A/N: Sorry so long to update but I've been insanely busy. Plus, I wanted to give my all to the last chapter. Yes, this is the very last one and it is one long-ass, beastly ending but THERE WILL BE AN EPILOGUE so drop on by to leave a few in my mailbox. I'd really appreciate it. Once again, wonderful reviews from wonderful people. =) Please keep on at it, maybe it'll inspire me to a sequel. Only other real important thing I gotta mention is my name will be changing from Kaimelar to PlainJainey in a few days. File that away for future reference please. Thank you! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: No…

Happy Ending

"This is our year. We're not going to let those bastard Slytherins win the Cup this time, oh, no sirree!" Oliver paced the common room, his robes flopped off his lanky shoulders as he continued his excited exclamations. It was almost midnight on a Thursday, the first Thursday of their Easter Break in fact. Six heads followed his pacing from left to right. He was waving his arms around like a lunatic. They'd just gotten off the pitch after a three hour practice and none of them were in desperate need of a follow-up pep talk by their Captain.

"We're going to start training harder than ever. I want every one of you out on that pitch at four, every night. I don't want any excuses. You will be there!" A manic glint had began to appear in his eyes and Angelina sighed halfheartedly.

"Don't get me wrong, but that's going to be difficult," Alicia interrupted his frenetic speech.

"What do you mean?" Wood look stupefied.

"Well, we have other things to do," Alicia pointed out.

"Yeah, we need to start studying for finals," George rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Like you'd do any studying," Angelina scoffed. She absently twirled a loose strand of hair around her finger. She was half-listening to Wood, and half-reading her Divination for Damsels in Distress text.

"I don't know about you, but I've got loads of work this year," Harry sighed. He'd sunken tiredly into a squashy couch by the fire.

"No matter, we will persevere!" Wood barked.

"But every day?" Fred winced painfully.

"DO YOU WANT THAT CUP OR NOT?" Wood roared.

The six players straightened in their seats and fell silent again. No point in arguing with a lunatic.

"They're ahead by two hundred points. You know what that means don't you?" Wood launched back into this tactical talk.

"We're down that much?" George asked sardonically.

"It means…" Wood completely ignored the Weasley Bludger,"…that we have got to win with at least two hundred and one."

"So you, Harry, can only catch the Snitch when we're fifty points up, get it?" Wood said anxiously. He was looking Potter dead-on now.

"Yes, I get it, Wood," Harry said flatly. This was only about the ninetieth time Wood had mentioned it in the past hour.

"We can do this! I know we can. We've got the best ruddy team in the school but that Flint…" Wood scowled.

Katie watched as Fred slumped over on the chair and onto his twin. He looked like he was about to start snoring. Alicia was on the verge of passing out, her eyes glazed, her figure tilted, her expression completely lost. Angelina, on the other hand, had become completely absorbed in her studies and was only nodding occasionally at the sound of Wood's voice. Even Potter seemed a little flat, and Katie couldn't blame them. Wood had run them into the pitch today with his endless drills.

"Are you finished?" Katie piped suddenly.

Wood stopped in the middle of his sentence and turned to look at her.

After the Ravenclaw match, it had become common knowledge that Katie was Wood's girl. It wasn't hard to imagine, she'd always technically been his partner-in-crime, but their friendship had taken a new spin. They'd started walking to classes together and holding hands occasionally. Though they weren't intent on public displays of affection, there was a definite warmth between them and a sporadic kiss. Wood's fan club had simmered at first realization but they couldn't begrudge the laugh-loving Katie for long. Her modesty and good nature made it practically impossible and anyone could see that Wood was happier now than he'd ever been. There had to be something seriously extraordinary about a girl if she could make Oliver Wood stop Quidditch, and for many people, their relationship was long overdue.

"It's late and we've already practiced for three hours. I think we'll be okay if you hold off the talk for tomorrow," Katie yawned.

"She's right, boy-o," George said, shooting up into a standing position.

"Listen to her, she knows what she's talking 'bout," Fred responded immediately.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Harry said, following a nervous pair of Weasleys up the staircase.

Before Wood could protest, Alicia had dragged Angelina up to the girls' dorm, too.

Wood shot a curious glance at the last trace of his team disappearing behind the stone spiral staircase. He grinned wryly at Katie and sat down next to her. The fire was dying and the air in the common room felt warm and weighty. Katie's eyelids grew heavy as Wood scooped her up and sat her down on his lap. He fell silent and watched as Katie curled into him drowsily. A familiar peace began sinking into his bones as they sat together wordlessly beside the fire.

He'd been afraid at first, afraid to commit to something that could change his Katie girl forever. He hadn't wanted to lose their friendship. But it was worth it just to know that for now at least, she was completely his. It felt nice to be able to kiss her now without a reason, or hold her just because. He'd even taken to walking up and down the corridors with her, just for an extra minute and a half of listening to her vivacious voice, before sprinting to his own class. He loved every little thing about her: the way she smiled, the way she laughed, the way she looked at him from across a room. It was strange. He'd always taken an extreme liking to the opposite sex; he was still a hot-blooded young male after all. But he'd never been so interested in what made a specific one tick or even how she was physically put together. With Katie, everything always mattered, everything was always different.

