and knew he must have already taken a shower.

"Morning, love," he said quietly as he gently pushed the hair from Katie's face.

Katie groaned and pulled the pillow over her face.

"Five more minutes," she grumbled sleepily, which made Oliver laugh.

"Best get up soon if you want breakfast," Oliver told her. "Evan and I are heading to the pitch at 8:00."

Katie pulled the pillow off of her face and gave Oliver a confused look.

"But your match isn't until 2:00," she said groggily.

"Aye, but we've got to do some press nonsense before warmups," Oliver replied dismissively, "Seeker Weekly is doing a feature on the new first-team members, so Evan and I both have to do an interview or some rubbish." Katie knew Oliver had never been excited about the press and publicity that came with being a professional athlete, but he was even more soured to the idea after the infamous Skeeter article in Bludger Buzz.

Katie sat up and nodded, her mind finally awake enough to make the connection.

"Of course, Alicia's covering the match," she recalled, "she must be doing the interviews as well."

The week prior, Alicia had come home from work and told Katie that she had been assigned to cover Puddlemere's match against the Holyhead Harpies. Katie's team had a bye-week, and she had already been planning on attending, so the two witches made plans to sit together. Katie was excited to see Oliver play again, as well as see Angelina.

"Oh, well if Alicia's doing the interviews surely they won't be too bad," Oliver replied with a nod. A mischievous grin spread across his face. "I'll be sure not to mention what we did on her couch last time she was away from the flat."

Katie smacked his arm playfully with an indignant look, which quickly melted into a giggle.

"Well, if she starts pressing you about your personal life, just remind her that she's spent more than one night over here with Puddlemere's most philandering Chaser," Katie replied, referring to her roommate's multiple trysts with Evan McKinnon.

Katie rose from the bed and shuffled over to Oliver's dresser. After she'd spent a few nights at his flat, he had graciously cleaned out a drawer for her so that she could keep a few changes of clothes and some personal items there and not have to carry an overnight bag.

"I think you should wear that to the match," Oliver told her lustily, eyeing the fitted tank top and cheeky knickers she had fallen asleep in.

Katie laughed, then considered his statement.

"What should I wear, though?" she wondered aloud teasingly. "I'll look like a spy if I wear a Portree shirt. But Angelina will get a bit narky if I support Puddlemere over the Harpies…"

Katie strode over to Oliver's closet and pulled out a Puddlemere United t-shirt with Oliver's surname and jersey number on the back.

"I do look good in blue though," she said with exaggerated thoughtfulness as she pulled the shirt over her head. It barely covered her bum. She did a twirl and turned to face Oliver.

"What do you think?" she asked innocently.

Oliver's gaze smoldered as he surveyed her slowly then rose from the bed to meet her. He wrapped his arms around her waist. He leaned his head down to murmur in her ear.

"I think that looks good on you," he told her.

"Your jersey? Or this color?" Katie asked.

"My surname," he corrected her.

Caught by surprise, Katie pulled back to look at Oliver, a blush rising in her cheeks.

Before she could say anything, Oliver pecked a kiss on her lips then released her with a grin.

"C'mon lass," he told her devilishly. "Breakfast. We'd best crack on."

He returned to the kitchen, leaving Katie to change clothes and her mind to replay his remark. She could barely keep a grin off of her face when she stepped out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, where she found a delicious-looking mushroom and Swiss omelette waiting for her on the counter.

"Eat up, love," Oliver told her as he prepared another for himself.

Katie obeyed, sneaking glances at Oliver when his back was turned. She was always pleasantly caught off guard when he made offhanded remarks about their future together. Merlin knew Katie had certainly found herself daydreaming about the long term with Oliver many times. Any time her mind began to wonder, though, there was always something to remind her of the bleak reality – the wizarding world was at war, and a happily-ever-after was far from certain.

As Katie chewed her last bite of omelette, she heard Evan's bedroom door open and saw him emerge, a woman following closely behind. As she stepped into the light, Katie recognized her as Theresa Murphy, the new assistant medi-witch for Puddlemere. Theresa glanced at Katie and Oliver, then turned to Evan. She cleared her throat.

"I'll, er, see you at the pitch?" she asked him.

Evan gave her an impish smile.

"See ya," he told her with a peck on the cheek.

Theresa turned to Oliver and Katie again, a bashful look on her face.

"Oliver," she acknowledged him, then gave Katie a small smile.

"Theresa, good morning," he replied with a nod. Katie returned Theresa's smile, then the other witch turned to open the front door and left the flat.

Evan shuffled into the kitchen. He looked at Katie's empty plate and Oliver's half-eaten omelette.

