And It's Christmas

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

God damnit!

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I growled from under my covers. "Go. Away."

"WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Silence.

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Alicia, I'm about to decapitate you…" I warned from under my quilt of warmth.

"PRESENTS PRESENTS PRESENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Alicia…." I warned.

"Oh, C'mon, Katie!" she whined, "It's Christmas, it only comes once a year! Let's go!"

"Thank Merlin that it only comes one day a year!" I said, rolling out of bed. Wait. Bed? Since when did I get here?? Hadn't we all crashed on the Common Room floor?

" 'Licia?"

"Hmm?" she asked, standing in her pajamas by her closet door, picking out a dress.

"How'd we get here?"

"Oh," she said, "I guess early this morning, George and Wood carried us up here."

"Okay."

All right…interesting. Hey! It's Christmas! I guess I didn't process that with Alicia screaming in my ear. How ironic…

"Here, open your present!" she said, tossing me a large box from her bed.

I missed it when she tossed it, the box slamming into the wall.

"Thank goodness it's not breakable! Geesh, Katie, you're a Chaser, you could have at least caught that huge thing! Looks to me that you, and Wood both, need to spend more time practicing and less time snogging each other!"

"Alicia, shut up!"

She smirked and waited for me to open her present.

I cautiously pulled the ribbon off, not sure if I really wanted to open it or not.

I opened the box and it was the red dress and a pair of red chandelier-like earrings. They were beautiful. Not too long and huge and the perfect size.

"Thank you, Alicia," I said getting up and hugging her.

I got out her present and gave it to her. She ripped the paper off and laughed at the sign. "Warning! Snogging Xing!"

"Thanks, Katie!" she said sarcastically.

We had an entire day to do something. Alicia and I finished off the magical donuts. Then she complained that she might not be able to fit into her dress now.

Alicia held me hostage in our room all day, convincing me that we shouldn't leave until Dinner. She asked me what we would do all day. I didn't know.

For the rest of the day, I helped her out on her issues with George, played chess (although neither of us really knew how to play. We basically spent the time killing each others chess pieces), wrote numerous letters to her favorite player on the Chudley Cannons Team, and I told her what I got our friends for Christmas.

Before we knew it, hours had passed by and Christmas was almost over. For us, our Christmas tradition was exchanging gifts at night, after Dinner in the Common Room, so that was the highlight of our day.

Soon, Alicia was shoving me out the door to go get changed and ready.

I took my dress, a towel, my hairbrush, and a few other things and headed off to the bathrooms to get ready.

---------->

After I showered, I noticed a lot of other girls in the bathrooms getting ready. They were all putting on tons of makeup and spending way too much time one their hair for a boy who would probably end up with another girl by the end of the night.

I, on the other hand, put on only a little bit of makeup, spent about two seconds on my hair, letting it dry naturally and brushing it out straight, and put on my earrings. I pulled a section of my hair back from my face and tied it there. For only one night, my hair was being tolerable.

I walked up to Gryffindor Tower barefoot, high heel sandals in hand. I got up to my room and Alicia was already in her dress. She picked out the blue dress perfectly. It looked completely wonderful on her. She turned around to look at me, fumbling with her earring.

"Katie, you look amazing!" she said. I smiled and did a little turn. She walked over to me and fluffed my hair with her hand. She grinned at me.

"Watch out, Oliver Wood!" she said, beaming.

Alicia then looked over at the clock on the wall and gasped. "We're late for Dinner!"

She then proceeded to leave the room in a hurry.

"Alicia," I said, grabbing her arm, "We've skipped Dinner before, why are you in such a rush now?"

She gave me a flat, exasperated look. "Because this time, we look good!"

I shrugged and we went down to Dinner. For once, I felt really good about how I looked.

-------> The Great Hall

When Alicia and I slowly entered the Hall. People were still standing up and walking around when we entered. Dinner hadn't started yet.

I noticed George and Fred talking over by the table. They looked identical in their suits. George looked very uptight and uncomfortable in his. Fred, on the other hand, had his jacket unbuttoned and his shirt untucked, his hands stuffed into his pockets. Fred had his back to us. George looked over at us and nodded to us. Alicia left me to go to him.

