Chapter 17 – News

May 2, 1998

A roar of cheers and screams erupted all around Katie. Oliver was by her side, pumping his fist in the air as though he had just won a Quidditch match. Katie's eyes darted back to the scene in front of them. Harry stood, two wands raised in front of him and opposite him in the courtyard, the crumpled, lifeless body of You-Know-Who. He was dead. Truly gone. A wave of emotion hit Katie as she felt tears spill from her eyes and down her cheeks. The madness was over. Her family was no longer in danger. They could come home. Her knees felt weak and her balance faltered as she fell against Angelina. Her friend turned in surprise and caught Katie before she could fall to the ground.

"Katie, are you alright?" she asked, shouting over the din of the crowd.

Katie righted her feet and stood, nodding to Angelina. Her body was exhausted; tears continued to form in her eyes, and Katie's face spread into a weak smile. Oliver looked down at her, seeming to understand her jumble of emotions. He pulled her into a tight embrace.

"It's all over, love," he murmured in her ear. Katie nodded again, Oliver's confirmation causing her tears to fall harder. Oliver kept her wrapped in his strong embrace.

xxxxxx

After some time, the crowd of people – teachers, current and former students, Order members, some shopkeepers that Katie recognized from Hogsmeade, and some people she did not recognize at all – made their way to the Great Hall. The place she had eaten so many meals during her time at Hogwarts had suffered great damage. Large holes gaped in the walls, rubble lay scattered across the floor, and a layer of dust covered every surface. Katie tried not to think about the neat row of bodies that lay in the adjacent corridor.

Oliver and Katie found themselves seated at a table usually reserved for Ravenclaw students. All around them, conversations were buzzing – some loud and animated, some private and tearful. Katie sat silently with her head on Oliver's shoulder as he talked with Ambrosius Flume, owner of Honeydukes. Her head was aching and she could feel memories pushing at the edges of her mind. She lifted her head.

"I'm going to use the loo," she told Oliver quietly.

He looked at her with a mix of concern and protectiveness.

"Would you like me to come?" he asked.

Katie forced a casual smile.

"I think I remember the way," she dismissed him as she rose.

Once she was clear of the Great Hall, she turned down an empty corridor. She leaned her back against the wall as she slid down to sit on the floor, her forehead resting on her knees. Her memories flooded her mind, images and emotions tangled as they overtook her in quick succession.

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Apprehension as she, Oliver, Alicia, and Angelina step through the passageway and into the Room of Requirement. They are directed by Kingsley to locate brooms and defend the castle from the air.

Determination and focus as the former teammates swooped in unison toward a group of Death Eaters, firing Stunning spells as they passed them.

Panic as Katie sees a streak of green light – a killing curse – pass just over Oliver's right shoulder as he dove left to avoid it.

Shock and revulsion as a Katie sees a masked Death Eater fall from his post atop the clock tower. She had Stunned him, and she watches as his body glides through the air and falls to the ground, his limbs splayed out at odd angles. She knows he's dead.

Terror as You-Know-Who's voice echoes eerily throughout the grounds, beckoning Harry to him.

Disbelief as Katie catches sight of the Quidditch pitch. The stands are ablaze, and one of the goal posts has been toppled.

Gut-wrenching sadness as she sees Oliver carrying the body of little Colin Creevy, the boy's eyes still open and his sandy blonde hair matted with blood.

Heartbreak as she sees the bodies of Fred Weasley and Tonks lying among the fallen.

Devastation as people pour out of the castle and Katie sees Harry's body being carried by Hagrid from the forest. Horror as she realizes You-Know-Who has claimed victory.

Confusion amongst the chaos of the battle as Katie sees Harry standing, very much alive, facing off with You-Know-Who. The other fighting ceases and she stumbles her way to Oliver's side and watches Harry and You-Know-Who circle one another.

xxxxxx

Katie felt her arm shaking as her foggy mind returned to the present. She looked up to see Oliver knelt beside her, gently shaking her arm. His brow was furrowed in concern.