"Couldn't be troubled to make me one?" he asked Oliver with a mockingly insulted look.

"You're a grown man," Oliver told him. "And it wouldn't kill you to fix breakfast for your dates, you know," he added.

Evan shrugged as he Summoned a box of Muggle children's cereal from the cabinet and poured it into a bowl. He Summoned milk from the cooling cabinet and poured it over the top.

"Yes, but if I pamper them too much, they might fancy themselves sticking around," he said with a laugh. He took a large bite of cereal as he gestured from Oliver to Katie jestingly.

"Don't wanna end up like the two of 'ou," he said with his mouth full. He swallowed his food and continued to Oliver. "I reckon I'll have the place to myself soon when you get married off. Completely off the trolley for this one, you are." He nodded to Katie.

Oliver gave Katie a smile as he stood and cleared her dish and his. He kissed the top of her head and turned to his roommate.

"Aye," he told Evan, "But all I'm saying is you might want to treat the witch right who's mending your bones when you get hit by a Bludger."

"Oh, I assure you, I treated her right," Evan said with a wink. He turned to Katie.

"No match for Portree today?" he asked her.

"None this week," she told him. "Alicia and I are going to watch your match. Our friend Angelina is on the reserve for Holyhead."

Evan nodded with recognition. "Angelina Johnson, yea?" he asked. "I think we're scheduled to do a protective patrol together tonight. She's a fine bit of skirt, is she single?"

Katie rolled her eyes at him.

"Last I heard, she was seeing George Weasley," she informed him.

"Pity," was his reply. He stood and put his empty cereal bowl and spoon in the sink.

"I'm going to grab a shower," he told Oliver. "See you at the pitch." He turned and walked down the hall to the bathroom.

Oliver sat back down next to Katie, casually leaned back in his chair.

"So what are you going to do until the match?" he asked her.

Katie leaned her chin onto her hand, her elbow resting on the table.

"Probably try to get a few more hours of sleep," she told him truthfully with a laugh. "Maybe phone my mum."

"Give her a hello from me," Oliver told her. Katie nodded with a smile. After Oliver had come over to her parents' home for her birthday the previous month, Katie could tell that her mum was becoming rather fond of Oliver, with his impeccable manners and his charm. He had even done a spell on her rose bushes to make them bloom in the winter, a trick he'd learned from his mother. Ryan had jokingly accused him of sucking up.

"I hope you have a good match today," Katie told Oliver.

"Thanks, love," he replied, taking her hand and squeezing it.

"Will I see you after?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," he said. "Cowley may want to go out if we win. Or even if we lose. That man loves the pub." Oliver chuckled. "If I can't see you tonight though, I'll come over tomorrow."

Katie smiled.

"Sounds great."

Oliver looked at the clock.

"I'd best get changed so I can head to the pitch, love," he told her, releasing her hand and standing. Katie stood to meet him. She gave him a peck on the lips.

"Fly well," she wished him.

Katie returned to her flat. Instead of taking a nap, she took some time to tidy up around the flat. She passed along Oliver's hello when she phoned her Mum. Mrs. Bell told her that her father had been working a lot lately, and that Ryan had been around the previous day to check in. After she changed her clothes (wearing a jumper she had taken from Oliver's closet), she gathered her things and turned on her heel to Apparate to Puddlemere's stadium.

Normally, Katie would have preferred to travel to the pitch with one of her friends, but they were both already there – Angelina for warmups and Alicia for the press interviews – so she found herself walking up to the stadium alone. She knew her father would be very cross if he found out she was travelling alone in the present climate, but she hoped that she'd be alright just this one time.

She approached the information window, where Oliver had promised a ticket would be waiting for her. She gave the grandmotherly witch at the desk her name and the woman retrieved an envelope, which she gave to Katie with a smile. Katie opened it and retrieved her ticket, then joined the que to be admitted into the stadium. Keeping her wand in her hand and constantly looking over her shoulder, she tried to stay alert as the que sluggishly moved forward. When she reached the front, she saw what was taking so long – the entrance to the pitch was blocked by four men who wore Ministry credentials but looked more like Snatchers. They were closely examining each fan's ticket, checking their name against a list, and examining them with Secrecy Sensors and Probity Probes.

When it was Katie's turn, she did her best to approach the Ministry officials with confidence. She handed them her ticket and waited while they examined it, and waved the Dark Detectors around her body. Satisfied that it wasn't a counterfeit, one of the men handed the ticket back to her.

"Name – surname and first?" one asked Katie in a bored voice.

"Bell. Kathryn," she stated, trying to keep her voice steady but feeling unnerved by the four men.

