"Team, listen up!" Oliver Wood commanded. He was pacing Gryffindor's
changing room, looking thoroughly agitated. "We were supposed to be playing
Hufflepuff today but they've forfeited. So we've got Slytherin."
"WHAT?" was the reply he got followed by an uproar.
"Slytherin? But we haven't prepared for them!" Angelina argued. She had jumped up immediately when Oliver had said 'Slytherin.'
"There's more," Oliver said looking at Paris. A whole week had passed since their kiss in the Forbidden Forest and neither of them had said much about it.
"More?" Paris echoed, looking rather petrified. Slytherin were a nasty team and it took a lot for Gryffindor to work themselves up for it.
"They've got a new Seeker. Pansy Parkinson," Oliver said in a hollow voice. The team groaned and Paris put a hand over her eyes. Pansy was probably the nastiest girl in school, and she was only a fifth year.
"She's new and barely had any practice but she'll still play as hard as the rest. Just remember we're the best – ruddy – team out there," Oliver said, pounding his fist with his hand.
"Here, here!" Fred and George called. They were very eager to get on the pitch and whack Bludgers at Marcus Flint.
"It's time," Oliver said, checking his watch. "Come on."
Paris, Angelina, Alicia and Katie all exchanged pre-match hugs and kisses, as they always did.
"Good luck, boys," Paris said to Fred and George before lining up at the painted wooden doors that led out onto the pitch. She felt Oliver come and stand beside her.
"I want a win, Paris," Oliver told her without looking at her. His eyes were fixed on the door in front of him.
"You've got one," Paris replied staring at the door too. Oliver glanced at her and smiled.
The doors opened and the team was hit by cheers and the wind.
"Lay low, wind's high. It'll blow you off, Pansy's heavy. Remember the Wronski Feint, she's not practiced, she'll follow you anywhere," Oliver was mumbling to Paris as they walked to the middle of the pitch were Madame Hooch and the Slytherin team were already assembled. The stands were full of students all cheering like maniacs. Quidditch wasn't a game, it was life.
"Line up!" Madame Hooch said briskly. Both teams faced their opponents; Pansy was smirking nastily at Paris who just stared her out.
"Captains! Shake!" Madame Hooch said and Oliver and Marcus stepped forward and gripped each others hand very tightly.
"Players! Shake!" Madame Hooch said finally. Paris stepped forward and shook Pansy's hand, her nails dug into her palm but Paris kept quiet.
"Ouch!" Katie yelled, wrenching her hand away from Montague who was smirking stupidly. She rubbed it vigorously, where he had tried to crush all the bones in her hand.
"On my whistle, one, two, three!" Madame Hooch blew hard on her shrill whistle and the teams rose into the air. "Ready? GO!"
She released the Quaffle and Angelina caught it straight away and sped toward the Slytherin goal posts.
"Johnson there with the Quaffle! Angelina Johnson for Gryffindor!" Lee Jordan, the twins' friend was commentating the match from the teacher's box. "Nice Bludger there from Fred Weasley, too bad it missed. Angelina Johnson shoots and MISSES! Too bad Angelina! Flint in possession, Captain Marcus Flint is tearing down the pitch, dodges Bell, dodges Spinnet, and drops the Quaffle! He was hit by his own Beater! Er, nice one! Katie Bell in possession, passes to Spinnet, passes back to Bell, and she's away! Heading for Pucey and she shoots and SCORES! Ten nil to Gryffindor!" Lee screamed into his purple megaphone.
The crowd began cheering wildly while the Slytherin booed and hissed. Paris high fived Katie before the game resumed. Paris quickly rose out of the way and glanced over at Oliver, who was hovering around his goalposts, his face rapt with attention on the game.
"Flint in possession, he's keeping the Quaffle all to himself and heading straight to Keeper Wood, get ready Wood! Look at the determination on their faces! Flint hurls the Quaffle...and nice catch by Oliver Wood! Straight into the Captains arms! Too bad Flint!"
Marcus Flint was practically spitting with rage at his failed attempt to score. He gave Oliver the filthiest look ever then sped away after Angelina.
"Johnson in possession, reverse passes to Bell, Katie Bell for Gryffindor, she passes to Spinnet, Flint and co hot on their tail and OH! WHAT WAS THAT?" Lee Jordan screeched into his megaphone. "DELIBERATE ATTACK! ILLEGAL ASSULT ON A SEEKER!" Lee could barely get his words out he was so angry.