Fred turned around. His eyes widened and he grinned.

"Merlin," I heard him whisper, walking towards me. Fred had never seen me dressed up. I don't think anyone ever has.

"Katie, you look beautiful," he said.

"Thank you, Fred."

He grinned at me and reached into his coat pocket.

"I have something for you, your Christmas present."

I smiled. "Yours is in my room."

Fred handed me a small velvet box.

I took it from him and opened it. Inside was a medium sized silver ring with the metal interlocking to form a Celtic word or marking. ( to see it, IM me (kanadianchik1317) or email ) it's such a pretty ring!!!!)

I smiled. Fred took the ring out of the box and slid it on my right hand, on my ring finger.

"This is to remember that I'll always be your best friend and that no matter who ever proposes to you or ever gives you a ring, be it Oliver Wood or even George, Merlin forbid, that I was the first one to give you something like this. And no matter what happens, I'll always be there for you. Despite who you fall in love with and give your heart to, remember that I was in the picture first. I was your best friend first and I was the first one to give you a ring. No one can ever change that. I'll always be here for you. Love you, Katie."

I grinned and threw my arms around Fred.

"Thank you, Fred," I whispered into his ear.

Fred hugged me tight and said to me, "Happy Christmas."

We both withdrew and Fred called over my shoulder, "Oi! Wood!"

Fred glided away from me and towards a group of Ravenclaw girls as Oliver came nearer.

Oliver looked a lot like Fred, with the unorthodox way of wearing his suit.

He kissed me cheek and took a step back to look me from head to toe.

"Katie, you look gorgeous."

I smiled. "Thank you."

Oliver stared at me without speaking, almost entranced. Was the look of me in a dress that dumbfounding?

I slowly began rubbing my ring with nothing else to do and Oliver saw. It was strange to me that a little piece of metal held so much meaning. He reached for my hand and lifted it up, examining the ring.

"Getting married, Katie?" he asked semi-sarcastically. As he lifted my hand to his mouth, kissing the back of my hand softly, I looked over my shoulder at Fred. We made eye contact for only a moment before he looked away. My head remained turned that way. I didn't know what to say. "Something like that."

I turned back to Oliver and he kissed me deeply. My arms began to slide around his neck just before I pulled away from him.

"Oliver! Not here!"

He smiled at me, blushing. "Sorry."

At the Teachers' Table, Dumbledore coughed loudly and everyone went to their seats.

Oliver pulled out my chair for me and just once, I did not complain. In my opinion, Oliver was so very down to earth and has always been quite a gentleman. Dumbledore began his speech.

"Another year has gone by and now it is Christmas again. I am so very happy to say that this year has been the most exiting ever to pass at Hogwarts. Although things like the Quidditch season had to be canceled, I am very proud that you students have made the most of it. A celebratory match will be played in a week's time between Gryffindor's remaining members and the members of Slytherin, if the correct number of students permits, of course. The Quidditch Pitch will be open for practices through this week. Captains, you shall contact Madame Hooch to designate your team's time on the pitch.

"I am pleased to see you all in your best wear, instead of your house robes. This change of garments permits us all to look as we like and to be who we want to. In times like these, that is necessary to being happy. In times like these, it is necessary to be safe."

All went quite in the Hall. Dumbledore let out a nervous laugh.

"And let us feast!"

People began talking as the food appeared. Never, in all my Hogwarts feats, did I see so much food. It seemed like Dumbledore was making up for lost time and Quidditch seasons.

Oliver began quickly talking about practices. Fred seemed uninterested and George was busy snogging Alicia.

"Well, I think we're only missing about three or four members out of the fourteen. We'll have to make up for it, though. At least we have Harry," Oliver was saying.

"We'll have to watch out for Flint, there's no telling what he'll do to win this match. Syltherin's been dirty in the past, but we've got to be ready for anything."

George looked up for a second, breathing. "Wood, it's Christmas, we can talk about this later!"

"Weasley, this might be the only match this year and we need to win! You shouldn't be surprised if I dragged you all out onto the pitch right this minute!"

George stared at Fred. "Gosh, he's almost like mum!"

Fred laughed and nodded in agreement.