Another man unrolled a large sheet of parchment and checked her answer against it. Katie assumed they were checking her name against a list of wanted Muggleborns. As the second man examined the list, a third stared at Katie, surveying her up and down. Her skin crawled, but she kept a straight face.

"Kathryn Bell. She's here – half blood," said the second man.

"Go ahead," the first man said, his voice still sounding uninterested. He stepped aside to let Katie pass but before she could, the third man stepped in her path.

"Bell, did you say?" he asked in a wheezy voice.

Katie stared at him but said nothing. The third man turned to the fourth.

"There's a Bell working in the Floo department at the Ministry, yea?" he asked him. The fourth man paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Hmm," said the third man. "Not a lot of Bells on the list. I'm willing to bet he's your father. Maybe uncle or brother."

Katie looked at him with wide ideas but kept silent.

"I hear he's been busy up there in the Floo department," the Snatcher told her. "Very busy. We might have to pop by soon and see if we can….relieve some of his workload." He gave Katie a lingering stare.

Katie didn't know what to make of the man's remark, but she didn't care to stick around and discuss it. She drew in a breath and looked the man in the eye.

"May I pass?" she asked with her best imitation of confident assertiveness.

He finally stepped aside. Katie gave a relieved exhale once she had cleared the entrance. She checked her ticket and made her way to her seat. She found Alicia already there, but not many other spectators. In fact, the stadium was nearly empty. Nonetheless, she was excited to see Oliver play. She only wished that Angelina was playing as well, but her friend was not announced in the starting lineup.

Katie couldn't contain a girlish giggle when Oliver gave her a wink as he took his lap around the stadium when he was announced with the other starting players before taking his place in front of the Harpies' goalposts. Katie didn't think she'd ever tire of watching him play. Just like at Hogwarts, he had unshakable focus and lightning-fast reflexes; he could read the slightest tells in the Chasers' posture and positioning, knowing where they were going to shoot and blocking their attempts nearly every time.

The match ended up being quite short, with Ian Cowley catching the Snitch or Puddlemere after only an hour; Puddlemere continued their undefeated streak.

"Ready to get out of here?" Alicia asked Katie as she collected her notes from the match.

"Yes, let's get home," Katie replied, grateful to have her friend to leave the stadium with.

The two witches made their way to the exit – they would be able to Apparate back to their flat once they were outside of the stadium walls. They'd nearly reached the door when Katie saw Max Cresswell, Portree's Seeker. Katie reckoned he was there to scout Holyhead, as they were the next opponent on the schedule for her team.

"Bell," he greeted her with a nod; he then noticed the jumper she was wearing and raised a brow at her, giving her an inquiring look. "Supporting Puddlemere United, I see?"

"Hi, Cresswell," she replied. "Er, yes. I'm, er, seeing one of the players on Puddlemere." She blushed and felt uncertain of herself; she knew she wasn't technically breaking any rules, but some of the League players took team pride rather seriously and she didn't know if dating a player from another team violated those principles.

Cresswell gave her a surprised but amused look.

"Oh yea?" He asked her. "Which one? Please don't say McKinnon." He gave her a cautioning look.

Katie laughed.

"No, Wood," she responded.

Cresswell nodded in recognition.

"I know Oliver, he's a good bloke," he told her. He gave her a wink. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

Katie gave him a smile, then they parted ways as Cresswell walked in the opposite direction and Katie and Alicia walked out of the exit and Apparated back to their flat.

xxxxxx

March 22, 1998

The Next Day

Katie shuffled out of her room sleepily. It was a Sunday morning and Oliver wasn't staying over, so she had taken full advantage of an opportunity to sleep late.

"You've finally resurrected," Alicia joked. "We were beginning to worry you had slipped into another coma."

Katie rolled her eyes and gave a laugh. Alicia was sitting on the sofa with Angelina, each sipping a cup of tea.

"Hush, you," Katie dismissed. "Between training and Oliver's early rising I never get to sleep in anymore. I saw an opportunity today and took it." She made her way to the kitchen and conjured a cup of coffee.

"Well, I suppose that's the price you pay for sleeping with the finest Keeper in the League," Angelina teased.

Katie laughed as she blushed.

"Angelina!" she protested.

"I'm just saying," Angelina told her matter-of-factly. "All I heard in the locker room before the match yesterday was how fit some of the Puddlemere players are looking. And Oliver has no shortage of fans."

"Perhaps if they'd focused more on the match and less on checking out the opposing players, Holyhead could have pulled off a victory," Katie razzed.

Angelina laughed.