"Love?" he inquired with a low voice.

Katie rubbed her face as though she were clearing the recollections from her mind and looked at Oliver.

"Can we go home?" she asked him weakly.

He nodded and guided her head to rest on his chest.

"Aye, we can," he answered. "Professor McGonagall made an announcement that anyone wishing to Apparate would need to do so from Hogsmeade. Do you feel up to walking?"

Katie nodded and rose as Oliver helped her to her feet. Hand-in-hand they walked through the castle and on to the grounds toward Hogsmeade, a trip they had both made numerous times, but never together, never quite like this.

"You're sure it's ok we're leaving?" Katie asked Oliver as they passed the smoldering stands of the Quidditch pitch. "Don't they need help with repairs and such?"

"Professor McGonagall told us all to go home and be with our families. Make preparations for the ones lost. She said she would take volunteers to come and help with repairs in the coming weeks."

Oliver's mention of family gave Katie's mind a jolt.

"Merlin, what about Dad?" she asked worriedly. "And Mum and Ryan, I need to phone them."

Oliver gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"McGonagall said a team of Order members is already on their way to Azkaban to free everyone wrongfully put there," he assured her. "And you can call your mum as soon as we get back."

Katie leaned her head against Oliver's arm as they reached the edge of the Hogwarts grounds. She still felt a jittery energy from the chaos of the fighting, but her body was tired. She was anxious to get word to Mum and Ryan that they could return, anxious to hear that Dad was freed from that awful prison, and she knew that her mind now had fresh new memories to feed her when the spells came, but she felt Oliver's calm reassurance relax her a bit.

The pair reached the end of the road that led from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade and found themselves opposite The Three Broomsticks. Katie had avoided the pub ever since she'd been Imperioused there, but now that everything was finished, the world right again, she found herself fancying a return soon to enjoy a Butterbeer.

Oliver tracked Katie's glance and put his arm around her shoulder, giving her a knowing squeeze.

"Ready, love?" he asked her.

Katie nodded.

"Ready," she replied.

The two spun in place and Disapparated with a crack.

xxxxxx

June 9, 1998

Five Weeks Later

Oliver opened his bedroom window to let the summer breeze flow through. It had been a little over a month since the Battle, and the weather was beginning to heat up. Oliver still felt troubled by the things he had seen that night at Hogwarts. In his head, he knew that the war was won, but it was impossible to erase the fear he had felt as he, Katie, and their two friends had flown through the air, dodging swings from giants' clubs; or the weight of Colin's dead body in his arms. He knew that Katie was still haunted by that night as well. Oliver often saw her staring into the distance, lost in memories, and when he slept next to her she often woke in the middle of the night in a panic, plagued with vivid nightmares. He had to hold her closely for several minutes each time, assuring her that all was alright. That the worst was over.

And that was true. Every day, more things were returning to normal. Just two days earlier, the Prophet had published word that the Quidditch World Cup, which had previously been cancelled, was back on, and that National teams from the UK and Ireland would be participating. Oliver had been to Diagon Alley the previous day, and it too was rebounding back to life.

Oliver had sent a note to Katie with Quaffle earlier that morning, asking her to come 'round. He'd received a letter with news that he was excited to share with her. There wasn't much time that they spent apart lately, but Katie had gone to visit her family and she'd spent a few nights at her parents' home. Oliver knew how much she had missed her family and worried about them when they were in hiding and in Azkaban, but he missed her. When the war had been at its worst, the time that he spent with Katie felt to Oliver like they were clinging to one another in a rolling sea, desperate not to be dragged apart. Now, spending time with Katie felt healing, like reuniting two halves of a whole. She had been gone three days, and Oliver ached to see her again.

Oliver heard a light knock on the door. A smile spread across his face as he strode over and opened it.

"Hello, love," he said as he saw Katie, taking her hand and leading her into his flat.

"Hi," she answered, with a quick kiss on the cheek. Oliver hardly noticed her strained smile as they walked into the kitchen.