It was decided that we would practice once a day next week, beginning tomorrow. I didn't protest; we probably needed it.

Oliver was right about Slytherin being dirty for this match. Slytherin had its entire team present and we were sans three players. Usually, Alicia, Angelina, and I got most of the brute force during the games from both the Beaters and the other Chasers. Occasionally, Marcus Flint joined in. Now that Angelina was gone, Alicia and I were going to be butchered.

I was smarter than to think that Flint and Montague would lighten up during this game. They both knew that they could overpower Alicia and I.

Oliver was jumpy all through dinner because of the next match. I pulled our group away from Dinner early to escape the Common Room madness to come.

When we got to the Common Room, I left everyone there while I brought down the presents.

Fred got his first. He was happy that he didn't have to wear one of his older brothers' Quidditch robes anymore. Alicia was happier than George that he got breath mints. George was pleased because he got new gloves.

I gave Oliver his present last. He enjoyed the book and laughed over the socks.

George gave me a package of the Weasley Twins' Newest Candies. I was terrified and unwilling to touch them. I also got a package from Mrs. Weasley. She included a note and a sweater.

"Oi! How come mum gives you a better sweater than us??" George demanded to know.

I shrugged. "Maybe it's because I'm not one of the twins!"

They didn't say anymore. I opened the letter and read it quickly.

'Dear Katie,

I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas. I hope you enjoy the sweater more than my boys do theirs. It's a shame that they don't appreciate their old mum's sweaters.

Anyways, I hope you are having a very good year, despite all the things that are happening. Please don't tell the boys, but I'm afraid some very bad things are coming this way. I'm sure Dumbledore hasn't said anything about it and I know there are more than a few students who are wondering why he cut this school year short. The matter is is that it seems a certain dark power is coming into effect again.

Dumbledore needed to close the school for a bit of time. Of course he didn't want to, but it was needed. He didn't want the students to leave the safety of the castle, but some of the parents badgered him about it. At the same time, so many things have happened at the castle these lasts years, and Harry has seen to that.

I just thought that I'd let you know what was going on. Please don't tell my boys. I don't want them investigating and getting into any more trouble than they already have. Happy Christmas

Love,

Mrs. Weasley'

"Oi! Katie, what did mum say?" Fred asked me. I quickly folded up the letter, remembering her words.

"Just saying a happy Christmas to me," I said swiftly.

After all the gifts were exchanged, Alicia and George ran off to his room.

"Oh, don't mind me, you two. I only need to sleep in there tonight!" Fred said sarcastically watching them walk up the stairs. Greg grinned over his shoulder towards his brother.

Fred got up off the floor. "Well, I'm sure Harry and Ron would like some company…I'll let Harry know about the Quidditch schedule, Wood."

Oliver nodded and Fred left. Oliver looked over at me, loosening his tie. We sat in an awkward silence for a second.

"Well, I should go to bed. Big practice tomorrow," I said, getting up.

Oliver got up too, nodding.

"I need to talk to you," he said. I nodded and went up the stairs.

Oliver followed me to my room.

I opened my door and turned on the light. Oliver walked in behind me and shut the door.

He walked over to my bed, wringing his hands uncomfortably.

"Katie, I'm worried about this match."

Wow, I really didn't know that. Did he think I was blind or something?

I smoothed down my dress and reached into my closet, pulling out some pajamas. I set them on my dresser and took out my earrings.

I looked at Oliver and he had a look of uncertainty in his eyes. I smiled warmly at him and he just stared at me.

"Katie, this match is really important to me," he said.

"I know."

"I know what it's been like in the past for you and Angelina and Alicia-"

"We'll try harder, that's all."

He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. He knew that certain members on the Slytherin team had enough power and strength to take us down. That was what he was worried about. "No, we both know that Montague and Flint, both, are more than a match for you and Alicia alone."

"We'll try, Oliver. We know how much this means to you."

Oliver shook his head again. "I know you'll try, but they're just so much stronger than you two and they can physically overpower you. No doubt that they'll resort to cheating and dirty tricks."

"Oliver, all I can say is that we'll try."

"I really hope that you can do it. Flint and Montague are a lot stronger and bigger than you and they can hurt you badly."

