A/N: Once again, thanks to my reviewers: Freebs: I thought you'd like to know that I already helped someone! ;) PokElilpupE, I'm SO glad you're enjoying my fic! Your reviews were the loveliest, thank you! I'm sorry to hear that you're not very fond of the nicknames, though. there's a reason why they call each other "Ollie" and "Kats" (Kit-Kat isn't to be used very often) like a best friends thing, you know?! But I'll try using it less often, anyway! If it's any comfort, I can tell you in advance that, at some point, they will call each other "Katie" and "Oliver", I'm just not too sure if you'll like it. ;) As for the tie thing, I had the idea at a friend's birthday party. Some of my friends were wearing ties, but NONE of the lads knew how to tie them, only me and two of my girls. *lol* men would be so lost without women ;) Clarissa, forget about Leslie! *lol* there is no Leslie. I was supposed to write Charlie, but for some reason I put Leslie! And yep, a little mistake, Copenhagen, Denmark; Sweden, Stockholm! I've already corrected both mistakes and thank you for pointing that out, I haven't even realised! And Jayne: thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! Enough with the rambling, on with the fic!
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For the next weeks everything proceeded as it was expected: lessons getting harder by the day and the amount of homework increasing absurdly. Curse those damn NEWT's! It was nearly impossible keeping up with all the work without having to skip a meal or to stay up until past midnight. As if it weren't enough, in the beginning of October, Oliver called our first quidditch practice of the year.
As we both walked to the quidditch pitch I could feel how nervous he was about the meeting. He didn't say a word, and that was saying something, I couldn't remember the last time we stayed together without saying anything! When we arrived at the door that led to Gryffindor locker rooms, I put a hand over his shoulder, which made him turn to look at me before going in.
"Oliver, calm down!"
"I'm just. this is so important to me, Katie! And I know how everyone is sick and tired of all my pep talks and speeches. All I want is to make everyone realise how much this means, but I don't know how to!"
"You'll be alright, Ollie, trust me!"
"I do, Kats. you know I do!" - he said and entered the room, which I did too.
We found the whole quidditch team already inside there, which was quite rare, so I took it as a sign. Seeing everyone there, looking at him and waiting for his "words of wisdom" seemed to give Oliver the inspiration to say everything he wanted to: he started the most passionate, inspired, touching speech I have ever heard! It was contagious, too! As Oliver was speaking, I could see, growing in everyone else's eyes, the same fiery gleam I always saw in his when it came to quidditch. Even the Weasley twins had some encouraging words instead of his sarcastic comments, which must have been a first!
It was like that, with a new amount of energy, that the seven of us stepped out on the field to our first practice of the season. After about two hours, Oliver blew his whistle, calling the end for the day. We all gathered in the centre of the field and agreed to meet three evenings a week to practice. The twins went back to their usual selves, complaining about not having enough time to pull pranks if we were going to meet that often, but Oliver knew better and did the cleverest thing to do: ignored them! After that set, everyone went back to the locker rooms to shower and change.
Alicia, Angelina and myself went to the right, where were the girls' showers, as Oliver, Fred, George and young Harry went to the left. It wasn't until I got under one of the enchanted showers and turned on the hot water that I felt exactly how tired I was. I had forgotten how exhausting quidditch could be sometimes. and how wonderful it was feeling your muscles unclenching under the water, bless Hogwarts' showers!
While under the hot water I completely lost track of time, Liz and Angel were long gone when I was done. I always hated changing in the showers and, guessing everyone would have been gone already, I decided to change in the locker room. I shouldn't have, though.
I walked to my locker wearing nothing but a towel, unlocked it with a quick spell and was taking my clothe off when I was caught by surprise:
"Uh. Kats?"
"Sweet mother of all that's good and pure!" - I said immediately turning around to see Oliver wearing only some black trousers and his towel over his shoulder. - "You scared the hell out of me, Oliver!"
"Oh. I. sorry, I-I didn't think. I mean. heard a noise and. well. I." - he said clearly embarrassed. One thing about having milky white skin: you can never hide a blush!
"And when did you become so quiet anyway?" - I asked, but, once I had calmed down, taking a better look at Oliver, I was actually thinking - "When did you become so fit??" - Oh my God! Katherine Jessica Bell! You did NOT just think that!
