A/N: Yes, I'm back. Thanks for the reviews! You guys make me feel all nice and special! =) And guess what I learned over my little vacation… hahaha, some of you guys pointed it out, too. Angelina is black and neither she nor Katie are in Wood's year. I think Angelina's a year younger and Katie is two, oh well. If I tackle another Wood fic, maybe I'll get it right. My apologies! =P This chapter's kinda long and I took a lot of liberties with it so don't get too argh-y if it's not genuine-Rowling. I've planned it out and I think it'll hit six chapters, seven with an epilogue, so enjoy it. By the way, things are getting scandalous so… be warned!
Disclaimer: La la la la… this is all just FILLER.
Two for Two
Some things would never change. Katie had finally realized that she and Wood were one of those many things. They'd fallen back into their old camaraderie, playing pranks, sneaking off, dodging Bludgers, copying essays, all the stuff they'd always done. Fighting over three seconds of "kissing" was not worth her entire friendship with Wood so she'd decided to drop it.
The end of December was fast approaching and when Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in the last week of November, Wood was back to his insanely obsessive self. They were practicing more than ever. Wood was determined to drill the plays into them before the break started. Sore, stiff, and freezing, the team tromped out onto the fields almost every other day to loop around the pitch. George and Fred had started falling asleep on their brooms with Wood clucking around them, loosing Bludgers above their heads to wake them up.
Katie had been so busy the last few weeks practicing, doing homework, and studying for her N.E.W.T.S. that before she knew it, she was in her dorm room packing away her belongings for the Christmas holidays. She had never known her mother, but her father played professional Quidditch for the Tutshill Tornados and her brother was a reserve Chaser for the Appleby Arrows. Around Christmas, the season died down so her father and her brother always returned to spend the holidays with her.
The Hogwarts Express would be leaving in an hour.
Katie dragged her suitcase off her bed and it landed on the floor with a 'thunk!' She hauled it across the rug. Angelina walked in and stopped in the doorway, her hands propped on her hips.
"Katie, you do know you don't have to pack your entire closet, right? It's only a week," Angelina sighed. She bent down to help Katie drag her belongings across the floor before she fell backwards with a giggle.
"Are we witches or Muggles?" Angelina snapped.
"Oh, right!" Katie retorted with a lolling smile.
"Mobiliarbus!" Katie snapped, pointing her wand at her suitcase as it levitated a few inches off the ground and out the door. She climbed out onto the staircase to make sure it was stowed away in a safe spot in the common room with the rest of the students' bags to be moved out onto the train.
"What're you doing this Christmas?" Katie asked, flopping down on her bed.
"The usual, back to visit the folks," Angelina sighed, sitting down next to her.
Katie looked at her clock and frowned wryly.
"Do you think I have time for a nap?" Katie voiced lazily.
"No point. You'll be sleeping on the train ride home," Angelina reminded her.
Katie sighed, rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling absently.
"Are you all right, Kate?" Angelina blurted.
Katie turned to survey her fellow Chaser. Angelina looked worried.
"What do you mean?" Katie asked.
"You just haven't been the same lately and everyone's noticed. Wood's acting funny, too. And, I don't know, it feels kind of weird. What happened anyway? And why were you in his sleeping bag on Halloween?" Angelina seemed to bust from the inside out. That particular question seemed to have been eating away at her.
Katie blinked in astonishment and burst out laughing.
"You're off your rocker, Angel. Me and Wood are as spiffy and un-romantical as ever. Even if I'd wished it, it'd never happen. I've just given up on him, that's all," Katie answered.
"Nothing happened?" Angelina asked unsurely.
Katie's mind raced back to the three or four seconds in the locker room.
"No, Angelina dear, nothing happened."
"Well, as long as nothing's wrong," Angelina sighed in resignation. Katie had a feeling that her friend didn't really believe her.
"Anyone up for a quick romp in the snow?" It was Fred, or George, Katie couldn't really tell because she'd closed her eyes, but she heard one of the Weasleys from the doorway. Her eyes fluttered open and she shrieked as an oversized Weasley face was shoved an inch from hers.