"It's not like they haven't done that in the past."

"What?"

"You don't remember the match where Flint tried to knock me off my broom? He almost succeeded at that, too."

"He tried to what???"

"Oh, c'mon, Captain Wood! You knew about it and you even threatened Slytherin!"

"He's tried to hurt you more than once and now, Slytherin is desperate to win this match and they'll try harder to hurt you."

"Don't worry about just me. Worry about Alicia, too."

"George will take care of her. As shallow as their relationship looks, he really does love her and he won't let Flint or Montague hurt her. He puts her first in no matter what he does."

I nodded.

"In fact, I hope that George pays attention to what he's doing, too, instead of just watching out for her."

Honestly, the thought of Flint knocking me off my broom really did bother me more than I let on. If I let him knock me off, I knew that the game would keep going. I'd probably be in critical condition, but the game would go on. I know that Oliver and Fred would be worrying about me and not play as well. If I got hurt and was out of the game and Slytherin won, I knew that Oliver, although he wouldn't say it, that he would blame me. And it probably would have been my fault, too.

"If they try to hurt us, George won't let them and Alicia and I have a few scores to settle with them. I know that Gryffindor has always played fair before, but this time, if they try to hurt us or play dirty, they're going down."

Oliver smiled. "That's my favorite Chaser! And, anyways, I won't let them hurt you, either. I know Fred won't."

"Oliver, you will need to focus on the game, not me."

"No, if they tried to hurt you…well, I don't know what I'd do. But I won't let them hurt you."

I smiled. That was sweet of him, really, but I don't know how I'd feel having Oliver watching me throughout the match.

I picked up my pajamas and took a step towards the door. Oliver followed me. We went down to the Common Room and he stopped me by taking my arm.

"I'll meet you back at your room," he said. I nodded.

I left to go change and replay all the events of the day.

---> My Room.

When I came back, Oliver was sitting on my bed with a large blue velvet jewelry box beside him. He was in his boxers and a rather tight white tee shirt. I tried not to stare although I wanted to.

I hung up my dress in the closet and when I turned around, Oliver was standing. He stared at me and I was unsure what to do. I blinked and I suddenly began rubbing my ring. That was quickly becoming a habit for me when I was nervous.

"Katie, I just thought of something…"

"What?"

"Have you ever noticed that out of the three chasers, that you've seemed to be singled out?"

"No, Alicia and Angelina get their share of the beatings."

"It just seems to me that out of the entire team, sans Harry, that you've been the most injured."

"Maybe it's just that I push myself harder than the others because I know how much it all means to you. Also, Alicia has George to watch out for her. I guess I never had that."

"What about Fred?"

I sighed. "He knows how much the game means to you."

"That's it, Katie, it's just a game. I'd lose a thousand games if it meant that you wouldn't get hurt."

" 'It's just a game'? I never thought I'd hear you say that, Wood."

"I need to carry on the tradition, Katie. If I wasn't the captain that I am now, I shouldn't be one. I need to push my team on. That's what being captain is. You don't realize it, but when I'm gone, someone else is going to be the captain. That time is not so far away anymore. I'm not going to be here forever, Katie. Whoever is the captain when I'm gone, you have to respect them and support them. Otherwise, nothing will happen. But I'm the captain now. To the captain it has to be more than a game. I admit that I am a little more obsessive about Quidditch than I want to be, but that's because I have to. If I wasn't a captain like this, then we wouldn't have gotten this far."

"No, we wouldn't have. And if you weren't captain, and I had never met you, I wouldn't have fallen in love with you."

He took a step forwards and held out the box to me.

"Happy Christmas, Katie," he said stepping nearer to me.

I took the box and slowly opened it. It was a silver necklace. It had tiny interlocking squares so shiny that it glittered in the light as Oliver clasped it around my neck.

I was grinning now. "Thank you, Oliver," I said.

I looked up at him. The box had seemed to vanish, leaving my hands empty. Oliver stared down at me with eyes that told me that he was serious about keeping Flint and Montague from hurting me. He stared down at me with eyes that almost made me want to melt.