It was nerve-wracking to know he'd put himself so forward with someone else. He was leaving himself exposed to emotional abuse but he couldn't really care. In many ways, Katie already knew him better than he knew himself. If she'd been patient for seven years, he didn't really figure there was anything that could chase her away… except his own stupidity. He was fast becoming obsessive over her. It was frightening, but on a deeper level, he just knew it was right.

And yet sometimes when he watched her, she still faded away from him. She gathered herself into that private place he still hadn't been able to unveil and hid herself away. It bothered him to no end but he was afraid to push. He'd ask her what was wrong, why she looked so sad, and she'd shake her head and transform into laughing Katie again, any trace of her inner diffidence completely erased.

"Want to hear something odd?" Katie's musical lilt interrupted his thoughts.

"Hrmm?" Wood merely hummed in acknowledgement. His hand stroked circles on the small of her back.

"Flint's afraid of grindylows," Katie sniggered. She looked up at him, her blue eyes dancing with amusement.

"What do you mean?" Wood asked.

"In Defense Against the Dark Arts today, his boggart was a grindylow. Too bad you missed it. It was fantastic," she sighed. He'd been in McGonagall's office, working out the practice schedule.

"You're fantastic," Wood blurted.

Katie softened and smiled warmly at him.

"You don't have to tell me that. I already know," she shot back.

She watched as he burst into laughter.

She really did love him. Her heart felt like bursting every time he was around and a sense of peace just overcame her in his presence. She felt at peace. She'd never been so happy in her life, and yet a nagging sense of doubt flittered through the back of her mind as well. It was only the present. It was only today, tomorrow, next month that she had with Oliver. They were leaving Hogwarts in June and who knew where they'd end up. Professional Quidditch had always been his dream and she'd planned to become a magizoologist since she was a child. Where their relationship would end… How it could work out… She just couldn't say but she knew she'd never hold him back. Then he'd be traveling the world, building a fan club, moving on to bigger and better things with bigger and better people. He'd leave her behind eventually.

Her entire being reeled at the thought of Wood abandoning her but she accepted it with grim reality. There were some things she could only take one day at a time. Her relationship with Wood would just have to be nourished in the present. She couldn't make him love her any more than she could make herself not. Still, that still silence that greeted her every time she voiced her feelings haunted her, because she heard all the words he didn't say. 

The day before the Quidditch Final seemed to drag on for ages, at least to Wood. To the rest of the Gryffindor team, it was an unstoppable nightmare. They turned green every time Wood reemerged from his classes to babble on and on about it. Everyone else, on the other hand, was obsessed with the upcoming game. Even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were excited at the prospect of Slytherin's first defeat in years. Wood wallowed in the electric atmosphere, hounding his players, reminding them of their practiced moves, shouting at Potter in passing "…you must catch the Snitch only if we're more than fifty points up."

By the end of the day, the Gryffindor players had all developed similar fantasies of murdering their Captain.

The common room that night was all talk and no study. Nobody could concentrate with such a colossal school event about to take place and make history before their very eyes. After arguing with the players for at least an hour, Wood receded into a private corner to make Quidditch figures flit across a model pitch, rehearsing the moves incessantly. He was absolutely obsessed.

The Chasers and Beaters had long given up on their Captain and tried to make the best of their last night before the game, but their raucous laughter was slightly undertoned with sketchy nerves and anticipation. George was doing a stellar imitation of Snape when Wood bounced up from his seat and yelled, "Team! Bed!"

The next morning, the Great Hall erupted into applause when the Gryffindor team entered altogether, led by a grim looking Wood. Everyone was sporting a Gryffindor banner or rosette. Except for the Slytherins, the entire Hall was red and gold. Katie felt a sense of pride and excitement ripple through her at the deafening applause.

Just imagine if we actually win it this year… It'd make him so happy, she thought as she sat down to eat.

Katie watched as Wood urged everyone to swallow extra helpings of cinnamon buns as he dourly stared at his own empty plate. He was too nervous to touch a thing and Katie could feel his raw nerves grinding on her. She reminded him that he needed food, too, but he just launched into another Quidditch sermon.

The team walked down to the pitch after breakfast and changed in silence. Even the Weasley twins were unusually quiet. Everyone's stomach was lurching back and forth. Wood hurried them out onto the field. Katie hung back until everyone was out on the pitch before slipping her hand into Wood's and smiling calmly at him. She felt him tense but merely shook her head in reprisal and said, "We'll be fine, Oliver."

He looked down at her again, as if seeing her for the first time all morning, his brown eyes assessing her composed figure, and genuinely grinned.

