Author's Note: Well I hope you like this chapter a few issues are raised and it's a bit longer than the others, so enjoy! I will probably try to update every few days from now.
Chapter 9
Fleur and Wood walked out onto the Quidditch field without even so much as one word uttered between them. Wood kept his head firmly up and confident, as Fleur puffed out her lips in anger. Both of their faces fell even further when they saw Professor Snape standing and waiting with his arms crossed.
"Well on time…I am impressed." Snape spoke condescendingly.
The two said nothing, but looked him straight into his cold eyes.
"Alright, we seem to be off to a great start, no talking…I like that. I just wish it were that way more often in my classes. Well shall we get to work?"
"What exactly will we be doing?" Wood asked the question on everyone's minds.
"Oh dear Mr. Wood, you and Miss Delacour will be dragging around trash bags, as well as shovels. You will pick up all the trash on the entire field and then dig a hole about five to seven feet deep." Snape spoke and handed them the shining new tools.
"Vhat iz the hole for?" Fleur asked her eyes full of sadness.
"The hole is for Filtch I'm afraid he needs it to catch some creature that has been very disturbing to the grounds. But don't worry your pretty little head about covering the hole; he will be taking care of that. I mean the job you two have will surely take let's say…a couple of hours as it is? And of course you can't use magic; I'll make sure of that."
"A couple of hours! I need to study for charms; Professor Flitwick is giving me a chance to retake an exam tomorrow." Wood complained.
"Oh well, I guess you'll have to hurry. Oh and I do warn you two to stay close together, you never know what comes out here at night. I will be sitting in the teacher's box up there if you really need rescue." Snape slithered and waltzed away to start grading papers.
"Great, just wonderful…" Wood started.
"Oh don't vhine, itz not very becoming of you at all Oliver."
"Let's just get on with it."
They agreed to disagree and started to hunt around for trash left over from the day's activities. They were amazed at their findings of chocolate frog pieces, Berty Bott's beans, and torn pages out of school books. It seemed that even in the wizarding world kids would be kids.
Ron, Hermione, and Harry stood above in the Gryffindor Common Room gazing out the gargantuan window overlooking the Quidditch field. Hermione began to scowl which Harry noticed immediately.
"What's wrong Mione?"
"Do you see what they are picking up?"
"Yes…"
"Torn pages? My goodness, does anyone have any appreciation for literature any more?" Hermione shot out.
"I…I do." Harry stuttered trying to make her feel better.
"Oh please you and Ron hardly read anything; sometimes I don't know why I bother with all these feelings I…" Hermione stopped herself and her warm eyes widened.
"What were you going to say?" Harry prompted her.
"Nothing…nothing at all. I think I'm going to go study now, you know that Madam Sprout is giving us a pop quiz soon…" Hermione spoke through her teeth and then ran away.
"She's mental." Harry whispered to himself.
"Yeah, and I know why too Harry, can't believe you haven't seen it yet." Ron commented.
"What am I missing?" Harry asked innocently.
"The bloody girl likes you!" Ron exclaimed with a laugh.
"She…she does?"
"Yeah, and I know you like her. It's about time you two told one another, I'm really getting sick of being the middle man in all of it."
Harry plopped down in a scarlet chair next to where they stood and laid his head back. His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed in deep thought. Ron kept looking at him and finally decided to break the silence.
"What do you have to think about?"
"I guess nothing?"
"Right, now I'm going to return to my previous engagement if you don't mind."
"Yes, you stare at Fleur all you want."
"I'm not…"
"Please Ron." Harry laughed and got up.
Fleur and Wood finally finished collecting all the trash that had found its way onto the Quidditch field. Fleur hunched over a bit and whipped her forehead with a sigh. Wood noticed she got a bit of dirt at the end of her nose. He smiled at her and the way the tiny imperfection played upon her face.
"Vhat?" Fleur asked, observing his smile.
"Nothing lets start digging before Snape thinks we don't have enough on our plates."
Fleur nodded and grabbed the orange rim of the shovel's end. She plunged it into the ground and unearthed a large piece of the ground and tossed it aside.
"Not bad." Wood commentated.
"Alright, letz zee you now." Fleur smirked.
Wood brought up an even bigger piece of dirt and threw it aside with a grin.
"Very good."
"I thought so." Wood replied and they continued to dig.
After a half an hour though their bodies were breaking out in sweat and they had only dug four feet deep. Fleur took a deep breath and sat down even though she new there would be mud on the bottom of her slacks as soon as she stood back up. Wood took a breath at the same time and looked into Fleur's eyes.
"I don't know how this could get worse. I mean we are digging in dirt with the worst professor at Hogwarts watching on."
"Yez…" Fleur agreed and closed her eyes for a moment.
"Fleur, have you heard from your family lately?" Wood asked quietly.
"Vhy do you azk?"
"I dunno it just seems that you have been really down…"
"Vell to answer your question no, I haven't heard from zem. But I know they are probably buzy, Gabrielle iz still in school. And my parents…zey…" Fleur trailed off uncomfortably.
"So you have a younger sister?"
"Yez…we should really start digging again, Snape iz watching." Fleur quickly changed the subject.
Wood decided not to push the topic any farther but found himself looking over at Fleur from time to time just waiting for something to slip out. Her face held stern though and she seemed even more enthralled with the work than before.
Just as Wood finished his thought something small and wet hit him square in the forehead. He raised his head and looked at the night sky. Dark swirling clouds could now be seen from above. Then it started to pour. Bulbous raindrops fell from the sky and attacked them.
"Oh no, I don't zuppose he vill let us go in?" Fleur spoke.
"No, you two stay out here and finished your work. I must go inside…to fix my…well I'm leaving. Report to me when you are through." Snape hollered a few feet away from them and held a book over his head as he ran.
"Vhy is he covering his head?"
"Oh because it would truly be a shame if all that grease in his hair would wash out." Wood answered.
Fleur laughed richly and even doubled over. Wood laughed along with her and knew he had never seen a real laugh like her's before. After a moment the chuckling died down and Wood became serious.
"Fleur I really do want to apologize for the way I treated you last night." Wood spoke sincerely.
"And vhat about all the other times Oliver?" Fleur asked playfully.
"I'm sorry for that too; I shouldn't have been a jerk like that."
"Vell…" Fleur trailed off and bent to the ground.
"So you forgive me then?"
"Zure." Fleur replied and threw a handful of sopping mud at Wood.
She started to giggle and Wood just looked at her.
"Oh so you want to play that way?" He commented with a cocked eyebrow.
With that he splashed some mud on Fleur's shirt. They both started laughing, scooping mud, and then slinging it towards each other. All the troubles and fights from earlier melted away as their laughter filled the atmosphere.
Percy sauntered over to Ron and looked out the window next to him.
"They're having a mud fight, what do you suppose that means?" Ron asked.
"That either they really hate one another, or that they are starting to get along." Percy answered gulping.
"Let's hope it's the latter." Ron said.
Percy just stared with Ron and felt the pit of his stomach fall. Then he shrugged his ill feelings aside. It couldn't be…they hated one another. At least Percy prayed that was still the case at hand.
