"I don't need women! They're nothing but a bother anyway! Nope, its the life of a bachelor for me...You've never been married, have you, Tom?"
The old bartender of the Leaky Cauldron shook his head. "Nope. I never was that popular with the ladies. I wouldn't have minded..."
Oliver frowned a bit at this. "Eh, well I don't need one. But what I would like is another Firewhisky!" He pounded the bar and laughed heartily.
Tom glanced at him sideways as he dried a glass. "Don't you think you've had enough, Oliver?"
Oliver shook his head, grinning ear to ear. "It'sss okay. I'm not driving! I can Apparate!" Tom shook his head sadly.
"You'ce had enough. Go home, Oliver. Sleep it off. Maybe you and Elle will make up..."
"I don't want to make up with that Quidditch-hating whore."
He Apparated home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Oliver woke up the next morning with an awful hangover.
"Ugh..." he said groggily as he pulled his head up from the toilet. "No more Firewhisky for me." He threw up again.
He had spent the previous night trying to convince himself that Elle was totally wrong for him, he didn't need her, and he didn't want her. No, women were just trouble, and Oliver Wood was swearing them off. All he needed was Quidditch. Yes, this new career was going to suit him fine...
Oliver jerked his head up and looked at the clock. 11:51! And he had told the team to meet him at the Hogsmeade Public Quidditch Fields at noon!
He quickly washed his face and got into pants, a shirt, and a robe. Grabbing Floo Powder, he hastily shouted, "Hogsmeade Quidditch Fields!"
His ragtag team of misfits were waiting under a big oak tree near the entrance. Ianthe was standing, pacing back and forth. She ran over as soon as she saw him. "Mr. Wood, where have you been?! You said you would meet us here at noon and it is now..." She looked at her watch, and her face faultered. "...11:59..." She laughed. "Well, whatever..."
She turned to the team. "Okay, no to introduce you to our team. I, Ianthe Ostrum, am the Keeper. You've already met Jacob Holinbrooke, the incompetent Seeker..." Jacob blushed. "The Chasers over there are Serena McInnis, Piper Malfoy, and Hilary Spinnet." Three girls waved at the young coach nervously. "And our beaters over there are Marius Teluese and Timothy Bones."
Oliver stared at the team. They didn't look like they knew which end of a broomstick to get on, much less know how to play Quidditch properly. He cleared his throat.
"Well, um..." he said, "Everyone got a broom?"
Ianthe turned red. "Oh, yeah...thats one thing. Serena doesn't have a broom."
Oliver stared. "How can you have a Chaser that doesn't have a broom?!"
"Well..." Ianthe said, "We didn't want to exclude her and..."
"My parents won't get me a broom cuz they don't want me playing Quidditch!" Serena said, "They're very old-fashioned, and they don't like girls playing sports."
Oliver nodded. "Okay...well, this presents a problem...You know what? Tommorow, I'll take you out and buy you your very own broom." Serena's eye lit up, and Oliver smiled. "Until then, you can use mine. Here. It might be a little big, but its only for today."
Ten minutes later, Oliver was regretting his decision to let Serena borrow his broom. She was a terrible flyer, and he was certain she was going to crash into a tree any second.
Even worse was Hilary Spinnet's inability to remember which ball was which. "No! No, Hil, the Quaffle is the RED ball, thats the Blu-...ooooooooh. Hilary!!!"
Oliver caught the 7 year-old just as she was about to hit the ground. "Hil! Are you okay?"
The little girl burst into tears.
"She's fine!" Ianthe said, swooping down angrily, "She's just being a baby!"
Oliver gave the ten year-old a look. "Ianthe..."
Suddenly Ianthe's eyes widened, and she pointed behind Oliver. "Oh my God, its the Spellwitches!"
Oliver turned around. "Who are the Spellwitches?" he asked, watching as the team of girls, all dressed in matching navy Quidditch robes with silver trim, preceded across the field, holding broomsticks.
"Only the best team in the Junior league," Ianthe said, with utter loathing in her voice, "All-girl. Won every tournament for three years straight. Bloody revolting...look at them, all matching and perfect..." Her eyes were filled with envy.
"Hello, Oliver. I saw the girl fall off her broom. Is there anything I can do to help?"
The coach of the Spellwitches smiled at him sweetly, and Oliver felt his heart melt. He would of thought the coach of the opposing team would be rude and snide, but instead she had to be bloody cute. She had long, thick auburn hair, tanned skin (from playing Quidditch, no doubt). She was tall and her figure was very...
"How do you know my name?"
The girl laughed. "Don't you recognize me, Oliver Wood? Or at least, my hair?"