"Course we will, Bell."

He kissed her on the forehead and they followed their teammates out. The entire field rose in a cacophony of cheering and hooting at the sight of the Gryffindors.

Katie vaguely heard Lee's commentary over the droning of the audience. "And here are the Gryffindors! Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledge as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years… And here comes the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill…"

Katie's jaw dropped as her eyes roved from Montague to Bole to Flint. The female Chasers had been opted out and everyone on the Slytherin team was enormous, minus the smirking Draco Malfoy.

"Captains, shake hands!" Madam Hooch called out strictly.

Katie watched nervously as Flint and Oliver approached each other and gripped hands. They looked like they were about to break into an arm wrestle at any moment. She prayed Oliver had enough sense to keep a fight in check until after the match, at least.

"Mount your brooms! Three… two… one…"

And the shrill shriek of the whistle.

They were off.

Fourteen players blurred into streaks of green or red as they kicked off the ground. Alicia immediately grabbed the Quaffle and went speeding down the field until Warrington slammed it from her grasp. George hammered a Bludger at the offending Slytherin Chaser, making him roll in midair to avoid being annihilated. Angelina grabbed the Quaffle on its fall and swerved around Montague to score the first ten points of the game. As she twirled victoriously in midair, Flint went crashing into her, almost throwing her off her broom. Fred went scarlet red and launched his Beater stick at the back of Flint's head. Flint went flying forward and smacked face-first into his broom handle, his nose began bleeding profusely.

Madam Hooch was shouting at the top of her lungs and awarded both teams a penalty shot.

Alicia tucked the next ten points away easily.

Wood caught Flint's puck-shot right before it catapulted through the hoop and the field erupted into more cheers as hundreds of red and gold banners waved back and forth furiously.

Blood was rushing through Wood's head as he watched the game from his end of the field. Katie was now in possession of the Quaffle and was zooming towards the Slytherin goalposts. Her robes streamed after her as she ducked a Bludger and swerved past a snarling Flint.

C'mon, Bell. C'mon…

"…she's streaking up the field—THAT WAS DELIBERATE!" Lee screamed.

Wood let out a vicious stream of cursing as Montague pulled right smack in front of Katie, forcing her to dive downwards frantically in a vain attempt to miss colliding into him as he grabbed her head. Madam Hooch was shouting indignantly as Katie sank another ten points for a Gryffindor penalty.

"THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING…"

McGonagall was severely reprimanding Lee now, but everyone knew full and well Lee was right. Wood was beside himself with fury but had to keep himself from flying out of his goalpost bounds and handing Slytherin a freebie penalty.

The crowd suddenly drew in a collective gasp as Harry went whizzing down the field towards the Slytherin end, expertly dodging the Bludgers and the Beaters on his Firebolt. Bole and Derrick collided in midair in an attempt to squash Potter between them as the crowd erupted into laughter. Potter's pull had been a fake though, there was still no Snitch.

Flint scored next and Lee swore ferociously into the microphone.

The game got progressively worse. The Slytherins were fouling left and right and the indignant Weasleys were beating right back. A second double penalty brought the score up to forty-ten Gryffindor. Katie quickly regained control of the Quaffle and scored another spectacular goal.

C'mon, Potter. Where's that damn snitch? Wood's head jerked back and forth, trying to find it himself when he felt himself roll over in pain.

There was a sudden rebellious cry from the crowd as the Slytherin Beaters, Bole and Derrick, aimed both Bludgers at Wood and caught him right in the stomach. He rolled over noiselessly; his face contorted with pain and he clutched his broom in a death grip. His breath wheezed in and out and he tried to relax himself as stars exploded around his head. Talk about a bad spot…

Madam Hooch went berserk.

"YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!" She bellowed.

Angelina scored on the penalty. The score was now sixty-ten.

Alicia followed with another ten points.

The Gryffindors were up by more than fifty. 

C'mon, Potter. Where's that damn snitch? It's show time.

Wood's heart plunged to the bottom of his stomach as Harry suddenly shot upwards on his Firebolt at a dazzling speed. The Snitch! By Merlin, he had it. Just then, Malfoy whizzed by and grabbed a fistful of the Firebolt's tail. Harry seemed befuddled at his Firebolt's sudden lack of speed and turned around to find himself face-to-face with Malfoy. Harry turned a shade red Wood had never seen but Wood was redder himself and besides that, he was shouting himself hoarse. The cheating, stinking, little filthy piece of… This was absolutely the foulest game he'd ever had the indecency to play.

Madam Hooch was beside herself with offense.

The stands exploded angrily and Lee's commentary "YOU CHEATING SCUM! YOU FILTHY, CHEATING BASTARD!" echoed along the field. Even McGonagall had risen to her feet in fury, shaking her fist at the Slytherin Seeker. The Slytherin end was howling with laughter and their Quidditch players were roiling around the field in delight at Malfoy's blagging. 