George snickered and Katie shoved him backwards.
"A romp in the snow always means getting flattened by devious snowballs," Angelina drawled lazily.
"Ah, c'mon, ladies, beautiful day outside, last one of the year we spend together, nice snow…" George rambled. He threw an arm around Katie as she sat up.
"Well…" Angelina's mouth twisted into a half-frown.
"All right then!" Fred whooped. Before she could finish her sentence, Fred had picked Angelina up by the waist and thrown her over his shoulder. She shot Katie a panicked look before slapping Fred's back in exasperation. Katie only managed to see her friend's face floating by for a second before the world was turned upside down. George had hoisted her up into the air, too. The twins marched down the staircase and through the common room. They passed a flustered looking Percy and a curious looking Wood.
"Interested in a snowball fight, obsessive--" Fred chortled.
"Maniacal--" Angelina added.
"Demented--" Katie sang.
"Beloved Captain Wood?" George finished with a grin.
Wood merely shot them a robust grin and said, "Be out in a minute."
The Weasleys had finally dropped Angelina and Katie onto their own feet and the four of them clambered out the portrait hole. The ridiculously over-excitable replacement painting for the Fat Lady, Sir Cadogan, challenged all of them "knaves" to a hearty duel on their way out. Fred and George were absolutely ecstatic that they had finally procured victims for their enchanted snowballs. They practically skipped all the way out the huge doors of the castle and went frolicking onto the grounds. Angelina shot Katie a "you-know-what's-going-to-happen-right?" look before following the twins out. Katie grinned, sprinted out the doors, down the steps and collided into… Cedric Diggory.
Katie wheeled backwards with a slight "Umph." Her arms flailed in the air for a second before Cedric caught her and straightened her on the steps. She clutched a hand to her heart and wheezed, out of breath. She'd been so sure she'd been destined for a face plant right down that stony staircase that she couldn't thank Cedric enough. He merely grinned at her and shook his head, slightly embarrassed.
Angelina shot a breezy sigh at the two of them and ran after the shouting Weasleys.
"Just be careful next time, Katie," Cedric said politely.
He had such an adorable demeanor that Katie couldn't help but beam at him. He was a very good-looking boy and only a few months younger than herself. He ran a free hand nervously through his hair and frowned.
"Thanks again, Diggory. I'll probably see you on the Express," Katie said. She skirted around him and walked down the steps, taking in a deep, appreciative breath of the crisp December air when she heart Cedric shout out her name.
Katie whirled around, her robes whipping around her legs.
Cedric had leapt down the few steps to stand next to her and was looking very nervous now.
"Yes?" Katie smiled.
"Where are you going?" Cedric asked after a slight pause.
"Off to the slaughterhouse," Katie chirped.
Cedric shot her a puzzled glance and she explained, "The Weasleys want to 'romp' in the snow."
"Ah," he said as comprehension dawned.
Cedric tugged at the ends of his sleeves and ran a hand through his already ruffled looking brown hair.
"Oh, I don't mean to be a bother," Cedric said after chewing on it for a few seconds.
"Perfect Prefect Diggory? A bother? You did just save my life," Katie reminded him.
There was a slight, nervous pause before Cedric blurted, "Well, I was just wondering, there's this benefit ball that I'm supposed to go to. Y'know my dad's one of the heads, for the Ministry of Magic, I mean, and there's… there's going to be this thing for St. Mungo's, donations and renovations and new heads and nurses and mediwizards, all that kind of stuff and I sort of need someone to bring with me. I mean, it's kind of formal and my dad told me I needed a… ah, a date. And I was just wondering if--"
"Sure," Katie said, interrupting his rambling.
Cedric stopped short, his brown eyes lit up. Katie watched as he tried to shrug the whole thing off and humbly stuff in the happiness for later. His charm was on full-blast by now and his grin was wider than ever. Katie found it endearing. At least some people noticed she was a girl…
"You mean it?" Cedric burst.