"I've got some news to share," he said enthusiastically.

"Yes, I was hoping to speak with you as well," Katie said, her tone's energy failing to match his.

"Katie!" Evan greeted her jovially from the sitting room. He was kicked back on the couch with a witch he'd met at a party the previous night, a beer in his hand.

"Laura here has just been telling me the Ministry finally caught that dragon that Potter broke out of Gringotts on," Evan told Katie and Oliver. "Where did you say it was again?" He turned toward his date.

"Well, it was in a cave outside Cardiff when they finally trapped it, but the bloody thing has been causing trouble all over Southern England for weeks now," Laura informed them. "I can't remember ever having to work this much overtime."

"Aye, I read in the Prophet they had to modify a bunch of Muggle memories when it was spotted over a park in London a few days ago," Oliver added. "You're with the Dragon Bureau then?" he asked the other woman.

"No, I'm with the Spirit Division, but they've had the whole Magical Creatures Department helping to track the dragon. The damn thing is so old and blind, and it was locked up in Gringotts so long that it had no sense. The dragon handlers had a hard time predicting how it would behave. It nearly burned down the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham a few nights ago. I think the Muggles blamed a gas leak. It's been a mess." She shook her head.

"What's going to happen to it now?" Evan asked.

"It's sedated in a cave near Hogsmead. Hagrid has been helping to care for it. The Ministry is relocating it to the dragon reserve in Romania," Laura answered. "Charlie Weasley will be overseeing its transport in a few days."

Oliver, Evan, and Laura conversed for a few more moments, with Katie listening quietly. After a few moments, she placed her hand on Oliver's arm and leaned into him.

"Oliver, can we go to your room?" Katie quietly asked him.

"Aye," he agreed, his expression still keyed up.

"Nice meeting you," he tells Laura, and Katie gave her a friendly nod. The pair excused themselves and walked down the hall.

They reached Oliver's bedroom and Katie shut the door behind them as they entered and sat on the bed. Oliver gave Katie a smile before launching into his announcement.

"Love, I got an owl this morning," he began. "From the Scottish National Quidditch team. They've asked me to play reserve Keeper for the World Cup!" He paused to smile before launching into more detail.

"Well, they've asked me to be the second reserve. But the National Team likes to rotate players for the qualifying matches, so there's a good chance I'll get some flying time!"

"That's wonderful, Oliver," Katie said, her voice still sounding thin. "Congratulations." She gave him a smile.

Oliver couldn't contain his energy. He stood and paced wildly around the room as he continued on.

"I begin practice next week, on Monday. We'll be using the Wigtown Wanderers' facility for training. They're housing us there and everything," Oliver rambled excitedly. "The letter said we'd have some time off on Sundays, though, so I'll still be able to see you. Puddlemere's sent a note with their congratulations. Of course, I'm sure they'd rather I played on the English team, but it's a nice sentiment nonetheless. Merlin, I'd hoped to play for the National team one day. I thought maybe in a few years; I was so bloody surprised when I got the owl this morning." Oliver grinned as he looked at Katie, who was still sitting on the bed, her hands folded in her lap.

"I'm so excited for you," she told him sincerely. Her smile tensed against her face.

Oliver gave her a peck on the lips.

"Thanks love. You wanted to speak with me as well?" he asked, still energized from sharing his news.

"Er, yes," Katie said nervously.

She took Oliver's hand and gave it a squeeze as she looked up at him, her face serious. His smile faded slowly. He didn't know what to expect her to say, but it didn't look like she was excited to say it. His mind flashed back to the conversation they'd had after Easter, when she'd asked him to leave. Merlin, that can't be happening again, he thought to himself. He looked at Katie anxiously. Tears brimmed each of her eyes. She drew in a deep breath.

"Oliver," she said, her voice raw with emotion, "I'm pregnant."

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Author's Note: Well, on that note, come back next week! I'll be posting Chapter 18: Christmas Again, which will feature a jump about six months ahead of today's chapter. And no more cliffhangers, I promise :) Have a great week!