Slowly, his hands slid around my waist, pulling me against him slowly. I looked at him and I realized the original reason why I was so drawn to him. Sure he was sweet and all, but the first thing, besides his eyes, that I noticed about him was that he was exceptionally handsome.

Caught up in my own thoughts, I was suddenly aware that he was kissing me. Oliver's kisses were always predictable: soft and caring. Just his kiss alone was enough to tell me that he loved me.

He kissed me again and my arms were suddenly around his neck. He held me tight against him as he kissed my neck. For some reason, my body unintentionally shuddered against him. He felt it and drew back for a second.

Oliver stared at me with eyes that looked like he knew what I was thinking. I wasn't even sure what I was thinking and he smiled. He leaned forwards and kissed me again.

I pulled away from and stepped over to my window. Moonlight poured in through the glass and the stars glittered. Being so far away from London and the big cities, you could really see the stars out there.

Oliver came up behind me and his arms were around my stomach, pulling me back against him. I smiled and he kissed the top of my head, rocking me softly in his arms.

I was the kind of girl who would prefer battling it out with the boys instead of shopping, yet I was still transfixed by the stars. There was something about them, drawing me in, some sign that no matter how sad you are, there's always someone sadder and you can still be hurt.

Oliver sighed in my ear and I felt safe in his arms. I closed my eyes and leaned back against him.

Before I knew it, he was pulling me towards the bed. I complied, still in a drunken state from the stars. He laid me gently on my bed and he was over me. He kissed me softly, but with need. My hands explored his back and his hands were on my waist.

Oliver sent a trail of kisses down my neck and paid special attention to the place where my collarbones met. He kissed my right shoulder down my arm. He pushed my shirt up only a few inches, baring skin.

I let out a small whimper when he kissed my bare stomach. He came back up and kissed my lips with such tenderness. His thumb was caressing my cheek. I kissed him and suddenly his kiss was full of passion.

Oliver kissed me steadily, never missing a beat as his hand traveled up my stomach, coming in contact with the curve of my breast. I kissed him one more time and put my hand on his, slowly moving it down to my waist again.

He kissed me again and when I thought about it, Oliver was older than me. He was wiser and has had more experience. I tried not to think about all the practice he's had and he wasn't that much older. Only about a year. It was still something thought. And, being Oliver Wood, he must be used to girls who gave him those sorts of things he wanted from me. I wasn't one of those types of girls and I really didn't think he was one of those types of guys who did things like that. I realized how impatient me must be getting with me.

I kissed him, thinking about that; angry with myself that I kept letting my insecurities get to me.

Oliver, almost knowing what I was thinking, kissed me long, and slow, then pulling back from me. "I love you, Katie."

I smiled, and as he kissed me, I believe him. Oliver wouldn't be with me if he didn't love me. And he knew I wasn't one of those types of girls. I did love Oliver and I wasn't going to let these insecurities get in my way.

Oliver lifted his head, thinking. He stared at my throat, as if the answer to the question he was thinking of would appear there. I think all that he could see was my pulse jumping.

"Hey, Katie?" he asked hesitantly. I lifted my own head and looked at him questionably. "Yes?"

He took in a deep breath. "You trust me, don't you?"

I nodded. "Yes, why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "No reason."

Oliver didn't look at me again; he only laid his head on my chest, listening to my heartbeat. I frowned, now I was confused. I was the one with insecurities. Not him.

"Oliver?" I asked, stroking his hair, "What's wrong?"

He lifted his head to me and shook his head, smiling, but it wasn't convincing. "Nothing."

"Oliver…" I said warningly. He sighed and sat up beside me. "What is it?"

He sighed again. "I just feel that you're holding back from me…a lot."

I sat up, taking in a deep breath, adjusting my shirt. "No, Oliver. It's just that I don't feel ready to give certain things up."

He looked at me. "Is it because I'm a little bit older? Is that it?"

I shook my head, not really believing myself. "No, no, I don't think so. Oliver I feel blessed that I'm with you. There are more than a few girls that want you. And I have you."

He blushed. "Then why is it that you feel like you hold back?"

"I told you, I just don't feel ready to do certain things."

"No, I mean, when you kiss me…it just feels like…like you don't love me as much as I love you."

