New Dreams for Old


Chapter 4
Face to Face

Fate will bring together those a thousand miles apart; without fate, they will miss each other though they come face to face.

-Chinese Proverb



"…Allen throws the quaffle, and… Oh! Right between McAllister's hands and through the hoop! Ten points, and the first goal for the Americans! 'Holy cow,' as they say! The fans are going absolutely manic…!"

And they were. All throughout the World Cup Stadium, tiny American flags were waving frantically over the heads of the crowd while a thousand voices shouted and cheered and sang snatches of songs that Katie had never heard. The Irish fans, on the other hand, were bellowing their disappointment, and a sudden rain of shamrocks fell upon the crowd, thanks to a clever spell from an unknown source.

A particularly loud group of Americans happened to be sitting a few rows behind Katie and her friends. As they started in on a rather off-key rendition of the American National Anthem, Katie winced slightly at the musical massacre and looked over at Angelina. Angelina was looking over her shoulder with a broad grin, while at her side, Fred leapt from his seat, wand in hand.

Katie's eyes widened slightly. Fred was a fanatic about Quidditch, that was certain, but she had never thought that he would resort to hexing the opposing team's fans. She started to rise out of her own seat, but before she could reach a hand across Angelina to grab Fred's arm, he had raised his wand…

And was enthusiastically leading the impromptu chorus.

"…the rocket's red glaaaare, the bombs bursting in aaaair…."

Angelina turned back around, laughing and shaking her head. She leaned over to Katie and whispered, "Someone's off."

Katie laughed under her breath, brushing a few tiny shamrocks from her shoulder as she did. "You noticed that too, did you?"

Angelina nodded, sending little clovers flying everywhere. "Yeah. I…"

Angelina began to stay something else, then stopped suddenly and frowned. She started making little spitting noises and flicking her tongue in and out of her mouth, shaking her head. Katie raised one eyebrow, but said nothing, and at last Angelina nodded her satisfaction. She looked over at Katie and said apologetically,

"Shamrocks."

Katie grinned. "Ah… Of course."

At that moment, the song behind them ended, replaced by laughter and shouts of triumph. Fred dropped back into his seat on the other side of Angelina, tossing his hair out of his eyes. Angelina shifted slightly to give him more room, but was pulled right back by Fred's arm around her shoulder.

He nodded seriously (as seriously as Fred Weasley could be, anyway) and said, "Well, it was a little rough there for a bit, but I think I got them through all right."

Angelina arched a single dark eyebrow. "Yeah, funny thing about that. I hadn't realized that you knew the American National Anthem."

Fred blinked, settling back in his seat. "Ah, so that's what it was. I thought for certain it was the new song by Wacky Wayne and the Widgets…."

Katie laughed quietly and shook her head, and Angelina just grinned. Fred opened his mouth to say something else, but at that moment the announcer started shouting again, his excitement echoing even over the sudden cheering of the crowd.

"And it's through! Another goal for the Americans! I can't believe it! It's 20-90 in favor of Ireland, but at this rate…."

Fred leaned down and retrieved his butterbeer from where he had stashed it (carefully) under the bench. He shook his head. "Rotten luck for McAllister. Usually solid as a rock, that one, but…." He shook his head again, his silence saying everything.

Katie shrugged. "Everyone's allowed an off day once in a while, I suppose."

Fred shrugged, too, but there was a wry twist to his mouth. "Well, of course, but it's not just today. Apparently he had a bad match against Nigeria, as well."

Angelina frowned. "I thought Ireland won against Nigeria."

Fred took a drink and nodded. "Yeah, they did, but it was only by 10 points, and it was Ireland's Seeker that caught the Snitch."

"Oh…."

Fred narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "You'd almost think that he…."

"Oy, make voom dere!"

Katie looked up. George and Alicia were standing beside her at the end of the row, looking down at her with identically impatient expressions. Or rather, George was looking down at Katie with an impatient expression. Alicia's expression was more akin to amused annoyance, and was directed at George.

George had at least six fresh bottles of butterbeer hanging from his fingers and a package of miniature chocolate frogs clutched tightly in his teeth (which could explain the sudden speech impediment). Add to that the licorice whips hanging around his neck, and what appeared to be an extremely large foam hand tucked under one arm, and George Weasley cut a very comical figure. Even for George Weasley.