"You're not wrong," she told her. "But perhaps what we need is more fan support. I couldn't help but notice my own friend wearing Puddlemere colors at the match," she said dramatically, giving Katie a pointed look.

"Yes, well, perhaps Katie would support Holyhead if one of you shagged her as well as Oliver seems to," Alicia added impishly.

Katie gave her flatmate am embarrassed look of disbelief.

"What?" Alicia asked with mock innocence. "I've heard the two of you going at it. I woke up thinking there was a bloody earthquake the other night. 'Ohh, Oliver,'" she imitated with an exaggerated moan.

The other two witches cackled with laughter as Katie's cheeks burned red, a scandalized look on her face.

"I have to know if he makes Quidditch references in the bedroom," Angelina exclaimed, gasping for breath between laughs. "Oh Katie, just slide on to my broomstick," she said, horribly mimicking a Scottish accent. "I'm going to put it through your hoop!"

Katie covered her face with her hands, unable to keep from laughing herself as she blushed even redder.

"Come score on me, lass!" Alicia added. "I'm about to catch the Snitch! My Bludgers – "

"Sweet Godric Gryffindor," Katie interjected. "I'm going to go and take a shower," she told her two friends, trying to regain her composure. "Oliver will be over later and I'll thank you two to mention none of this." She turned and started toward the bathroom.

"Oh lass, don't block my penalty shot!" Angelina called after her.

"What does that even mean?" Katie replied with a laugh as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

xxxxxx

Katie returned to her room from the shower wearing her dressing gown and her hair rolled in a towel. As she changed her clothes, she heard the front door open and Alicia exchange security questions with Oliver.

"Good match yesterday, Oliver," Angelina told him reluctantly. "And well done on Puddlemere still being undefeated."

"Thanks," he acknowledged. "You need to work on your coaching staff to move you up to first team, though," he told her. "You're a better Chaser than two of the witches they were playing yesterday. Holyhead might have stood a chance if you were flying."

Angelina snorted.

"I'll be sure to tell Gwenog you said so," she told him. "Katie's in her room."

Katie heard Oliver's footsteps approaching as she pulled on her jumper. She opened her bedroom door as Oliver reached the threshold.

"Hello, love," he greeted her, wrapping his arms around her and leaning down for a kiss.

"Hello yourself," Katie answered with a smile. "And good win yesterday."

"Sorry I couldn't see you last night," Oliver told her as they stepped into her room, leaving the door slightly ajar. They sat on the bed. "Cowley asked me 'round to the pub and I wanted to make sure I was there."

"Of course," Katie told him. "Did he tell you anything useful?

Oliver shrugged his shoulders.

"It's hard to know," he replied. "He does a lot of chatting, but I don't know what's just talk and what could be significant. I just pass it all along to Tonks. She seemed to glean something from a mention Cowley made about going up to Liverpool."

"It's a good thing you're doing," Katie told him.

"Thanks, love," he said as he reclined on the bed. "Thanks for coming to the match as well."

"Any excuse to see you play," Katie said with a smile. "Merlin, the security at the pitch was something, though," she added, her smile fading.

"Did they give you any trouble?" Oliver asked, concerned.

"Not exactly, but one of them said something that was a bit odd," Katie replied. She recounted the run-in she'd had with the Snatcher, and the comment he had made about Katie's father.

"I'm not sure what he meant by it, but he sounded almost…threatening," Katie said, her voice troubled. Oliver frowned. Before he could say anything, though, Katie heard their names being called out from the living room. She stuck her head out of her bedroom. Alicia and Angelina were sitting on the couch with the wireless on the coffee table in front of them.

"Potterwatch is on again!" Alicia exclaimed, beckoning her to join them. Angelina had told them about the secret radio broadcast run in part by the Weasley twins before Christmas, and they'd been able to tune in a few times.

Katie looked back to Oliver.

"They've got Potterwatch on the wireless," she said. Oliver rose from the bed, his interest piqued, and the pair joined Alicia and Angelina in the sitting room. Katie conjured two chairs and they sat, listening to the broadcast that was already in progress. She heard the voice of Lee Jordan transmitted over the small radio speaker.

"Meanwhile, in Gaddley, a Muggle family of five has been found dead in their home. Muggle authorities are attributing the deaths to a gas leak, but members of the Order of the Phoenix inform me that it was the Killing Curse – more evidence, as if it were needed, of the fact that Muggle slaughter is becoming little more than a recreational sport under the new regime."*

Katie felt like the breath was knocked out of her as she absorbed the report. A family of five. Likely two parents and three children. Were the children young? Had they seen their parents killed? Were they afraid? In Gaddley; they hadn't had any patrols near there in weeks. Why had the Death Eaters chosen that house? That family? Was it random, or was there a score to settle? Why had the Order not had intel that Gaddley was at risk?