"Hm, I. I. er, I'm sorry Kats, I." - Oliver wasn't having any luck in forming a full sentence.
"Ollie, are you all right?" - I asked, he sure looked FINE! Goodness, what's WRONG with me?
This time Wood didn't say anything, he just kept looking at me, and there was something in his eyes I couldn't recognise. I didn't recall ever seen it there before.
"Ollie.?" - I tried again, but then it hit me why he was acting so strange - "Bollocks!" - I exclaimed turning around to face my locker again and I didn't need a mirror to tell me I was surely the one blushing this time. I had completely forgotten I was only in a freaking towel! "I. excuse me, I better get dressed!" - I said as I went back to the showers to pull on my clothes.
When I came back, properly dressed this time, I found Oliver fully dressed as well. "What a shame. Argh! Inner-Katie, DO shut up!", my thoughts seemed to be out of control!
"Er. sorry about that! I had no idea it was you, Kats!" - he said as he saw me back.
"It's ok, Ollie! Don't worry about it. I thought I was alone as well, 'cause I took forever on the showers. But I should have known better. Of course you, Mr. Captain Obsessed, would still be here!"
"Well. after shower I went straight to my office to revise some new tactics I've been working on. I thought I was alone so I didn't even bother to get fully dressed. Then I heard a noise, so I came to see what it was." - Wood explained - "I just didn't expect to find you here. Least of all you wearing. well. very little!" - he added looking down and blushing slightly again.
"Come on, it wasn't that bad. I mean, I don't look that terrible in a towel, do I?!"
"God, no, Katie! Not at all. I mean. that's not what I meant it was just." - Oliver said slightly panicked, blushing harder than ever.
"I'm joking, Ollie!!"
"Oh." - he looked so adorable blushing.
"For what is worth, now you can brag about being one of the lucky few who has seen Katie Bell in nothing but a towel." - I said finally managing to get a chuckle out of him. - "And I, of course, can brag to your little fan club about seeing the oh-so-dreamy Oliver Wood wearing only trousers."
"I do NOT have a fan club!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"DO TOO! What about all those young Ravenclaws that get all giggly every time they see you."
"I."
"AND that Hufflepuff bunch that follows you around the halls between lessons"
"But."
"NOT TO MENTION the number of sighs we hear when you enter our common room!"
"Now wait a minute, Kats! Ok, so maybe I do have one or two. admirers, but I most certainly do NOT have a fan club!"
"Ollie, how can you be so thick?! The only person in this school that has more. 'admirers' than you is Cedric Diggory! And it's still a tough call nonetheless!"
"Come off it, Kats, now you're just pushing it, Diggory has girls falling all over him everywhere he steps!"
"Oh, and I suppose you don't?!"
"No, I don't!"
"Oliver, they even have a name!!"
"What?"
"Your fan-club, it has a name and everything."
"You're joking."
"Wood's Fans United!"
Since Oliver didn't say anything, just looked at me dumbstruck, I continued:
"Ok, so they're not exactly creative, but. you really didn't know anything about this?"
"No, I. I never noticed!"
"Men can be so clueless." - I sighed - "But that's beside the point! The point is that now I can brag about having seen the object of their infatuations without his shirt on. most of them already hate me, so I might as well give them a reason!"
"Hate you? Why?"
"Don't know! Seem to think I'm your girlfriend."
"And why in the name of Godric would they think THAT?"
"Beats me. I can't even understand why they're your fans in the first place!"
"Jeez, thanks Kats!" - he said frowning.
"Aaaw, don't pout Ollie-Wood!" - I said in a baby voice - "You know I'm only joking. they can try, but I'M your biggest fan!"
"Oh, shut it!" - he said laughing and, after that, we picked up our stuff and walked out of the locker rooms, back to the Gryffindor tower, with our arms linked, as we had done countless times before.
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A/N: Ok, so this is definitely not the best thing I've written so far. I'm sorry! I really wanted to publish something today, since I didn't post anything yesterday as I promised I would. And because I am so tried right now (really busy day), this was the best I could come up with, in so little time. Hope you can enjoy it at least a wee bit, anyway! I mean, for one thing, at least I've given you a shirtless Oliver, that's got to count for something ;) Well, I promise I'll try my best to make the next chapter better and have it published as soon as I can. And once again, thanks to everyone who's reading this!