"Course I mean it. It's my one and only chance to make you miserable for beating Gryffindor," Katie smiled.
Cedric laughed and grinned.
"Thanks, Katie. It's really, really nice of you to do this for me and all. It's not until around the end of break but I thought maybe it'd be better to ask you before we left for Christmas. I mean, you don't have to. It's dress robes only though, you don't have to get really expensive--"
"Don't worry about it, Diggory. I've got it all under control. It was nice of you to ask," Katie supplied. She couldn't help smiling either.
They stood there for about a minute before Cedric flushed pink and said, "I suppose I should get out of your way then, so you can have your romp. I'll talk to you more about it later. And thanks again, Katie."
"Any time, Diggory. Just owl me over the holidays," Katie said.
Cedric nodded excitedly over his shoulder and sauntered through the entrance doors, swallowing his excitement. Cedric passed Wood on the way inside. Wood shot him a puzzled look before frowning. He looked at Cedric's back, remembering the Seeker's spastic grin, and then at a smiling Katie.
"What was that all about?" Wood asked, his brows knitting together as he reached Katie's side.
"Nothing really. He just asked me to a ball," Katie sighed.
Wood stopped short, stunned, and stared at her in disbelief.
"Wha--"
He didn't get to finish because one of Fred's enchanted snowballs and smashed him in the head.
"I'll murder the both of you!"
Alicia's screaming rocked the train compartment as the Weasley twins both let out a frightful shriek and scrambled out into the corridor. Apparently, they had found her luggage, knickers and all.
"It's only a joke, Alicia!" Fred shouted through the compartment door. He was holding it shut from the other side as Alicia tried to jerk it open. Her wand was all fired up to go when the Weasleys let go of the doorknob. Alicia went flying backwards onto the floor as Fred and George stuck their heads back inside. They took one look at Alicia sprawled across the floor, two pairs of eyes widened with amusement, and the both of them went sprinting off down the corridor to find their brother, Percy. Alicia bounced up and followed them, shouting the entire way.
"Figures," Angelina muttered, flipping another page of her book, Muggles and Madness.
Wood merely grinned and slouched down into his seat, trying to catch up on some sleep. Beside him, Katie was already napping, head against the window, robes tucked around her like a cocoon. He wanted to ask her about her little encounter with Diggory but hadn't had the chance seeing as how the Weasleys had tackled him and she hadn't told any of the other girls yet. He scowled at the thought though.
All of a sudden, a thunderous crack reverberated along the corridor and shook the train. Katie jerked awake and fell off her seat onto the floor. Angelina jumped and gripped her book as it threatened to go flying across the compartment. Wood sat up and swiveled his head around as he heard Percy roaring somewhere along the train.
Fred appeared in the doorway and said quite blandly, "Never knew that sucker could pack such a wallop."
"Never knew what hit him," George said cheerfully.
"Who?" Wood asked.
"Percy, of course," George grinned.
"Oh, by the way, you might want to hold this," Fred said, handing George the Head Boy badge.
"Honestly, it was just a joke," George sighed.
Fred's gaze suddenly fell on Angelina. He grinned and plopped down onto the seat next to her.
"Aparecium Viscus," Fred said with a slight flick of his wand.
Wood watched as a lock of mistletoe apparated over Angelina's head. It floated in midair and Fred waited patiently. George, in the meantime, had taken a seat on the opposite side of Angelina. Wood watched as Angelina looked up from her book in curiosity, wondering why the compartment had gotten so quiet. She had been so absorbed in her reading that she hadn't noticed the twins flanking her. She suddenly looked from Fred to George and back to Fred.
"What?" She snapped.
Wood couldn't help but groan.
George suddenly tilted his head to the side to look at Angelina's book.
"Muggles and Madness?" Fred asked.
They were almost psychically connected. Scary.
George shot his twin a look.
"Look, Angelina! It's mistletoe!" Fred grinned as Angelina looked upwards. Her eyes widened as George shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
Angelina's book landed neatly into Fred's hands.