"Such tactics… I've never seen such tactics," Madam Hooch flustered.

Alicia missed the penalty shot by at least a yard in her rage.

Katie scored.

Montague scored.

Angelina was streaking down the field with the Quaffle in hand, every Slytherin player bearing down on her, when Harry shot through the lot of them to clear the way for her. She quickly evened the score out to a Gryffindor eighty-twenty.

"Harry!" Katie screamed.

The Seeker stopped his zoom in midair to see Malfoy closing in fast on the glittering Snitch.

Wood's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight that was unfolding before him. His heart would collapse. That rat Malfoy couldn't get the Snitch before Potter. He'd die. He'd die.

"Go, Potter, go!" Wood roared.

The entire Gryffindor team was screaming now.  Bole sent a Bludger wheeling in Potter's direction, but Harry was too fast. He was right at Malfoy's ankles, his hip, they were level, hand-to-hand, arm-to-arm… Wood watched as Harry shoved Malfoy's hand to the side as his Firebolt shot forward the last few inches… Wood prayed. Katie had stopped breathing. The Weasleys had fallen silent. Alicia barely hung onto the edge of her broom. Angelina had clamped a hand over her mouth…

And Potter caught it! He pulled out of his incredible dive and waved the Snitch above his head victoriously.

The entire field exploded.

The game was over! Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup!

Wood sped towards Harry at breakneck speed. He felt like cartwheeling across the pitch and singing at the top of his lungs. The tingling sensation of apprehension that had enveloped him seconds ago had been wiped away with joy. He seized Harry around the neck and gave him an over-exuberant nookie. Harry's glasses went flying as Fred and George enthusiastically slapped him on the back. All three Chasers were sobbing with elation as they threw themselves at him, encircled him, hugged him, and screamed in cacophonous unison, "WE'VE WON THE CUP!"

What happened afterwards, Katie wouldn't be able to clearly recall. The next few hours blurred into one streak of random images.

Katie could only remember seeing Dumbledore levitate that enormous, gold trophy as the glittering words "Gryffindor 2000" appeared across the smooth base, wave after wave of Gryffindor supporters pouring onto the field, bouncing them onto hundreds of shoulders and carrying them back into the school, bearing them as champions. She remembered being presented a plaque and watching as the Gryffindor team's seven members were given a little part of history in the trophy room. She remembered the shouting, the cheering, the laughing in the Tower, the party that had raged all night…

And then Oliver.

He'd pulled her into a breathtaking hug and swung her around in a tizzy. He'd been shouting, "We did it, Bell! We did it! And Puddlemere! Puddlemere United wants me!" Her bones had almost broken under his grip as she kissed him without qualm in the middle of the uproar. He'd kissed her back and she could still picture his beautiful face swimming before her eyes.

She hadn't been able to see through her tears.

"There he is…"

"Quick!"

"Oh, he's so cute and so talented!"

"Give me a quill, you ninny!"

"Oliver! Oliver! Could we have an autograph?"

The whispers chased Katie everywhere. She couldn't turn a corner without running into another ecstatic bunch of Wood fans. He could barely walk her down the hall before he was attacked by the lot of them. Katie stood acquiescently by, watching him smile at each one of the girls before scribbling his name in their texts or on their folders. An entirely new gamut of fans had emerged after the news that he'd been recruited to Puddlemere United's reserve team had raged through Hogwarts. It was a nasty reminder to Katie that soon all of this would be over.

They were on their way to Runic Calculus when a familiar shrieking resounded behind them.

Katie's hands tightened reflexively on her books, and she was left with no choice but to turn around since Wood's arm had been thrown around her narrow waist. She watched as a flutter of fourth years came sprinting down the hall. Well there was a new face today at least. A pretty blonde Katie had never seen before smiled shyly at Wood before offering her Transfiguration text.

Just then a squeal to her right announced the arrival of yet another batch of screaming idiots.

Katie watched as the groups converged in the hallway and papers and quills were allotted to her flustered looking sweetheart.

He grinned lopsidedly at her as she felt her temper snap.

"Don't worry about it, Ollie. I'll see you in the Great Hall after class," she said flatly.

Wood looked at her in alarm; curiosity darkened his brown eyes at the tone of her voice.

"Better not keep your fandom waiting," Katie sighed. She turned on her heels and sharply ascended the stairs leading to Vector's classroom alone.

Look, Bell. I don't think this is working out…

Look, Katie, maybe things have changed…

Katie, you know next year we're going to be headed in different directions…

We shouldn't be together, Bell, not now, shoddy timing…

Katie practiced all the ways she'd react when he'd break her heart. She half-expected Oliver to come chasing after her, to rescue her from this misery and tell her she was all wrong; he'd never leave her behind. But when she turned around all she saw was his back facing her as he signed book after journal after page.

She had always known it'd only take a matter of time but she never expected it so fast. He was already a superstar.

Her silences were becoming more and more frequent.