Katie snickered loudly and nodded toward the foam hand. It was painted red, white, and blue, and a large USA blinked somewhere in the shadows under George's arm.

"What's that, then?"

George blinked, then looked down in the direction of the hand. He nodded with a toothy grin.

"Don' know. Thome bloke gave it to me back dere. Mus' be a Yankee thing…."

Katie laughed again and stood, leaning back as far as she could to let her two friends past. George bowed slightly and stepped away, and Alicia smiled as she went first down the row. George quickly followed, smiling widely. As George squeezed his way past Fred and Angelina, however, Fred reached out and plucked a bottle of butterbeer from George's passing hand.

"Beautiful! You're just in time, George my boy!"

As George stood sputtering a muffled protest, Fred twisted the cap off of the butterbeer and prepared to take a long drink. George was pushing at Fred's legs with his foot, muttering graceless profanities and trying to knock his brother off balance. It was no good. Fred just laughed and raised his eyebrows in unspoken challenge, making a show of drawing the bottle closer to his mouth.

Before the bottle met Fred's lips, however, Alicia snatched it back out of his hands and was holding it just out of reach. Fred looked up in surprise, his hand opening and closing onto thin air. Alicia arched a single perfectly-plucked eyebrow and moved further down the row to her seat, followed by George, who was looking at Fred with what Katie supposed was meant to be a triumphant grin. The effect, however, was somewhat spoiled by the bag of frogs in his teeth and the fact that Fred's foot suddenly appeared in George's path.

George stumbled forward, into Alicia's back. Alicia turned around with a startled cry, promptly dropping the rescued butterbeer. George watched it fall with a groan, then looked at Alicia with an expression somewhere between agonizing disappointment and (Katie thought) lovesick puppy.

"Shorry, 'Leesha, uh didn' mean to knock into you like tha… Idio brudder of mine. Ah didn' get ye wet, did I…?"

Alicia did her best to look stern, but failed miserably, laughing as she pulled the bag of chocolate frogs out of George's mouth. He gratefully stretched his lips, then looked back at Alicia and started over.

"Sorry, Alicia. I didn't mean to knock into you like that, but…."

Alicia grinned and pulled the licorice from around George's neck. "I know… Idiot brother of yours." She looked around George toward Fred to emphasize her point. "And no, I'm fine. Thank you."

Fred made a face, which Alicia quickly returned. Then she looked down at her feet with a sigh. "Just minus one butterbeer, I'm afraid."

The grin returned to George's face. "Oh, that's all right." He bent down to stash the remaining butterbeers under the seat, then took the bag of frogs from Alicia and tore it open.

"Fred'll buy you another one. Won't you, Fred?"

These last few words were quickly followed by the muffled thwack of a miniature chocolate frog hitting Fred Weasley squarely in the forehead. Alicia gasped out a snicker, Angelina laughed more loudly, and Katie watched the whole exchange with a wide grin.

Fred sat up in his seat, opening his mouth to complain, but the announcer's voice cut into his protest, instantly setting off another round of cheering from the rowdy Americans a few rows back.

"…another goal by Richie! This is amazing, folks! I have to say, if the Irish want to get themselves back into this game, they're really going to have to move their…."

George spun around at once to see what had happened, and Fred jumped up right behind him, shoving George aside in his excitement.

"Hey! Watch it, there!"

Alicia had once again been the unintended victim of Fred's jostling, but this time, as George was shoved up against her, he quickly (without taking his eyes off of the action) slid his arm around her waist to hold her steady. Alicia's voice trailed off into surprised silence, and she blinked twice before flashing an unsteady grin at Katie and Angelina. Angelina laughed and pushed at Fred's leg, trying somewhat unsuccessfully to get his attention.

"Fred!"

Fred batted at Angelina's hand, all but jumping up and down as he shouted something about shamrocks and rockets and where the Americans could shoot them. George was shouting too, but it was hard to understand what he was saying with a small chocolate frog filling his mouth. Katie laughed under her breath and shook her head, but Angelina shoved at Fred's leg a little harder, biting back her own laughter.

"Oy, Weasley!"

Fred glanced down, then back at the field, but it was enough for Angelina to go on.

"You owe Alicia a butterbeer! And I'm a big peckish, myself!"

Fred waved an impatient hand and nodded his head, still shouting at the field. Angelina shoved him again, hard, and Fred sat down in his seat with a thud, looking over at Angelina with wide blue eyes.