Oliver squinted, and recognition suddenly dawned on him. "You're Fred and George Weasley's younger sister. Um...um..."
"Ginny," she supplied.
"Ginny. That's right." He stood up, and offered his hand, practically dropping Hilary. She landed on the ground with a thump.
"Heyyyy," she said irritably, rubbing her head.
"Nice to be reaquainted with you, Ginny Weasley," Oliver said, smiling and shaking her hand.
Ginny was staring at Hilary on the ground, then she looked at Oliver. "Nice to meet you too, Coach of the Year."
Oliver looked glanced over at Hilary, who was glaring at him. He looked back at Ginny sheepishly. "Its my first day."
Ginny laughed. "Thats obvious. Do you want our teams to play a short game? Maybe we could go...get a butterbeer or something real quick? I'm sure the team captains can control everyone..."
Oliver hesistated. He had just broken up with his fiancee, and this was his first day as coach. Besides. She WAS the coach of the other team...
Ginny punched him playfully on the arm. "Come on...just a quick butterbeer."
Oliver paused, then smiled. "Okay."
Ianthe glared at him, looking like she could kill him right there for fraternizing with the enemy.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"So basically, I gave up playing with the team because I wanted to work with children..."
"You gave up playing with BRITAIN to coach a kid's Quidditch team?"
Ginny gave Oliver a small smile, and took a sip of her butterbeer. "Ah, some things mattered to me more than being in the Quidditch game. To see the smiling face of a young girl after she's caught her first Snitch, scored her first goal...its far more rewarding than winning the Quidditch World Cup."
Oliver looked like he quite disagreed. Ginny laughed.
"You'll understand once you get the hang of coaching, Oliver. Its loads of fun." She laughed again. "Now, why don't get back to see how our young players fared."
The Spellwitches had beaten Oliver's team mercilessly. Ianthe was looking more dishearened then ever as she watched the navy-clad witches make their way back across the field.
"We SUCKED."
Ianthe ranted angrily as she marched toward the exit. "We more than sucked. We...we...sucked so bad there isn't even a word for it, and I have to make one up. We were...we were...we were UGUBAH!"
Oliver stopped in his tracks. "Ugubah?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Well, I didn't get any reviews for the last chapter. (ARGHHH!) but I shall not give up, because I rather like this story. Maybe more people will like it now that Ginny's in it. I love Ginny!
The old bartender of the Leaky Cauldron shook his head. "Nope. I never was that popular with the ladies. I wouldn't have minded..."
Oliver frowned a bit at this. "Eh, well I don't need one. But what I would like is another Firewhisky!" He pounded the bar and laughed heartily.
Tom glanced at him sideways as he dried a glass. "Don't you think you've had enough, Oliver?"
Oliver shook his head, grinning ear to ear. "It'sss okay. I'm not driving! I can Apparate!" Tom shook his head sadly.
"You'ce had enough. Go home, Oliver. Sleep it off. Maybe you and Elle will make up..."
"I don't want to make up with that Quidditch-hating whore."
He Apparated home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Oliver woke up the next morning with an awful hangover.
"Ugh..." he said groggily as he pulled his head up from the toilet. "No more Firewhisky for me." He threw up again.
He had spent the previous night trying to convince himself that Elle was totally wrong for him, he didn't need her, and he didn't want her. No, women were just trouble, and Oliver Wood was swearing them off. All he needed was Quidditch. Yes, this new career was going to suit him fine...
Oliver jerked his head up and looked at the clock. 11:51! And he had told the team to meet him at the Hogsmeade Public Quidditch Fields at noon!
He quickly washed his face and got into pants, a shirt, and a robe. Grabbing Floo Powder, he hastily shouted, "Hogsmeade Quidditch Fields!"
His ragtag team of misfits were waiting under a big oak tree near the entrance. Ianthe was standing, pacing back and forth. She ran over as soon as she saw him. "Mr. Wood, where have you been?! You said you would meet us here at noon and it is now..." She looked at her watch, and her face faultered. "...11:59..." She laughed. "Well, whatever..."
She turned to the team. "Okay, no to introduce you to our team. I, Ianthe Ostrum, am the Keeper. You've already met Jacob Holinbrooke, the incompetent Seeker..." Jacob blushed. "The Chasers over there are Serena McInnis, Piper Malfoy, and Hilary Spinnet." Three girls waved at the young coach nervously. "And our beaters over there are Marius Teluese and Timothy Bones."
Oliver stared at the team. They didn't look like they knew which end of a broomstick to get on, much less know how to play Quidditch properly. He cleared his throat.