Wood didn't know what to do. Her smile was hollow and her eyes were sad sometimes. He would catch her staring at him before quickly turning away, but she never did it fast enough to hide from him. He wasn't an idiot. Something was wrong, but she wouldn't tell him. He hated her reservation. It was driving him mad, but he didn't want to push her away. He thought if he'd given her enough time, she'd just confess.

But why? Why should he care? Why should he meddle in her personal affairs? Hadn't she given him more than enough? He could find nothing fallible. She'd been loving and affectionate, optimistic and supportive, honest and caring: perfect. What did it matter to him if she sealed a part of herself away? Isn't that how everyone managed? There was a part of him he'd never shown her either… And yet, it angered him. He wanted to shake it out of her.

He wanted all of her to smile when she looked at him. 

"Oy, you all right there, Woody?" George tilted his head over the chess set and stared at his Captain earnestly.

No, Wood thought bitterly.

"Terrific."

"What's wrong?"

It was close to midnight and Wood had waited for everyone to clear the common room.

His question was so abrupt and unexpected that Katie actually blinked up at him stupidly for a second or two.

"Nothing. Why?" Katie answered, confused. She folded the top of her page down into a tab, marking it in the novel, before closing it and sitting up to face him. She'd been reading lazily in front of the fire as Wood studied his Magical Military History. It had been peaceful for a change and she'd been on the verge of dozing off when he'd spoken.

"Because you've been acting strange lately," Wood said bluntly.

Katie shot him a puzzled look.

"What do you mean?"  She asked. She swallowed the lump of fear rising in her chest.

"I know you've been preoccupied lately. You're worrying about something but you won't tell me," Wood said matter-of-factly. He tossed his fat textbook onto the floor in front of her.

"Preoccupied by what?" His bizarre behavior was scaring her.

"You tell me," Wood retorted.

"Oliver, what are you talking about?"

"I don't know. What do you want from me, Katie?" Wood snapped.

For the first time since the Ravenclaw match, she felt the whip of Wood's word lash into her. She hated herself for it, but where Oliver was concerned, she'd always been pathetically overexposed to his rages. To anyone else she would've shrugged it off but, no, not with Oliver, never with him.

"I want you to--" Katie stopped herself before she could finish.

To what? To love me back? She laughed inwardly at how ridiculous that would be.

"To care." She finished angrily.

"Don't give me bullocks. Just, Merlin, I don't know what! Just stop… stop ignoring me," Wood barked.

"IGNORE YOU! You should talk, you with every girl in this school just chasing you down the hallways! 'Can I have your autograph? Can you sign my notebook? Can you kiss my wand?' You with your precious Puddlemere United reserve petition!" Katie shouted indignantly.

"I thought you were happy I was signed!" Wood argued stuffily.

"I'm not happy that I have to fight with a hundred school girls to spend time with you!" She countered.

"There's nothing I can do about that! It's not my fault."

"YOU ASKED ME WHAT WAS WRONG!"

"You don't want me to play professionals." It was an epiphany that smacked him in the head.

"What?" Katie reeled in disbelief. "How can you even think that?"

"Ever since the Cup, ever since I signed, you've been different. It's because of that, isn't it?" Wood snarled.

"I would never--"

"Are you jealous?" Wood blurted.

"Are you mad?" Katie screeched.

"I can't believe this. Do you not trust me enough to handle a few ninny girls?"

"You're completely missing the point."

"There's no point to miss."

"Oliver!" Katie felt like her head was going to explode.

"Do you want me to play for Puddlemere?" He interjected suddenly.

Katie hesitated but those three seconds were enough to constitute an answer for Wood.

"I can't believe this! You of all people, Katie, you should know how much this means to me," Wood exploded.

"It's not what you think. Oliver, I know this is your life, you can't--"

"If you loved me, you'd understand," he interrupted bitterly.

She would've been able to fight anything but that. She could almost feel the world cracking beneath her as she stared at him in shock. Everything around her blurred and she felt like she'd lost the ability to breathe. Only his words could cut deep enough to make her bleed from inside-out. She felt completely numbed.

She had a moment of clarity through the haze of pain and said flatly, "Well, if that's what you think, maybe we shouldn't be together."

"Maybe we shouldn't," Wood snapped, still furious.

Katie wasn't even aware that she'd gotten to her feet. Funny how she could still function so typically when an endless abyss had just yawned open at her feet. She was about to fall face forward into the darkness and this time he'd be the one pushing her over. No, maybe it was easier to just jump.

Wood gripped his head in frustration, knotting his fingers in his hair as he watched her pick up her book slowly. Her movements were practiced, jerky. Her face was pallid and emotionless.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time then, Wood. Good-night." She turned around and walked towards the stairs. She'd used his last name. When was the last time she'd called him by his last name?

"Katie, wait!" Wood burst. Even through his acidic rage he'd felt that twinge of panic.