Marcus, who had been chasing Alicia, noticed Paris hovering below them and decided to dive straight into her, sending her plummeting to the ground.
"I thought she was the Quaffle!" Marcus howled to Madame Hooch, who didn't look convinced.
Paris was sprawled on the grass thirty feet below them, the students all booing at Marcus except for the Slytherin's who found it all good fun.
"Paris! Paris! Can you hear me?" Angelina screamed, as she was first to land.
"Of course she can! That voice would wake the dead," Fred said, also joining Angelina on the ground. She was too concerned to elbow him.
"Speak Paris, what's your name?" She cried.
"You just bleeding told her!" George said, standing over Paris and casting a shadow over her face.
"Ow," was the first thing Paris managed to say. Her shoulder was throbbing like crazy.
"Is she hurt?" Oliver bellowed, staggering slightly as he had landed with more force than he meant to. "Is she unconscious?"
"No, she's awake. Are you hurt, Paris?" Angelina asked, as Paris just laid there sprawled on her back.
"No," She said but it was a lie. She gripped Angelina and pulled herself upright but everything started spinning.
"How many fingers?" Oliver asked, holding up his hand.
"Uh, three, no four," Paris said, squinting. Oliver and Angelina exchanged glances. Oliver was holding up two fingers. "NO! Two," Paris shouted before standing up shakily, much like a newborn giraffe.
"Flint's been cautioned," Katie announced as she and Alicia dismounted close to them. "Is she alright?"
"I'm fine," Paris said, taking her broom from Fred. "Come on, let's finish up this game."
The team mounted their brooms and flew back into the sky. Madame Hooch awarded Gryffindor a penalty which Alicia took and she scored.
Paris was holding on for dear life, her shoulder felt three times bigger than usual and see kept seeing two of everything.
"Warrington in possession, passes to Montague, intercepted by Johnson, Angelina Johnson, passes to Bell who er, drops it, Flint with the Quaffle, Marcus Flint heading straight for Oliver Wood, can he score? YES! He has scored," Lee shouted sadly, the Slytherin's hooted and cheered. "So that's Gryffindor in the lead sixty points to twenty and no sign of the Snitch."
Paris was desperately searching for the Snitch so she could go lay down but she couldn't see it anywhere. She followed Oliver's advice and feinted a few times, Pansy followed.
Then it happened.
Glistening near Fred's head was the Golden Snitch. Paris shot after it, Pansy hot in pursuit.
"Get out off the way Fred!" Paris screamed but the Snitch was now zooming further down the field. She whizzed past Fred almost taking his head off. The Snitch seemed faster today and Paris inched closer and closer to it.
Pansy smashed into Paris' side, her ample body almost throwing her off her broom.
"It's mine Knightley!" Pansy screamed, reaching her chubby fingers out. Paris knew Pansy didn't stand a chance in hell.
Willing her broom to go faster, Paris left Pansy squawking in fury behind her and was almost on top of the Snitch.
"Come on, come to me," Paris whispered and she curled her fingers around the cold, metal Snitch. She heard Lee Jordan scream something into his megaphone and a mighty uproar from the crowd that filled her head.
Paris flew to the ground and collapsed in the grass. It was the hardest Snitch she'd ever had to catch. Then she felt herself being dragged up by many hands, the team all shouting different things at once at her.
"We won! We're two hundred points up!" Katie was shouting gleefully, wrapping her arms around Paris and jumping up and down.
"Fifty house points for Gryffindor too!" Alicia cried, jumping up and down with Fred.
"Where's my Seeker?" Oliver called. Katie and Angelina let Paris go and they looked up at Oliver.
"There she is, well done," He said and to Angelina, Katie and Alicia's amazement but to Fred and George's disgust, swiftly kissed Paris on the lips.
That was the final straw for Paris. Her mind racing and her shoulder throbbing, she slipped into unconsciousness and fell in a heap on the ground.
When Paris awoke, she thought she was blind. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she realized she was in the hospital wing, somewhere she wasn't a stranger.
She rubbed her eyes with her hand and remembered her shoulder still hurt.
"You're still with us then?" a voice said and Paris jumped so badly she almost fell out of bed.
"Ol-Oliver?" Paris said uncertainly, pushing herself up on her elbows and squinting into the darkness.