That sounded cliché. "I do love you, Oliver. Actually, I feel like that it's the opposite…"

"I can tell when you hold back whenever I kiss you. It's as if you don't want to give yourself to me wholeheartedly."

"Oliver, I don't know what would happen if I gave in to it all."

He looked at me. Maybe he was right, maybe I did hold back. I did have a lot of insecurities; maybe that was what he was feeling.

"Oliver, maybe this will help. I don't want to get too far into this and fall completely in love with you only to have it all crash down around us."

Oliver looked at me. "Maybe you're right. But are you saying that you'd rather break up right now than fall deeper in love and end up heartbroken?"

"No, Oliver. Although I'm going to end up heartbroken no matter when we break up. I'm not saying anything. I'm just giving a partial explanation to why it seems like I'm holding back."

He nodded. "All right. But you're happy, aren't you?"

I nodded, grinning. "Of course. Every time I'm with you, I'm happy."

He smiled and leaned towards me, kissing me slowly. He pushed me back down onto the bed and he settled himself on top of me.

He ran a hand down my body, my skin shuddering. He kissed my neck and I gulped, all my insectaries gone in just one kiss. His hand was on my bare skin, rubbing.

He sighed into my skin and rested his head on my shoulder, his lips against my skin. In a few seconds, he rolled off me and I turned onto my side.

I waited for Oliver to close the distance between us. He lay there for a second or two, hesitant. Slowly, he moved in against my, pressing himself and the smooth warmth of his body to me, his arm sliding around my waist. He curled against my back, spooning his body against mine, one leg over mine. His hand smoothed along my hip.

The warmth of his body at my back was comforting. Oliver held me safely against him. Usually I was the first to fall asleep, as if Oliver was waiting for me to fall asleep, watching me. I felt safe sleeping with Oliver like that, his body protecting mine. I knew that Oliver could, and would, keep me safe. Maybe not on the Quidditch pitch with Flint and Montague, but here, he kept me safe and I trusted him more than I let on.

Oliver let out a sigh into my neck and I smiled weakly, closing my eyes. It was easy to fall asleep, especially when Oliver was watching out for me.

For all who know about the "plot twist" just hold out for a few more days, its in the next chapter,you impatient people. For those who don't know, sit tight! The chapter is coming very soon! I promise!!!!!!!! It is coming in the the next chapter, chapter 25. After this next chapter, it's going to get very very hectic. Many many many more chapters are coming.....maybe up to 50 or more. :-/ hopefully you all will still be loyal reviewers and readers :-D Hope you liked!!!

Ihopeforanarchy: No, sorry, we can't skip the unfortunate chapter..sorry. But I'm just letting you know that after the person dies, it gets a lot worse. I'm just going to say now that there's going to be about 40-60 chapters. Perhaps I may even have to split it into a sequel or something. But, it's going to be pretty darn long. Lol, yes, insane nicknames ARE fun. All the dares and truths following the dares were made by my buddy Kelsey, so praise her for coming up with that. I thought of the Princess thing only because our friend, Michael's, nickname is "Sug" (short for Sugan). Long story. Happy Chrismahanakwanzakah to you, too!

Kathy: Thanks.

TooSweet4Words: Thanks

Pia O'Leary: Yeah, finals suck something awful. Alicia and George like to go public, that's all. Hehe, thank you so much!

Ilovecaptainjacks: Thanks!

banana-princess93: I KNOW! I can't believe that Fred is taken, too! Gosh darnit! Princess is so awesome!

Doodleflip: Hehe, I like that adjective: Brilliant

Lia06: Happiness is hard to keep up.

mello80: Oh no! My story made you 5 minutes late! Hehe, Oliver is so awesome! Or should I say, Princess! Hehe.

Swimgirl: thank you, hopefully I can get more chapters in since it's break. But that's just hoping.

pokethepenguin01: yes, the formal dinner is going to ROCK! Lol..THAT dare…well, I'm not really sure WHAT Alicia was going to dare her to do. It would have been something like Katie and Oliver making out. She was probably thinking that if they do that, she and George can, leaving Fred to sit there uncomfortably. :-D. Glad you liked!