If you loved me, you'd understand.

And she'd just gotten used to him calling her Katie instead of Bell.

It didn't take long for Wood's admirers to put two and two together. Before he knew it, every girl in Hogwarts knew that he'd broken up with Katie. They didn't even speak to each other any more. It was a mystery what happened between them. At least it was to everyone except Angelina.

Katie had confided her fears to her fellow Year-mate long ago, and that night after they'd fought, Angelina was the one who heard one of her best friends cry herself to sleep. It was unfathomable what that idiot prat had done this time. Angelina hadn't believed it was over. After all, Wood had done a lot of stupid things in his lifetime. How was she to know this wasn't just another tally to his score? But a week flew by and nothing changed. Angelina had offered to beat some sense into Wood but Katie had simply shook her head and said, "Leave him alone. He made his choice. He chose Quidditch." What she hadn't said aloud though was what Angelina knew well enough, He chose Quidditch… over me.

The stupidity of men would never cease to amaze her. Especially men like Wood.

Wood, so Fred had said, had been absolutely vile for the past week and a half.

"He asked for my Beater Stick the other day. I think he's taking to murdering Bludgers," Fred had mused.

"Jordan saw him the other day on the field. Said it was terrible," George had chimed.

Everyone steered well out of his way except the usual group of babbling idiots trailing him class after class, meal after meal, day after day. They never tired of marveling over his fantastic smile and incredible skill on the pitch. Angelina wondered what ninnies would bother him at a time like this but some of the girls actually saw Wood's break-up as a chance to get at him. The gaudy robes and make-up and hair made Angelina want to retch.

It was just her luck that her two best friends were the densest, most stubborn people in the world.

She was sick of babysitting the both of them. It was time to cut 'em loose once and for all. It was time to fix things Johnson style.

"All right, that's enough, Wood. You're making us all miserable," George panted, wiping the sweat off his face. The humid air was making him even stickier. Wood had been making them chase Bludgers for him for the last hour and a half, and though they'd been thoroughly willing to help at first, they just wanted to stop now.

"Honestly, if you're so worked up over Katie, why don't you just apologize? Get back together or something before you kill us all!" Fred groaned. He'd just managed to buckle one of the wriggling Bludgers into the Quidditch trunk before he fell dramatically face-forward into the soft grass of the pitch field.

"This has got nothing to do with Katie," Wood snapped. He swung Fred's Beater Stick over his shoulder and watched as the other Weasley twin straggled over to him with the other Bludger. Wood wrestled it from his grasp and shoved it viciously back into the chest before strapping it in and slamming it shut. George had collapsed onto his back beside Fred.

"My arse this-has-got-nothing-to-do-with-Katie. You've been in a foul mood ever since--"

"All right!" Wood roared. He didn't want to hear it. He picked up the bat and one end of the Quidditch trunk. George wheezed before following his Captain. The two of them hefted the trunk off the ground.

"What time is it?" Fred asked his twin.

"About a quarter to five," George said, checking his watch.

"Perfect."

The two of them grinned broadly at Wood's back as the three of them walked back into the castle and into the empty locker room.

"I know I left it here somewhere," Angelina murmured.

"I don't understand why anyone would forget their Muggle Studies text in here. What were you doing?" Katie sighed as she shifted through the dark shelves of the storage room.

"I told you, studying. It's the only place I can think," Angelina said matter-of-factly.

Katie was beginning to think she'd lost her mind. She was in the basement locker room, shifting through dusty shelf after shelf of balls and sticks and chainsaws, looking for Angelina's Muggle Minds and the Men of Their Times. It was hopeless, especially with such shoddy light.

"What we need is a wand," Angelina muttered.

"I left mine in the dormitory. You said this would take five minutes," Katie coughed as a cloud of dust erupted into her face.

"All right then, let me get mine. I'll be back in a second," Angelina said.

"What do I do?" Katie asked in exasperation.

"Keep looking," Angelina sang over her shoulder as she disappeared into the lighted locker room.

Great.

"Thanks, Weasley, Weasley," Wood sighed as they ducked into the locker room.

"No problem."

"Anytime."

The three of them walked towards the equipment storage room. Wood and George dragged the heavy chest into the cluttered closet before dropping it lazily on the floor.

"Wonder who left the door open," Wood said with a slight frown. He looked up just in time to see George disappear through the doorway and the Weasleys' grinning faces as they slammed the door shut on him. He heard the distinct sound of a lock clicking from the other side.

"Wood?" Came a stupefied voice from behind him.

"Katie?" Wood blurted in confusion as utter darkness enveloped them.

"Is this some sort of joke?" Katie said irately.

Wood groped for his wand and shouted, "Lumos!"

The tiny light illuminated from his wand tip lit the shadowed curves of Katie's confused face.

"Weasleys, this is not a good time!" Wood said as he turned around in the dark and stumbled over the Quidditch trunk. He landed ungracefully in a crumpled heap on the dusty floor.