"What? Oh. Well, while you're off getting one, I could use…."

Angelina shook her head, cutting him off. "No, no, no… I bought the last round. It's your turn, Weasley."

Fred groaned and shifted in his seat, reaching into the pocket of his faded blue jeans. "Oh, all right, all right!" He dropped a few coins into Angelina's hand, already trying to look back over George's shoulder. "But…."

Angelina pretended to be insulted. "You mean, you're going to go and make me buy them myself? Frederick Mercurius Weasley, what sort of gentleman are you…?"

Fred looked at Angelina then, a pleading, almost desperate look in his eyes. "Oh, come on, Angie… You know I love you, but…."

Angelina laughed and leaned over to place a lightning-fast kiss on Fred's cheek. "I know. I'll go and buy them myself, but I'm getting a cauldron cake with what's left over. And one for Katie, if she'll go with me…."

Fred grinned and threw his arms around Angelina's shoulders. His kiss missed her cheek completely and placed itself firmly upon her lips.

"You're beautiful. You know that, don't you?"

Angelina blushed furiously, but laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, yeah… Flattery will get you everywhere…."

But Fred was already on his feet again, leaning dangerously forward and all but standing on the shoulders of the young Asian couple sitting in front of him. Angelina rolled her eyes and stood, looking down at Katie with a smile.

"Shall we?"

Katie stood up and brushed a few more shamrocks from her jeans. "Go spend Fred's money?" She grinned and wiggled her eyebrows mischievously. "When have I ever said no to that?"

***

Katie tucked a stray curl behind her ear and looked around, sighing wearily. Away from the stands, the chaos of the Quidditch match was a little less… chaotic, but there was still a large crowd gathered around the food carts, and Katie and Angelina had been standing in the queue in front of the butterbeer stand for nearly fifteen minutes without moving more than a few feet.

Angelina looked over at Katie's sigh and made a face. "My feelings, exactly."

Katie smiled and dropped her hand. "It's not moving very quickly, is it?"

Angelina stood on her toes and craned her neck to see over the people in front of her. "Well, it's moving. That's something, I suppose." She dropped back down and sighed miserably, though a smile lingered on her lips. "We might actually reach the front of the queue sometime this week."

Katie grinned and peered around the side. "Great. Too bad the match will be over by then."

Angelina nodded, shifting uncomfortably on her feet. "Rotten luck, that. But at least we'll be full of butterbeer. That should soften the blow a bit."

Katie laughed quietly and shrugged her shoulders. "Do you think Fred will even notice that we never made it back?"

Angelina pretended to think for a moment, shifting her weight again. "Well… ordinarily I'd say no, but the involvement of butterbeer changes the whole situation. He'll want his money back, at least…."

Katie grinned and shook her head. "That's true enough. I think he probably…." Her voice trailed off as Angelina moved around again, making a distinctly unhappy face.

Katie smiled and shook her head slightly. "Are you okay, Angie?"

Angelina looked up and smiled apologetically. "Sorry. It's just that I've got to…." She nodded her head in the general direction of the restrooms. "Too much butterbeer, I'm afraid…."

Katie followed the gesture, then laughed and held out her hand. "Well, give me the money, Angie, and go on."

"But what about…?"

Katie looked at the line again and groaned. "Chances are, I'll still be here when you're finished."

Angelina looked in the direction of the loo and grimaced. "Not with a queue like that. It's worse than this one." She bit her lip for a moment, then looked at Katie with a hopeful expression. "But if you're certain you'll be all right…."

Katie rolled her eyes and waved her hand impatiently. "Yes, now will you get going, please?"

Angelina sighed gratefully and dropped the coins into Katie's hand. "Katherine Bell, you are an angel among witches. Really."

Katie just laughed and waved her free hand toward the restrooms. Angelina started toward them, calling over her shoulder, "I'll be back as soon as I can!"

Katie smiled as she watched her friend disappear into the crowd. Then she turned, tossing her hair out of her eyes with a sigh. The queue had moved a few inches. Not many, but it was enough to encourage Katie, and she stepped forward, turning the coins over in her hand.

There was a sudden roar from the direction of the Quidditch Pitch. Katie couldn't quite make out what the announcer was shouting, but something had definitely happened. A few of the patrons ahead of her in the queue rushed off in the direction of the pitch, their curiosity apparently greater than their thirst. Katie slowly moved up a few feet, standing on her toes to try and see over the heads of the crowd. It was no use. There were just too many, and she had never been tall.