"Lumos," Oliver said and a golden glow lit up his face. He smiled at Paris wearily.
"What time is it?" Paris asked, sitting up so her back rested against the head board.
"About half nine," Oliver replied, sitting back in his chair.
"Oh," Paris said. "How long you been here?"
"All evening," Oliver replied, smiling sheepishly. He looked tired and Paris could see he had been worrying the life out his hair as it was sticking up in every direction. "How're you feeling?" He asked.
"Not too bad, my shoulder hurts a bit," Paris said, massaging it with her hand. It felt stiff but sore at the same time.
"You've got a black eye too," Oliver said with another smile.
"I have?" Paris said, her hand instantly shot up to her face.
"Yeah, it makes you look quite tough," Oliver replied, shifting in his chair. Paris slowly touched all around her eye socket, feeling her bruised skin.
"I'm glad you're alright. You really scared us all when you passed out," Oliver said, breaking the eerie silence.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened," Paris said, shaking her head.
"It made me think you know, seeing you unconscious made me realize a few things," Oliver said awkwardly. Paris kept her gaze on him as he looked at his feet.
"Like what?" She asked softly.
"Like how much I care about you," Oliver said quietly after a few moments.
"I care about you too," Paris replied, not really knowing what else to say.
"I've been thinking about you non-stop since that Care of Magical Creatures lesson," Oliver admitted. Paris blushed at the memory and at the fact all she had been thinking about was Oliver too.
"I don't know what happened, I just wanted to feel better," Paris said, picking at her white cotton bed sheets nervously.
"It made me feel better too," Oliver said, fiddling with his sleeve.
"So, where do we go from here?" Paris asked boldly.
"Well, I'd like to ask you out but I think it'll be too complicated," Oliver sighed. Paris looked up at him, their eyes met briefly before Oliver looked away nervously.
"If you ask me, I'll say yes. There's nothing complicated about that," Paris said slowly. "It may be my concussion talking but I really like you Oliver." Oliver laughed through his nose and took Paris' hand in his affectionately.
"You're crazy," he said with a smile.
"That's what fifteen years with the twins do to you," Paris shrugged and Oliver laughed again. He leaned right over and kissed Paris and felt happy. Happy to know he was finally going out with Paris Knightley.
"WHAT?" was the reply he got followed by an uproar.
"Slytherin? But we haven't prepared for them!" Angelina argued. She had jumped up immediately when Oliver had said 'Slytherin.'
"There's more," Oliver said looking at Paris. A whole week had passed since their kiss in the Forbidden Forest and neither of them had said much about it.
"More?" Paris echoed, looking rather petrified. Slytherin were a nasty team and it took a lot for Gryffindor to work themselves up for it.
"They've got a new Seeker. Pansy Parkinson," Oliver said in a hollow voice. The team groaned and Paris put a hand over her eyes. Pansy was probably the nastiest girl in school, and she was only a fifth year.
"She's new and barely had any practice but she'll still play as hard as the rest. Just remember we're the best – ruddy – team out there," Oliver said, pounding his fist with his hand.
"Here, here!" Fred and George called. They were very eager to get on the pitch and whack Bludgers at Marcus Flint.
"It's time," Oliver said, checking his watch. "Come on."
Paris, Angelina, Alicia and Katie all exchanged pre-match hugs and kisses, as they always did.
"Good luck, boys," Paris said to Fred and George before lining up at the painted wooden doors that led out onto the pitch. She felt Oliver come and stand beside her.
"I want a win, Paris," Oliver told her without looking at her. His eyes were fixed on the door in front of him.
"You've got one," Paris replied staring at the door too. Oliver glanced at her and smiled.
The doors opened and the team was hit by cheers and the wind.
"Lay low, wind's high. It'll blow you off, Pansy's heavy. Remember the Wronski Feint, she's not practiced, she'll follow you anywhere," Oliver was mumbling to Paris as they walked to the middle of the pitch were Madame Hooch and the Slytherin team were already assembled. The stands were full of students all cheering like maniacs. Quidditch wasn't a game, it was life.
"Line up!" Madame Hooch said briskly. Both teams faced their opponents; Pansy was smirking nastily at Paris who just stared her out.
"Captains! Shake!" Madame Hooch said and Oliver and Marcus stepped forward and gripped each others hand very tightly.