"What the--" Angelina didn't have time to finish because both Weasleys had planted a sloppy kiss on either side of her face before they leapt off her seat. Fred and George hooted and disappeared down the corridor again, this time, in the opposite direction of Percy's compartment. Angelina sputtered before letting out a vicious stream of curses and ran off after them.
Wood heard all three pairs of sprinting feet before he heard Katie mutter. He turned around and noticed she was on the floor and remembered how'd she fallen. She'd awoken in a haze after her spill. He started laughing as she glared at him. He was just about to help her up as the sound of slapping feet and the door being thrown open drew his attention to the open corridor.
"Where are those Weasleys?" Alicia ground out from the doorway. Apparently, they'd jinxed her robes into flashing in a brilliant pinstripe pattern.
Katie and Wood gaped before pointing their fingers in the direction that George and Fred had just run off.
Alicia quickly disappeared.
Katie and Wood looked at each other before bursting into peals of laughter.
"Leave it to the bloody Beaters to cause a rebellion right before Christmas," Katie said.
"Did you see the look on Spinnet's face?" Wood snickered.
The door to their compartment was thrown open again, this time by Percy. It looked like he'd just been holding a bomb before it exploded right in his hands. His red hair was standing on end and his face was covered in black soot. Wood also noticed that he was missing his Head Boy badge.
Katie and Wood fell silent as Percy sputtered in his rage, "George… F-Fred… WHERE?"
Katie couldn't contain it. She rolled around on the floor as she rioted with laughter.
Oliver merely pointed Percy in the same direction as he had Alicia, trying to keep a straight face.
Percy stalked off, still looking quite burnt.
Wood collapsed onto the floor, snickering and joining Katie in verbalizing his amusement when she stopped.
"What in the world is that?" Katie asked, pointing to the floating lock of mistletoe hanging in the air.
Whatever thoughts Wood had had evaporated as he gazed up at the mistletoe. Katie and him were both lying down, their backs against the train floor, staring at it.
"That, Bell, is mistletoe," Wood said. His tone had become very serious. She turned to look at him, her blue eyes wide, before she burst out into laughter again.
Wood rolled onto his stomach, grinning as he watched her. He propped himself on his elbows and asked, "What?"
"Oh, ha ha, Wood," Katie wheezed.
"It's just mistletoe, Bell. Nothing hilarious about that," Wood drawled.
She took one look at his face and started laughing again.
"'Surprise, Bell! We should kiss and make up! Happy Christmas!'" Katie said, mimicking his Scottish brogue perfectly.
"This is a very, very bad idea," Wood muttered.
Katie continued to laugh when Wood grabbed her by the waist to keep her from rolling across the floor.
"I don't want you going anywhere with that bloody Diggory," Wood blurted.
"What's that got to do with anything?" Katie burst, laughing harder than ever.
What happened next was nothing short of a miracle.
Wood leaned over and kissed her. It wasn't the five-seconds-in-the-locker-room kind of kiss either.
Katie's laughter was quickly muffled as he lowered his mouth onto hers. Her eyes opened in shock and she'd just began to protest when his tongue made a sultry raid into her mouth. She forgot what she'd intended to say and her eyes fluttered shut. Everything around her faded as she felt the smooth glide of his tongue against her mouth, moving between her lips, tasting the hollow beneath her tongue. She hesitated but slid her arms around his neck. The soft feeling of skin against skin and his smooth hair brushing against her arms made her shiver. She returned the kiss gently, tentatively, unsure of what to do and he groaned in reply.
Wood broke the kiss and tried to take an even breath. He nearly went cross-eyed from the effort and looked down at a very confused Katie.
"Surprise, Bell," he managed weakly, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts.
"Again," Katie blurted. Her arms were still looped around his neck and her blue eyes shone with longing.
"Bloody hell," he managed to mutter.