Unfortunately, the fact that she was looking toward the Quidditch Pitch meant that she wasn't looking where she was going, and Katie soon collided with another person in the queue. A very solid person, several inches taller than she was, and much heavier. She stumbled back with a startled cry. The coins fell from her hand into the trampled grass, and Katie dropped back to her feet, her eyes going wide.

"Oh, Merlin… I am so sorry…."

She hastily stammered an apology, then quickly cast her eyes around to see where the coins had fallen. She could see one peeking out from under a clump of grass, and started to bend toward it when the person in front of her turned around.

"It's all right, really. I…." The voice trailed off. There was a slight pause. Then he spoke again, more than a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Katie…?"

Katie froze instantly, her hand stretched out toward the coin. Oh, Merlin….

There was no mistaking that voice. It was deep, and smooth, with a musical lilt that was heartbreakingly familiar. Katie took a deep breath, then another, and only then did she raise her gaze. He had turned, and it took her only a moment to take in the deep brown eyes, the lazy half-smile, the broad shoulders… the eyes.

Oh, Merlin….

Katie felt her mouth drop, but she could do nothing to stop it. Her hand started to tremble slightly, and she closed it into a small fist, drawing it back. She stood slowly, the coin in the grass all but forgotten.

"O..Oliver…?"

The lazy half-smile widened instantly into a broad grin, and Oliver Wood gave a single disbelieving chuckle. "Wow. I…." He stood for a moment with his mouth open, then closed it and blew out a deep breath through pursed lips.

Katie smiled in spite of herself, at the sheer absurdity of the situation. Of all the people to (quite literally) run into….

"Oh…."

Her voice trailed off into silence, and for a long moment neither spoke. They stood staring at each other for what seemed an eternity, Oliver not moving his gaze from her face, and Katie desperately hoping that Oliver couldn't hear her heart as it hammered against her ribs. At last Oliver ran his hand through his hair and smiled again, a little hesitantly.

"Katie. Wow." He dropped his hand, shaking his head slowly. "How… are you?"

Katie managed to smile, shrugging her shoulders lightly. "I'm… good. How are you?"

Oliver nodded, his smile widening just slightly. "Good."

There was another awkward pause. Katie folded her arms over her chest, looking around quickly before looking back up at Oliver. Oliver hooked his thumb through a belt loop on his faded jeans, shifting his weight. It was a simple movement, but there was just something about the way he did it….

Katie took a deep breath. Angelina had been right. Professional Quidditch had been very good to Oliver Wood.

Though Oliver had always been burly, now he seemed massive. His shoulders were broad under the tight black tee-shirt, and there were faint shadows on his chest that spoke of tight muscles. He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans that were… well, snug, and as Oliver shifted his weight again, Katie could almost see the movement of the muscles in his thighs. Nice. And he had grown out his hair. It was thicker, though the same deep brown that it had always been, and it curled slightly as it reached the collar of his shirt. But his eyes… Well, they were the same, as was his smile.

Katie found herself smiling again, in spite of herself. It was becoming very difficult not to imagine him in a torn and dirty pirate's shirt, with tattered leather pants and a dark curls around his shoulders. Smiling and murmuring as he held her hand on the edge of a cliff….

Katie cursed silently. This was definitely not the time for this.

Suddenly Oliver started and looked around, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh… You had some money, didn't you? Did you drop it?"

Katie nodded quickly, broken from her thoughts. "Ah… Yes, actually. Just a few galleons, really, but they're not mine, and I don't think he'd be very happy if I lost them…."

Oliver's smile faltered slightly. "Ah." He took a quick look around the grass, letting his hand drop from his waist. "Well, they must be around here somewhere… Right."

He bent and picked up the coin that Katie had seen peeking out from the grass. Apparently there was another coin close to it, because Oliver picked up that one, as well. He stood, looking at the coins in his hand for a long moment before tossing them into the air. He caught them easily, then looked at Katie and offered the rescued coins to her with a faint smile.

"There you are, then."

Katie smiled and took the coins from Oliver's hand, shivering slightly as her fingertips brushed against the warmth of his palm. Her smile faded just slightly, and she gave her head a nearly imperceptible shake.

This is ridiculous. Get a hold of yourself, Katie….