"Angelina!" Katie shouted as she grabbed Wood's wand rolling across the floor, and jumped over the trunk. She banged on the door impatiently.

"What are you playing at, Fred?" Wood sputtered, sitting himself up and grimacing at the slight pain in his side. He'd landed on some sort of rubber axe.

"It's simple really, we're not supposed to let you out until you two make up," Fred shouted through the door. At least, Wood thought it was Fred. He wasn't really sure.

"You've got to be joking," Katie snapped as she slammed her fist on the back of the door.

"We're not." That was distinctly Angelina.

"I thought you went to get your wand!" Katie shouted.

"I already have it and I've got Muggle Minds and the Men of Their Times with me, too. A bit of reading, since I expect we'll be here for a while," Angelina's muffled voice came floating through the door.

"Ergh, you scheming backstabber!" Katie ground out.

"Fred, George, open the door, or I'll, or I'll--" Wood sputtered.

"What? Kick us off the team? Refuse to autograph our breasts?" George snickered.

Katie glared at Wood before whispering sharply, "Just apologize then."

"What? ME? And what about you?" Wood argued.

"I can't apologize for you being an asshole, Wood," Katie snapped.

"You can't fake it either," Angelina interrupted from the other side.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Wood shouted through the wooden door.

"It means when you two get out of that closet, you'll be all lovey-dovey again, boy-o," George said cheerfully.

"But what if that's not supposed to happen?" Katie argued.

"Don't be ridiculous. It was supposed to happen seven years ago," Angelina said, obviously bored.

"Blast the door open, you have a wand," Katie said to Wood.

"Can I have it back then?" He asked.

She'd forgotten she was still holding it.

"Difflorecium!" Katie shouted, pointing the wand at the door.

The both of them were thrown backwards by the explosion. Katie landed on top of Wood before she rolled off, gasping for breath and coughing.

"Nice try," Fred said from the other side.

"Oh, would you two just get on with it already!" George sighed.

"I can't believe they're making us do this," Katie snapped.

"Are you all right?" Wood asked, grabbing his wand and lighting up the dark again. Katie had pulled herself into a sitting position on the floor. Wood was lying on his back in the thick dust, completely bewildered.

"How are we going to get out of this one?" Katie asked.

"They can't possibly outthink the both of us," Wood muttered. He sat up as well and brushed the grime off of him.

"Absolutely not. They can't possibly trick the infamous, unstoppable--" She was interrupted.

"--exploding duo of Shutterly." Wood finished softly. For a second it felt like old times again, when he and Bell had roamed the streets looking for mischief. They'd been best friends for seven years… and where had it gone. They'd thrown it away for what? Neither of them really knew.

"Remember Corrigan's cat?" Katie grinned.

"Yeah. He's still purple," Wood sniggered.

Katie burst into laughter at the memory of that wobbly, long-haired tabby wandering the streets purple, still traumatized from its explosive encounter with the Wood-Bell duo.

The two of them fell silent for a moment.

"How have you been, Bell?" Wood asked. He sounded so tired.

"Fine," she retorted sharply. Then paused and confessed, "Miserable."

"Me, too." Wood sighed.

"No, he's been violent!" Fred shouted through the door.

Katie shot a murderous look in the doorway's direction.

"I'm sorry, Katie."

Katie stared at Wood silently. The beams from his wand weren't bright enough to light his entire face but he appeared grim. She didn't need light to tell her though, her heart could already see his face, his expression.

"Me, too," she whispered. She didn't feel like drawing the attention of the Weasleys or Angelina. Besides that, her throat had closed up and she didn't think she'd be able to talk anyway.

"Oliver, can we still be… y'know, well, friends?" Katie asked hesitantly.

Wood recoiled at the thought and snarled, "I don't want to be friends, Bell."

"Then what do you want to be?" Katie blurted. She held her breath in anticipation, maybe this time he'd say it…

"I want, y'know, to go back to how we were before the fight," Wood ground out, clearly embarrassed.

"When we were--"

"When you were mine," Wood stated brusquely.

"But it made things complicated, didn't it? And you've been my best friend since I was like ten. Maybe--"

"No, Katie, I don't want to be just a friend to you. I want… I just, well, I can't understand. I need you, Bell. Not being able to talk to you for the last few days has been driving me crazy. I keep thinking of all the ways I messed up and all the times I missed out and… I guess it is complicated. I want all of you though, everything I can get and I know that doesn't make sense. I'm really not insane--"

Katie interrupted his babbling, "But why?"

She heard Wood's sharp intake of breath and then the silence. The same silence that greeted her every time… And her heart fell.

"Because you love her, you bloody idiot!" Fred's voice came through loud and clear. There was a loud slap and one of the Weasleys started laughing while the other one howled.