Everything seemed to snowball from that point onwards as he exploded into action. He dragged her more fully against him and rolled her beneath him, kissing her as if he'd been starved for affection. Whatever good intentions he'd had were lost. His light, teasing kisses had turned into something far more serious. His mouth came down hard upon hers, expertly ravaging her mouth. Katie felt the world spin out of control dizzily as he curled his hand in her hair and tugged her head backwards, allowing him deeper access. His tongue imitated his pent-up carnal needs and Katie's body burst with feelings she'd never felt before in her life.
Katie jerked when she felt him rock his arousal against her.
There was another bang outside that rocked the compartment floor. Wood pulled himself off of Katie in a hurry and rolled into a sitting position on the floor. He winced at the discomfort it took to wrench away.
The door was kicked open and Alicia marched in, her robes still flashing, with a smug grin on her face.
"Two for two," she sang.
Literally.
Wood lunged for the black kitten prancing around on the floor and hit his forehead on the bottom of his bed. He groaned, fell backwards, and rubbed his head furiously, scowling at the kitten. Its tail twitched playfully from side-to-side. Wood looked up, slightly distracted, as the door to his room opened and his older brother, Phillip, walked in with two steaming mugs of butterbeer.
"C'mere, you nasty little bugger," Wood snarled. He dove at the kitten with revived determination, finally catching it by the scruff of its neck, and shoved it hastily into a sturdy, brown box lined with soft velour blankets. He slammed a lid punctured with holes onto the top of the box as it rattled beneath him. Clearly, the kitty was not happy at the sudden change of scenery. Wood heard its mewling before the top shook ferociously. He quickly tied the box down with ribbon and fell backwards in relief.
"What's the cat for?" Phil asked, handing a mug over to his younger brother.
Wood looked at his hands, muttering in annoyance at the scratches, before taking a swill of beer. He then motioned to his owl, Iris, and attached a quick note to her leg. He shoved the rattling box infront of Iris and watched as the tawny owl shot him a disgruntled look.
"Take that straight to Bell now," Wood sighed.
"Ah," Phil said softly.
Iris snapped her beak in disapproval before sweeping past the Wood brothers, box in hand, and out the open window.
"A cat for Christmas?" Phil grinned. He'd sat down on Oliver's bed and was lounging about, a grin slapped across his face.
"Yeah, hers died last year, ate an exploding cracker," Wood said matter-of-factly. Both of them winced at the cat's sticky and fiery end.
"Katie Bell, isn't it?" Phil slipped her name casually into the conversation but his tone made Oliver look up sharply.
"Yeah, why?" Oliver asked suspiciously, his brown eyes narrowing in curiosity.
"The girl that always stays for the summer. Her family plays professional, don't they?" Phil drawled, seemingly uninterested but Oliver felt himself bristle anyway.
"Yeah, what's it to you?" Oliver asked sharply.
"Oh, nothing really. Very, very pretty isn't she? Good at Quidditch, too, always practicing with you anyhow. Charming, smart, funny from what I recall… and she must be rich considering her father and brother both play nationally. I like her," Phil grinned.
"What's your point?" Oliver asked sharply. He glared at his older brother.
"You know, if she were only a bit older, I'd have a go at her mys--"
"All right, all right, I get the point," Oliver snapped irritably.
"Are you two--" Phil was interrupted again.
"She's my best friend, all right? I don't need to hear it," Oliver growled.
"I know but still, she's young and pretty, you're young and pretty… I thought by now something would've happened, right? I mean everyone could see it from the start. You two are practically m--"
"She's my best friend, Phil. She's got better things to do with her time then pine over me. And like you said, she's a great girl, no point in bothering. She'll graduate this year, meet wizards that're just as great as her, and have a bloody good time of it. Besides, not like I have time either, N.E.W.T.S, Quidditch, practices, I heard a scout will be at the Cup this year. Don't know what possessed Dumbledore to bring him in but I can't lose my chance. I've wanted to play in the League since I was six. I need to concentrate on other stuff," Oliver said testily.
Phil waited until his younger brother and finished ranting.
"Y'know, it's very hard to hold a conversation with someone who keeps interrupting," Phil finally drawled.
"There's nothing to converse about," Oliver snapped.