She looked at the coins in her hand. There were two, less than what she had started out with. She looked around quickly, curling her fingers around the coins as she cursed under her breath. Oliver moved his head forward, trying to meet Katie's eyes.

"What…?"

Katie glanced up quickly. "There were a few more. I'm not sure how many, exactly, but…."

Oliver was already reaching into his pocket. "Sorry, Katie. I didn't see any more, but here…." He extended his hand, a few golden coins hidden in his curled fingers. Katie looked up and shook her head, smiling.

"Oh no, Oliver… I couldn't."

Oliver shrugged and reached forward with his free hand, taking hers with a smile and depositing the coins into it. "You could. And, well, since I'm the clumsy lummox that caused you to lose them in the first place, it only seems right that I replace them. I wouldn't want your…" Here Oliver seemed to be searching for the right word. "…friend to get angry with you."

Katie laughed and shook her head, painfully aware of the warmth of Oliver's fingers on her wrist. "No, it's… it's just Fred. Angie and I would have sent him to get his own butterbeer, but you know how he gets…."

Oliver's smile widened into a grin. It seemed to hold a hint of… relief? But… that would have been silly.

"Fred? Really? He's here then? And I imagine George isn't far behind?"

Katie shrugged, still smiling, desperately hoping that she didn't sound as nervous as she felt. "Is he ever? Angie managed to get us all tickets to this game. She works in the Department of Sports and Games, you know. So we all got to come…. Angie and Alicia, Fred and George, and well… me. I'm the odd man out, I'm afraid."

Oliver nodded slowly, the languid half-smile on his lips again. He was distractedly rubbing his thumb over Katie's wrist in a way that made it very difficult to think properly.

"I seriously doubt that…."

Katie cleared her throat softly and pulled her wrist away. Oliver blinked, startled. He let her hand slip from his grasp.

"I'm sorry…." Oliver looped both thumbs through his belt loops now, taking a single step back. The smile was all but faded from his lips. "Old habits, you know. You'd think they would be gone by now…"

Katie nodded, glancing toward the ground. "No, it's all right." She looked back up. Oliver was still watching her, and unreadable expression in his dark eyes. "I… umm…."

"You look great."

Katie smiled in spite of herself. She looked down, feeling a blush creep over her cheeks. "Thanks." She looked up, her smile widening softly. "You look a bit of all right, yourself."

Oliver shrugged, and Katie thought she could see a bit of color rising to his face. "Thanks. Quidditch, you know. It's not like Hogwarts." He looked back up, smiling as his dark eyes roamed over her face. "You let your hair grow…."

Katie reached back to where her long brown curls were pulled back into an untidy ponytail. "Oh… yeah." She gave a short chuckle. "You did, too…."

Oliver grinned. "Yeah. I remember someone telling me years ago that I'd look fabulous with a bit more hair, so I thought I'd give it a go." He winked as Katie laughed again.

Katie hid her vague feeling of discomfort by looking around Oliver's shoulder and motioning toward the front of the queue. "I… think we're a bit behind."

Oliver looked over his shoulder and took a few steps toward the stand. "I think you're right." He looked back at Katie. "So, what have…."

Katie started speaking at the same time. "So I heard…."

They both laughed and shook their heads. Oliver rubbed at his cheek with one shoulder, the smile lingering on his lips. "You go ahead…."

Katie grinned. "So… I read that you're playing for England this year." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "That's… a big thing for you. I'm… really happy for you."

Oliver smiled and shrugged, looking down at the ground. He kicked softly at a clump of grass. "Yeah, thanks. I was pretty surprised, to be honest. I wasn't expecting that. Not yet, anyway…." He flashed Katie another grin.

Katie laughed. "I wasn't all that surprised. I knew it was going to happen one day." She was surprised to have said that. Quickly, she drew her eyebrows together and looked back at Oliver. "I was surprised to hear that you were playing for England, though. I thought you'd be…."

"Playing for Scotland?" Oliver nodded, kicking at the clump of grass again before looking up.

Katie nodded, her smile widening. "Yeah."

Oliver shrugged. "Well, there had been talks, but I guess the Scottish team's been having a rough time of it the past few years. Player conflicts, management issues…."

He smiled slightly. "I guess there was some sort of a… scandal with a few of the players this year. No one knows exactly what happened. It's all been kept pretty quiet. There was a tiny announcement in the Prophet a few months ago that the Scottish team was being disbanded until the… 'issues could be resolved…,' but that was all."