"Players! Shake!" Madame Hooch said finally. Paris stepped forward and shook Pansy's hand, her nails dug into her palm but Paris kept quiet.
"Ouch!" Katie yelled, wrenching her hand away from Montague who was smirking stupidly. She rubbed it vigorously, where he had tried to crush all the bones in her hand.
"On my whistle, one, two, three!" Madame Hooch blew hard on her shrill whistle and the teams rose into the air. "Ready? GO!"
She released the Quaffle and Angelina caught it straight away and sped toward the Slytherin goal posts.
"Johnson there with the Quaffle! Angelina Johnson for Gryffindor!" Lee Jordan, the twins' friend was commentating the match from the teacher's box. "Nice Bludger there from Fred Weasley, too bad it missed. Angelina Johnson shoots and MISSES! Too bad Angelina! Flint in possession, Captain Marcus Flint is tearing down the pitch, dodges Bell, dodges Spinnet, and drops the Quaffle! He was hit by his own Beater! Er, nice one! Katie Bell in possession, passes to Spinnet, passes back to Bell, and she's away! Heading for Pucey and she shoots and SCORES! Ten nil to Gryffindor!" Lee screamed into his purple megaphone.
The crowd began cheering wildly while the Slytherin booed and hissed. Paris high fived Katie before the game resumed. Paris quickly rose out of the way and glanced over at Oliver, who was hovering around his goalposts, his face rapt with attention on the game.
"Flint in possession, he's keeping the Quaffle all to himself and heading straight to Keeper Wood, get ready Wood! Look at the determination on their faces! Flint hurls the Quaffle...and nice catch by Oliver Wood! Straight into the Captains arms! Too bad Flint!"
Marcus Flint was practically spitting with rage at his failed attempt to score. He gave Oliver the filthiest look ever then sped away after Angelina.
"Johnson in possession, reverse passes to Bell, Katie Bell for Gryffindor, she passes to Spinnet, Flint and co hot on their tail and OH! WHAT WAS THAT?" Lee Jordan screeched into his megaphone. "DELIBERATE ATTACK! ILLEGAL ASSULT ON A SEEKER!" Lee could barely get his words out he was so angry.
Marcus, who had been chasing Alicia, noticed Paris hovering below them and decided to dive straight into her, sending her plummeting to the ground.
"I thought she was the Quaffle!" Marcus howled to Madame Hooch, who didn't look convinced.
Paris was sprawled on the grass thirty feet below them, the students all booing at Marcus except for the Slytherin's who found it all good fun.
"Paris! Paris! Can you hear me?" Angelina screamed, as she was first to land.
"Of course she can! That voice would wake the dead," Fred said, also joining Angelina on the ground. She was too concerned to elbow him.
"Speak Paris, what's your name?" She cried.
"You just bleeding told her!" George said, standing over Paris and casting a shadow over her face.
"Ow," was the first thing Paris managed to say. Her shoulder was throbbing like crazy.
"Is she hurt?" Oliver bellowed, staggering slightly as he had landed with more force than he meant to. "Is she unconscious?"
"No, she's awake. Are you hurt, Paris?" Angelina asked, as Paris just laid there sprawled on her back.
"No," She said but it was a lie. She gripped Angelina and pulled herself upright but everything started spinning.
"How many fingers?" Oliver asked, holding up his hand.
"Uh, three, no four," Paris said, squinting. Oliver and Angelina exchanged glances. Oliver was holding up two fingers. "NO! Two," Paris shouted before standing up shakily, much like a newborn giraffe.
"Flint's been cautioned," Katie announced as she and Alicia dismounted close to them. "Is she alright?"
"I'm fine," Paris said, taking her broom from Fred. "Come on, let's finish up this game."
The team mounted their brooms and flew back into the sky. Madame Hooch awarded Gryffindor a penalty which Alicia took and she scored.
Paris was holding on for dear life, her shoulder felt three times bigger than usual and see kept seeing two of everything.
"Warrington in possession, passes to Montague, intercepted by Johnson, Angelina Johnson, passes to Bell who er, drops it, Flint with the Quaffle, Marcus Flint heading straight for Oliver Wood, can he score? YES! He has scored," Lee shouted sadly, the Slytherin's hooted and cheered. "So that's Gryffindor in the lead sixty points to twenty and no sign of the Snitch."