"Get off it, Ollie. You know you two were meant from the beginning to--"
"Shove it, Phil," Oliver roared.
Phil took a hard look at his younger brother and decided to drop the topic. By Oliver's standards, the conversation was over, discussion closed; he didn't want to talk about Katie. Phil had personally never seen his brother so edgy before. He decided to let Oliver make an ass out of himself. His little brother never was really good at catching on to things concerning himself. Katie had been beating him on the head with it for years but it made no-never-mind to Oliver, who, Phil might noticed, looked scared out of his tiny, little mind. It was just hilarious that everyone but Katie and Oliver could see that they were practically fated to be together.
Wood woke Christmas morning to the sound of tapping on his window.
He'd had a cruddy night. He hadn't been able to sleep, what with Katie's face swimming infront of his bloodshot eyes and his brother's words spinning around in his head. Not to mention that image of Katie and Diggory together was driving him absolutely mad. A ball? Ball his ass, Diggory just needed an excuse to talk to Bell, the lowlife, devilishly scummy, idiot little prick of a Seeker. Beat his team, too, caught that damn Snitch and ruined his chances for the Cup… Wood wanted to scream. His hands shifted through his sandy brown hair in aggravation and he sat up on his bed.
He looked up, yawned angrily, and came face to face with an Eagle Owl that he immediately recognized as Katie's.
He pushed open the window to his room and felt a blast of cold air hit him in the face.
"Merry Christmas, Drex," Oliver sighed as the owl dropped a package on his bed and perched on his arm. He ran his fingers absently through Drex's soft, downy feathers before picking up the brown paper parcel and sitting down on his bed. Drex hopped off his arm and waited patiently on the headboard, fluttering his wings lightly as Wood unwrapped the grubby package. The paper only revealed an ugly, small, brown box. He opened it with growing curiosity and stared in disbelief at the four World Cup First Class Guest Passes that lay on the bottom.
Quidditch World Cup 2000
[Team 1 (to be announced)] vs. [Team 2 (to be announced)]
Date: **/**/00 (to be announced)
FIRST CLASS GUEST PASS
The dates were starred, the teams were starred, but the words "First Class Guest Pass" glittered and sparkled on the tickets. He didn't even want to know how she'd come by them. It must've cost a fortune. He was bursting with excitement when Drex dropped a small, red envelope into his lap. He quickly unfolded the letter and read Katie's neat scrawl.
Oliver—
Thought you might like to spend a summer watching it for once instead of practicing it with me. Now my dad won't even have to send me away to your boring place. The date and teams will flash up eventually, but 'til then, hope you like it. My brother got them for me 'cause he knows what a fanatic you are! You can bring the whole family! What great luck, right? I suppose one day you'll be playing in the Professional Leagues anyway.
Nothing more except Happy Christmas and see you in a week!
Love Bell
Love Bell.
So simple and so complicated.
He'd known her since he was ten. They'd done everything together. He'd forced her into practicing Quidditch with him every summer since they started attending Hogwarts and whenever they were together heads turned. They'd terrorized the town, the teachers, the students, everyone with their insane pranks and "accidents." Any explosion was bound to be blamed on Wood and Bell when they were together. Around his hometown of Shutterly, they were never seen one without the other. Everyone simply adored her, too. Being rich and pureblooded, you'd think she'd be snotty and self-centered. Instead, she was sweeter than anyone he'd ever met and more adorable with each passing day. She had that brilliant Bell smile, that infectious little giggle, that innocent puppy face, and that quick-witted humor. He had been so glad that all his friends and neighbors loved her and since then, her father had sent her to Shutterly for the summers. And so they'd grown up and now they were months away from finishing Hogwarts and going off into the great, wide wizarding world with responsibilities and jobs and all that kind of stuff.
Wood didn't know what to do. Was it worth it? Worth his friendship, worth his future career as a professional Keeper to chase Katie Bell?
My head needs to be examined, Wood thought bitterly, pushing himself off the bed. To think Katie would ever waste her time on me.