Katie nodded slowly. "I remember reading something about that, now that you mention it…."

Oliver nodded. "I wish I could tell you more about what happened, but I don't know a lot more than you do." He smiled and shrugged again. "I thought my chance to play in the Cup was gone. But… then I got an owl from the Department of Sports and Games, and…."

Katie grinned. "And the rest, as they say, will be history…."

Oliver flushed again, running a hand through his curls with a laugh. "I don't know about that, but I'm grateful for the chance…."

Katie's smile softened, and she surprised herself again. "I'm glad for you. No one deserves it more."

Oliver looked at Katie, his smile fading. There was something in his eyes… something that made Katie's heart begin to race and her stomach to do strange little flips.

I love you too, Katie….

She took a deep, trembling breath. Oliver took a step forward, speaking a little hesitantly.

"Katie, I…."

Katie quickly cut him off, taking a step back and folding her arms over her chest. She couldn't do this now. Not now.

"So… when is your first match?"

Oliver stopped, his mouth still open. "I…" He blinked and looked down at the grass. "Oh… next week. We're playing Albania, which should be interesting…." He smiled and shrugged, then paused and looked back at Katie as if something had just occurred to him.

"I… don't suppose you're going to be there?"

Katie smiled and shook her head. "These are the only tickets the lot of us could get. Well, these and… Fred managed to get a few tickets to the Finals. Connections, you know…."

Oliver nodded with a laugh, apparently impressed. "I guess it comes in handy to know people in high places."

Katie grinned and shrugged. "I guess. I'm afraid that I only know people who know people who know people in high places."

Oliver laughed again and shook his head, still watching Katie. He hesitated for a moment, then began, "Well… I happen to have a few tickets to the match against Albania next week. I haven't anyone to give them to, and… Well, I thought that maybe…."

"Katie? Angie?"

Both Katie and Oliver looked up quickly, startled at Alicia's shout. The blonde girl was pushing her way through an adjacent queue, mumbling apologies as she did. At last she made it through, and looked around. She smiled as she met Katie's eyes.

"There you are! I thought we'd lost you! Where's Angie? You mean to tell me, you still haven't…." Alicia's voice trailed off as she saw Oliver standing beside Katie, and her green eyes went wide.

"Oliver?"

The smile leapt back to Oliver's lips, and he took a quick step away from Katie (who, much to her chagrin, wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed).

Alicia let out a breathless laugh and all but ran forward, throwing her arms around Oliver's neck. Katie laughed as Oliver stumbled back, awkwardly putting his arms around Alicia's waist in a quick hug. Alicia stepped back quickly, an incredulous grin on her face.

"Oliver! I… Oliver!! How are you?"

Oliver laughed and glanced over at Katie. "I'm… good, thanks."

Alicia looked at Katie, then back at Oliver. "I'm… a little surprised to see you…."

Oliver laughed and shook his head. "I doubt you're as surprised as Katie was."

Alicia looked back at Katie with wide eyes. Katie shrugged with a wry grin, feeling a sudden need to explain. "I… just sort of ran into him. Literally."

Alicia laughed and looked back at Oliver. "Well, thank Merlin for clumsy Katies! It's so good to see you, Oliver! I didn't think we would ever…."

At that moment, another shout rose from somewhere behind the next queue.

"Alicia? Ruddy hel… Alicia! Where in Merlin's name are you off to…?"

George Weasley's voice broke off as he made his way through the queue. He saw Alicia, and stepped forward with a grin.

"Ah! There you are! I thought you had…."

His steps slowed, however, as he saw Katie, and more importantly, Oliver beside Katie.

"What the…?"

Fred soon broke through the queue behind George, muttering apologies and whispering curses as he stepped on toes and ran into elbows. He finally made his way through, sighing wearily and rubbing at his ribs as he hurried forward. He wasn't looking where he was going, however, and soon ran straight on into George. Fred's curse was not quite so whispered on that one.

"Look out, George! I could have injured myself…."

Fred's voice, too, faded quickly at the sight of Oliver standing beside Katie. Fred looked at George, George looked at Fred, and suddenly both Weasleys broke out into identical grins. They rushed forward, hands outstretched and voices laughing.

"Well, will you look at this…?"

"Oliver Wood! What in Merlin's name are you doing here…?"

"He's buying butterbeer, you idiot…."

"That's not what it looks like to me…."