Katie felt Oliver's hand slip into hers, and she refocused her attention on the radio program.

"And now we turn to regular contributor Royal, for an update on how the new Wizarding order is affecting the Muggle world."

"Thanks, River,"* said a deep voice.

"Kingsley," Oliver whispered to Katie in a low voice.

"Muggles remain ignorant of the source of their suffering as they continue to sustain heavy casualties. However, we continue to hear truly inspirational stories of wizards and witches risking their own safety to protect Muggle friends and neighbors, often without the Muggles' knowledge. I'd like to appeal to all our listeners to emulate their example, perhaps by casting a protective charm over any Muggle dwellings in you street. Many lives could be saved if such simple measures are taken."*

"That's you, Katie," Alicia told her with a smile. Katie shook her head.

"Not just me," she responded adamantly. "It's Angelina, and Evan, and all the others. I just wish we could have helped that Muggle family in Gaddley…"

Oliver squeezed Katie's hand as she laid her head on his shoulder. She continued to half-listen as Professor Lupin gave an update on Harry Potter as her mind drifted to the next round of patrols she and Tonks were planning. Her focus was pulled back to the broadcast when she heard another familiar voice.

"Rodent?" * The voice exclaimed incredulously. It was one of the Weasley twins.

"I'm not being 'Rodent,' no way, I told you I wanted to be 'Rapier'!"*

"Is that George?" Alicia asked Angelina in a whisper.

"Fred," Angelina replied, her voice a bit sad. Katie knew she hadn't been able to see George in over a month, due to the twins having to leave their flat in Diagon Alley after Death Eater raids.

The group continued to listen as Fred cheekily informed listeners how to tell the difference between You-Know-Who and a basilisk. Katie's mind continued to drift.

"Listeners, that brings us to the end of another Potterwatch. We don't know when it will be possible to broadcast again, but you can be sure we will be back. Keep twiddling those dials: The next password will be 'Mad-Eye.' Keep each other safe: Keep faith. Good night."*

A silence hung over the group as the sound of Lee Jordan's voice faded from the wireless.

Seeming to understand where Katie's mind was going, Angelina turned to her.

"We won't be able to protect them all," she told her. "But we'll never know just how many are spared because of what we're doing."

Katie nodded. She knew her friend's words were true, but it didn't do much to ease the ache of sadness she felt for the Muggle family that was killed.

"How was your patrol with Evan last night?" she asked Angelina.

"Good," Angelina said with a nod. "Bloody windy. But we covered a lot of ground."

"And working with Evan was ok?" Katie inquired. She still had mixed feelings about her boyfriend's flatmate; she knew that the cause was important to him, but she doubted whether he could take it as seriously as she wished he would.

"Actually, it was," Angelina admitted. "I didn't have high expectations, but he was very professional about it. I don't think he hit on me even once."

Katie was both mildly surprised and somewhat impressed.

"Good," she said with a nod.

"Cowley saw you leaving the hotel together, though," Oliver interjected. "He mentioned it to me when we went 'round to the pub last night."

Angelina gave him a worried look.

"What did you say?" she asked.

Olive shrugged.

"Told him Evan was probably shagging you," he said nonchalantly. "It seemed like the most obvious excuse."

"You're probably right," Angelina conceded. "I'll just hope that particular piece of gossip doesn't make its way back to George." She laughed as she stood.

"I'm going to get back to my flat and turn in early," she told the rest of the group. "I'm sure training will be brutal tomorrow after our loss."

Katie turned to Oliver.

"Are you staying tonight?"

"Aye, if you'd like," he replied. Katie nodded.

Angelina gave Katie a smirk.

"Make sure to stretch properly first if you try the ol' Hawkshead Attacking Formation," she said with a wink.

Ignoring Oliver's confused look, Katie rolled her eyes.

"Goodbye, Angelina," she told her as Angelina turned to Disapparate.

Laughing, Alicia also stood.

"I've got to finish a letter to my Gran," she said as she set off for her room. "Please keep it down if you decide to run through any drills," she told them.

Oliver looked at Katie, who was blushing again.

"What in Merlin's name are they talking about?" he asked her.

"They've completely lost the plot," Katie said with a shake of her head, her cheeks pink.

xxxxxx

*Noted text quoted from Chapter 22,"The Dealthly Hallows" – Harry Potter and the Deathly Halllows

xxxxxx

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this week's (long!) chapter! Come back next week to read Chapter 15: Easter.