Paris was desperately searching for the Snitch so she could go lay down but she couldn't see it anywhere. She followed Oliver's advice and feinted a few times, Pansy followed.
Then it happened.
Glistening near Fred's head was the Golden Snitch. Paris shot after it, Pansy hot in pursuit.
"Get out off the way Fred!" Paris screamed but the Snitch was now zooming further down the field. She whizzed past Fred almost taking his head off. The Snitch seemed faster today and Paris inched closer and closer to it.
Pansy smashed into Paris' side, her ample body almost throwing her off her broom.
"It's mine Knightley!" Pansy screamed, reaching her chubby fingers out. Paris knew Pansy didn't stand a chance in hell.
Willing her broom to go faster, Paris left Pansy squawking in fury behind her and was almost on top of the Snitch.
"Come on, come to me," Paris whispered and she curled her fingers around the cold, metal Snitch. She heard Lee Jordan scream something into his megaphone and a mighty uproar from the crowd that filled her head.
Paris flew to the ground and collapsed in the grass. It was the hardest Snitch she'd ever had to catch. Then she felt herself being dragged up by many hands, the team all shouting different things at once at her.
"We won! We're two hundred points up!" Katie was shouting gleefully, wrapping her arms around Paris and jumping up and down.
"Fifty house points for Gryffindor too!" Alicia cried, jumping up and down with Fred.
"Where's my Seeker?" Oliver called. Katie and Angelina let Paris go and they looked up at Oliver.
"There she is, well done," He said and to Angelina, Katie and Alicia's amazement but to Fred and George's disgust, swiftly kissed Paris on the lips.
That was the final straw for Paris. Her mind racing and her shoulder throbbing, she slipped into unconsciousness and fell in a heap on the ground.
When Paris awoke, she thought she was blind. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she realized she was in the hospital wing, somewhere she wasn't a stranger.
She rubbed her eyes with her hand and remembered her shoulder still hurt.
"You're still with us then?" a voice said and Paris jumped so badly she almost fell out of bed.
"Ol-Oliver?" Paris said uncertainly, pushing herself up on her elbows and squinting into the darkness.
"Lumos," Oliver said and a golden glow lit up his face. He smiled at Paris wearily.
"What time is it?" Paris asked, sitting up so her back rested against the head board.
"About half nine," Oliver replied, sitting back in his chair.
"Oh," Paris said. "How long you been here?"
"All evening," Oliver replied, smiling sheepishly. He looked tired and Paris could see he had been worrying the life out his hair as it was sticking up in every direction. "How're you feeling?" He asked.
"Not too bad, my shoulder hurts a bit," Paris said, massaging it with her hand. It felt stiff but sore at the same time.
"You've got a black eye too," Oliver said with another smile.
"I have?" Paris said, her hand instantly shot up to her face.
"Yeah, it makes you look quite tough," Oliver replied, shifting in his chair. Paris slowly touched all around her eye socket, feeling her bruised skin.
"I'm glad you're alright. You really scared us all when you passed out," Oliver said, breaking the eerie silence.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened," Paris said, shaking her head.
"It made me think you know, seeing you unconscious made me realize a few things," Oliver said awkwardly. Paris kept her gaze on him as he looked at his feet.
"Like what?" She asked softly.
"Like how much I care about you," Oliver said quietly after a few moments.
"I care about you too," Paris replied, not really knowing what else to say.
"I've been thinking about you non-stop since that Care of Magical Creatures lesson," Oliver admitted. Paris blushed at the memory and at the fact all she had been thinking about was Oliver too.
"I don't know what happened, I just wanted to feel better," Paris said, picking at her white cotton bed sheets nervously.
"It made me feel better too," Oliver said, fiddling with his sleeve.
"So, where do we go from here?" Paris asked boldly.
"Well, I'd like to ask you out but I think it'll be too complicated," Oliver sighed. Paris looked up at him, their eyes met briefly before Oliver looked away nervously.
"If you ask me, I'll say yes. There's nothing complicated about that," Paris said slowly. "It may be my concussion talking but I really like you Oliver." Oliver laughed through his nose and took Paris' hand in his affectionately.
"You're crazy," he said with a smile.
"That's what fifteen years with the twins do to you," Paris shrugged and Oliver laughed again. He leaned right over and kissed Paris and felt happy. Happy to know he was finally going out with Paris Knightley.