Oliver laughed and took a step forward, shaking George's hand before stumbling forward under an energetic backslap from Fred. Then Fred was shaking his other hand, and Oliver took a step backward, trying rather unsuccessfully to pull himself from the twins' grasps.

"Fred and George! Or is it George and Fred? How are you?" He raised his eyebrows and grinned.

George (for Katie could recognize the few vague differences between the two) laughed and stepped back, casually slipping his arm around Alicia's waist.

"Ah… rich and miserable. You know how it is…."

Alicia threw George an exaggerated pout, and George quickly added. "Well, not that miserable…."

Oliver looked between George and Alicia with raised eyebrows, his grin widening as he considered them with narrowed eyes. He seemed about to say something, but Fred quickly slapped Oliver on the back again, and the big Scotsman looked over, grimacing slightly. Fred seemed not to notice and slapped him again.

"So, Oliver old boy! How in the world has life been treating you? Quidditch going well? Fame, fortune, and all that? Wine, women, and… well, I would say 'song,' but as I recall, you couldn't carry a tune in a rusted bucket…. And I prefer butterbeer to wine, and well, I wouldn't know about the women, I only need one, but…."

Oliver laughed loudly and managed to take a step back out of Fred's reach. "I'm fine, thanks. Quidditch is going well, I'm not famous, but the money is nice, and as far as the wine, women and song, I'm not overly fond of wine, either, I don't have my woman at the moment, and what in Merlin's name do you mean, I can't sing?"

Fred rolled his eyes. "You can't sing. Everyone knows that." Fred looked over at Katie expectantly. "Katie?"

Katie smiled and shook her head, her mind considering what Oliver had just said. "I… have no comment at the present time."

Fred just grinned, and George went on, instead. "And what's this about no woman? I thought you had quite a thing going on with that Hightower bird. What's her name?"

Katie took a deep breath looked at Oliver. She knew the Hightower bird's name.

Oliver shrugged lightly, his eyebrows furrowed over his dark eyes. "Helena. Her name is Helena, and…." He shrugged again, forcing the smile back to his lips. "It's been… rather off and on lately, I'm afraid. Now just happens to be one of those… off times. It happens."

Katie looked down, then back back at Oliver. He wasn't looking at her, rather just over her shoulder, his eyes slightly unfocused. After a moment, he seemed to come back to himself, and looked at Katie quickly before turning back to George.

"Anyway… So how are you both? I hear the shop's doing well…."

Fred grinned. "It's ruddy brilliant! We'll be ready to open a second location in another year or so, I think."

George had an identical grin on his face. "Twice the mischief, eh?"

Oliver laughed and shook his head. "I despair for the residents of the wizarding world."

Fred laughed, as well. "Ah, don't despair for them too much. They're keeping us in business, you know."

George wiggled his eyebrows and tightened his arms around Alicia's waist. (Alicia didn't seem to mind.) "So, Oliver… you're playing next weekend, then?"

Oliver nodded, one corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. "Yeah. Albania. Then we move on to play the winner of this match…."

Fred cut in. "That's if you win, you know…."

Oliver raised one eyebrow and threw Fred a withering look. Fred just laughed and shook his head. Alicia joined him, and even Katie chuckled under her breath. Oliver had never been short of confidence.

It had been one of the things Katie had loved about him.

George threw Fred a glance much like Oliver's, then looked back at his former Quidditch Captain. George grinned and waggled his eyebrows again.

"I don't suppose you have any extra tickets lying around…."

Oliver laughed and glanced at Katie, then looked back at George. "As a matter of fact, I was just trying to get Katie to agree to take some…."

"Trying?" George looked at Katie in disbelief. "You mean, you were actually going to say no? Are you mental?"

Katie opened her mouth to protest, but Oliver quickly cut in, looking over at her hopefully. "She… hasn't actually given me an answer yet."

Everyone looked at Katie expectantly. She took a deep breath, shrugging her shoulders and stammering slightly. "Well, I didn't think it would be…."

Oliver took a step toward her, leaning down to look into Katie eyes. "I don't have anyone else to give them to, really… I've already given a pair to my parents, and… anyway, I… they would love to see you…."

Katie looked up, letting out her breath in a puff. He was doing the big brown puppy-eye thing. She hated that.

Oliver went on, his smile widening slightly. "Please, Katie… it's the least I can do. And it would be great to have you there. All of you, of course…."