"Well, um..." he said, "Everyone got a broom?"
Ianthe turned red. "Oh, yeah...thats one thing. Serena doesn't have a broom."
Oliver stared. "How can you have a Chaser that doesn't have a broom?!"
"Well..." Ianthe said, "We didn't want to exclude her and..."
"My parents won't get me a broom cuz they don't want me playing Quidditch!" Serena said, "They're very old-fashioned, and they don't like girls playing sports."
Oliver nodded. "Okay...well, this presents a problem...You know what? Tommorow, I'll take you out and buy you your very own broom." Serena's eye lit up, and Oliver smiled. "Until then, you can use mine. Here. It might be a little big, but its only for today."
Ten minutes later, Oliver was regretting his decision to let Serena borrow his broom. She was a terrible flyer, and he was certain she was going to crash into a tree any second.
Even worse was Hilary Spinnet's inability to remember which ball was which. "No! No, Hil, the Quaffle is the RED ball, thats the Blu-...ooooooooh. Hilary!!!"
Oliver caught the 7 year-old just as she was about to hit the ground. "Hil! Are you okay?"
The little girl burst into tears.
"She's fine!" Ianthe said, swooping down angrily, "She's just being a baby!"
Oliver gave the ten year-old a look. "Ianthe..."
Suddenly Ianthe's eyes widened, and she pointed behind Oliver. "Oh my God, its the Spellwitches!"
Oliver turned around. "Who are the Spellwitches?" he asked, watching as the team of girls, all dressed in matching navy Quidditch robes with silver trim, preceded across the field, holding broomsticks.
"Only the best team in the Junior league," Ianthe said, with utter loathing in her voice, "All-girl. Won every tournament for three years straight. Bloody revolting...look at them, all matching and perfect..." Her eyes were filled with envy.
"Hello, Oliver. I saw the girl fall off her broom. Is there anything I can do to help?"
The coach of the Spellwitches smiled at him sweetly, and Oliver felt his heart melt. He would of thought the coach of the opposing team would be rude and snide, but instead she had to be bloody cute. She had long, thick auburn hair, tanned skin (from playing Quidditch, no doubt). She was tall and her figure was very...
"How do you know my name?"
The girl laughed. "Don't you recognize me, Oliver Wood? Or at least, my hair?"
Oliver squinted, and recognition suddenly dawned on him. "You're Fred and George Weasley's younger sister. Um...um..."
"Ginny," she supplied.
"Ginny. That's right." He stood up, and offered his hand, practically dropping Hilary. She landed on the ground with a thump.
"Heyyyy," she said irritably, rubbing her head.
"Nice to be reaquainted with you, Ginny Weasley," Oliver said, smiling and shaking her hand.
Ginny was staring at Hilary on the ground, then she looked at Oliver. "Nice to meet you too, Coach of the Year."
Oliver looked glanced over at Hilary, who was glaring at him. He looked back at Ginny sheepishly. "Its my first day."
Ginny laughed. "Thats obvious. Do you want our teams to play a short game? Maybe we could go...get a butterbeer or something real quick? I'm sure the team captains can control everyone..."
Oliver hesistated. He had just broken up with his fiancee, and this was his first day as coach. Besides. She WAS the coach of the other team...
Ginny punched him playfully on the arm. "Come on...just a quick butterbeer."
Oliver paused, then smiled. "Okay."
Ianthe glared at him, looking like she could kill him right there for fraternizing with the enemy.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"So basically, I gave up playing with the team because I wanted to work with children..."
"You gave up playing with BRITAIN to coach a kid's Quidditch team?"
Ginny gave Oliver a small smile, and took a sip of her butterbeer. "Ah, some things mattered to me more than being in the Quidditch game. To see the smiling face of a young girl after she's caught her first Snitch, scored her first goal...its far more rewarding than winning the Quidditch World Cup."
Oliver looked like he quite disagreed. Ginny laughed.
"You'll understand once you get the hang of coaching, Oliver. Its loads of fun." She laughed again. "Now, why don't get back to see how our young players fared."
The Spellwitches had beaten Oliver's team mercilessly. Ianthe was looking more dishearened then ever as she watched the navy-clad witches make their way back across the field.
"We SUCKED."
Ianthe ranted angrily as she marched toward the exit. "We more than sucked. We...we...sucked so bad there isn't even a word for it, and I have to make one up. We were...we were...we were UGUBAH!"
Oliver stopped in his tracks. "Ugubah?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Well, I didn't get any reviews for the last chapter. (ARGHHH!) but I shall not give up, because I rather like this story. Maybe more people will like it now that Ginny's in it. I love Ginny!