"Because you love her?" Wood blurted. Katie wanted to laugh at the tone of his voice, he sound bewildered and enlightened all at once. It was as if the idea had never crossed his mind, but he couldn't be that dense. Could he? He looked flabbergasted in the wandlight before a moment of reckoning passed over his face.

"Because I love you," Wood said softly, still chewing on the words in amazement.

"Finally," George muttered from the other side.


"Hold on a sec, Ollie," Katie sighed. She twisted the wand out of grasp, left him alone to his contemplations, and charmed the door into being soundproof. Now they could have a real conversation without the audience, thank you very much. Katie lighted the wand again and handed it to Wood.

"I love you, Bell." And this time he said is forcefully, like it had become the truth.

"Oliver…" Katie wavered.

He threw his wand to the side, the light still shining brilliantly against the dusty floor, and reached for her. Katie let out a surprised "oof" as he picked her up off the floor and hugged her. She levered herself away from him, her arms pressed against his chest.

"This doesn't fix anything!" Katie wailed.

"This fixes everything," Wood said matter-of-factly. Life had begun to flood his body again at being able to touch Katie, to talk to her, even to argue. He'd missed her so much he'd wanted to die. He'd never been so lonely in his entire life. He never knew how much she filled the space until she had left and now he was terrified he'd never get the chance to set things right again. He had to make her see this time, he meant it, his revelation was slow but what he lacked in quickness he'd make up with endurance.

How could he have been so blind? He'd always loved Bell, his Katie.

"Oliver! Don't be such a ninny. I didn't want you to play for Puddlemere because I was afraid," Katie blurted.

"How do you mean?" Oliver asked. He refused to let go of her and tried to still her jerky movements by plastering her against him. It was useless but she continued to wriggle anyway.

She stilled suddenly, as if anxious for his approval. No, not now, not this stone face and fake smile.

"I was afraid I'd have to let you go," Katie admitted in defeat.

"What?" Oliver reeled.

"Y'know, when you're all famous and have all these gorgeous witches chasing after you, asking you for your autograph, why would you want to keep me around? I'd just… be annoying, a chattel," Katie explained in a rush.

"And people say I'm dense!"

"Don't even get me started on you."

"Katie, I love you. I don't care who follows me around taking pictures of my arse, because the only person that really matters to me is the one person who's never asked me for an autograph. If you really want to know, I can't play Quidditch at all when I'm thinking about you. Merlin, that one time you were angry with me scared me out of my mind. I'd be a wreck without you, Katie girl. Put me out of my misery if you leave me." Wood burst forth like a long-held dam.

"I love you, Oliver." Katie felt tears spring to her eyes uncontrollably and she slathered them away, embarrassed. She couldn't know his truth any better in that moment.

"I don't know what I'd do without you--" Wood was still talking.

Katie slung her arms around his neck and silenced him with a kiss. He crushed her against him and hungrily kissed her back. He'd been deprived.

He jerked back suddenly.

"I know we're only eighteen, but would you marry me? I mean, I know not today, or tomorrow, actually, just… Well, y'know, not soon, maybe not for a few years, but will you wait for me then? I don't know how to say this, I'm not crazy, really, I just need to know you'll stay with me, so do you think--"

"Shut up and just kiss me, Wood," Katie snapped.

She pulled him towards her again when he asked, "Is that a yes or a no?"

Katie pressed her lips against him, her tongue rubbed impatiently against his mouth before it slid open to allow her deeper access. She tried to climb him in his sitting position when he grabbed her around the waist and rolled her on her back. With a quick, practiced motion, Wood kneed her thighs apart and settled against her on the floor. Their mouths never broke apart until he pulled back again and said, "I'll take that as a yes."

"You bet your ass. Oliver!" Katie said impatiently. He bent to kiss her again when he hauled himself off of her and reached for his wand, still illuminating a pale light.

"Arcanus!" The door locked itself from the inside.

"Just in case they barge in," Wood said wryly.

He finally kissed her, sealing off her groan, and pulled back.

"Do you mind? It's kind of dirty in here, and I know you don't--"

"We'll use the bloody robes, and if you say another word I'll never sleep with you again."

He didn't talk for a while.

"What's going on in there?"

"Why can't we open it?"

"Maybe the charm backfired."

"Should we get a professor?"

Angelina listened to the Weasleys bantering. They'd tried to unlock the door and found that it'd been sealed from the inside-out. Ironic, maybe, coincidence, unlikely…

"They'll be fine. Let's go boys. A job well done," Angelina grinned.

"Aww," Fred groaned, disappointed.

Both Weasleys were perfectly aware of what was going on behind closed doors but Angelina absolutely refused to let them interfere anymore.

The three of them walked out of the locker room, Fred and George bouncing with glee. Before they entered the hallways of Hogwarts once more, Angelina threw a backward glance at the sealed door all the way at the other end of the locker room. She couldn't help but smile. She had a pretty good feeling that Wood and Katie had finally found their happy ending.

**Please remember to note my name will be changing to PlainJainey ~ Danke**