At Katie groaned miserably and looked away. She frowned and waved her hand impatiently. "Well, give them to George, then. Call it a birthday present."

"But you'll come?"

Katie looked up. Oliver was looking at her again, his eyes searching. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Yeah. I'll come."

The pleasure in Oliver's was obvious. "Great!" He turned in what sounded like George's direction. "I'll owl them to you first thing in the morning. You're still at the Burrow, are you?"

"No, just send them to the shop. We spend most of our time there, anyway."

"That's the truth," Alicia muttered. There was a disgruntled snort from George (or Fred), a gasp from Fred (or George), and Oliver just laughed. Katie opened her eyes, pushing a stray curl behind her ear.

"It really is."

Oliver smiled over at Katie. "I'll send them there, then…."

Fred smacked his forehead as if he had just realized something. "Or… You could just bring them to our birthday party!"

Alicia gasped and looked over at Fred. George just laughed and shook Alicia a little, playfully. Fred went on.

"That's it! Just bring them to our birthday party! I'd give you a date and a time, but the truth of the matter is, it's supposed to be a surprise party, so I'll have to have Angie send you the details…."

"Fred!" Alicia growled, her brows drawn closely together. "There is no birthday party…."

George looked at Alicia and winked. "Of course there isn't…."

Oliver laughed loudly, shaking his head. "You're sure it's all right?"

George and Fred spoke together. "Perfectly."

Oliver chuckled and shook his head again. "All right, then. I'll just… wait for an owl, then? From… someone? I need to know where to 'send' the tickets…."

George looked up toward the front of the queue. "Blimey! It's our turn next!" He looked at Oliver, then Katie. "If you two don't hurry and wrap up this little reunion, I am going to be completely without butterbeer! And that's not a pretty sight, especially at such a pivotal Quidditch match!"

"That's the truth," Alicia muttered again, though this time there was a smile on her lips. Fred and George started pulling her away to the front of the queue.

Katie laughed quietly and looked up at Oliver. "It really is."

"Right." Oliver looked down at her for a long moment. Then he smiled and said, "It was… really great to see you, Katie. It's… been too long." He paused, looked at the ground, back up into Katie's eyes, lowering his voice. "I…."

Katie's heart tightened a little painfully, but she smiled and said quickly, "It was good to see you too, Oliver. Take care of yourself."

Oliver paused again, then nodded and turned one corner of his mouth up in a smile. "Well, I'd best be off… I've been away too long, as it is. My mates will think I've run away with some pretty girl, and I'll never hear the end of it."

Katie didn't have anything to say to that. Oliver watched her a moment longer, then let a full smile creep over his mouth. "Anyway… So I guess I'll see you later?"

Katie took a deep breath, wanting desperately to say no, but the situation had quickly seemed to spin out of control, and her along with it. "I guess so… Tell your family I said hello, will you?"

Oliver nodded. "I will, if you'll do the same for me."

Katie nodded, but said nothing more. Oliver nodded again and turned to go. Katie watched him walk away. Oliver took a few steps, then turned back to look at Katie. A long moment passed, and then Oliver turned and disappeared into the crowd. Katie watched the spot where he had disappeared for a long moment, then turned and sighed miserably, rubbing her hands over her face.

Why him?

Why now?

Oh, ruddy….

"Katie? Hey, wasn't that Fred and George I saw just a moment ago..? Katie?"

Katie lowered her hands to see Angelina standing in front of her. Angelina looked decidedly more comfortable, but there was a sincerely concerned expression in her dark eyes, and in the way she laid a gentle hand on Katie's arm.

"Katie? Are you all right? Merlin, girl, you look as though you've seen a ghost…."

Katie smiled in spite of herself and breathed out a little disbelieving laugh.

"Well Angie, it's funny you should say that…."


A/N: Whew! I would like to apologize for the delay in posting this chapter! Life's been fairly hectic lately, and I'm afraid I got a bit distracted. ^_^ But here it is, at long last! Oliver's first appearance, and I hope it doesn't disappoint! I'm thinking... that maybe the next chapter will be from Mr. Wood's point of view. There's a lot going on with that side of the story, as well.... ^_^ We will just have to see....

And, of course, another huge "thank you" to all those who have taken the time to review this silly little story! ^_^ It is because of you, and for you, that this chapter is here!


Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Harry Potter or the books by J.K. Rowling. I simply have a severe case of novel envy.