Author's Note: I know I've not been updating frequently. Apologies to those who have been waiting. Finals have just finished so I'm just seizing the opportunity to put up another chapter, before I die of depression after getting back my exam scripts. Meanwhile, keep the reviews coming and I might just update faster.
This is the revised edition. I received feedback that the original chapter was too vague in portraying Oliver's character. Well, Oliver IS changing, but he is not always too arrogant for his own good. Plenty of his character will be displayed in the later chapters, so no worries. Apologies for any misunderstanding. I have decided to edit the chapter and improve it. Hopefully it will be a more enriching chapter for you all.
A big thanks to all the reviewers for the previous chapter. You're great.
Larthawyn Thanks for the really long review and the comments! You really took time to analyze the chapter. I am really grateful for that. Do update your story soon.
xxGREEN BAYxx Haha no I'm not a chelz fan…that's my nickname. Thanks for the review!
Also, definitely not forgetting:
OreoLine00, Irene, Allyson, Proudly Patriotic, Febgirl, Luvin-it, Funky, Pokethepenguin01, Shaedowe, Ice And Fire Vanessa, Lia06, Kimberly Grace and Moonlike-dreamerDisclaimer: None of the things that seem familiar here belong to me.
Resources: Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, Pages 126 to 127
Chapter 8: Apprehension And Conflicts
It was the start of the Quidditch season, and the Gryffindor team had their noses put near the grindstone under the seemingly endless training. Though the weather worsened steadily and storms were more frequent than ever as their first match drew near, they were undaunted, especially Oliver. He spent many a night burning midnight oil, drawing up plans and tactics; and a large pile of untouched homework remained by his side. He wanted to witness the crushing defeat of Slytherin and wipe the smug smile off Flint's face when they, the Gryffindor team, received the Quidditch Cup and wrenched the winning position after Slytherin's seven-year winning streak.
Unfortunately for him, the worst was yet to come. Students were filing out of the classroom after Charms when Oliver felt the presence of someone behind him. He turned to face a grinning Marcus Flint.
"What do you want?" he said, scowling at the Slytherin Quidditch Captain.
"Chill out, Wood. There's news for you. Owing to recent circumstances, apparently your team is not playing against us anymore this coming match."
"What do you mean?" Oliver snapped impatiently, dread and alarm pumping through his body, afraid of what Flint was going to say next.
Flint continued, all the while grinning and displaying his teeth.
"You will be playing against Hufflepuff, as our Seeker's arm has been severely injured by a moronic creature of a hippogriff during Care of Magical Creatures class. Good luck on getting crushed on Saturday." With that, he whipped around and walked off, leaving a shocked Oliver Wood behind.
The door burst open and Oliver strode into the room, appearing red-faced and furious. Everyone became silent, even the twins; they knew that their Captain was not one to be messed with when he was angry.
"We're not playing Slytherin!" Oliver barked, infuriated. "Flint's just been to see me. We're playing Hufflepuff instead."
The team was stunned. It was their final training session before Saturday's match and they absolutely had no more time to prepare against a new opponent.
"Huh?"
"Why?"
"Flint's excuse is that their Seeker's arms still injured," said Oliver, grinding his teeth furiously.
"But it's obvious why they're doing it. They're filthy cheaters. They don't want to play in this type of bad weather because they know it'll damage their chances."
There had been strong winds and heavy rain all day, and as he spoke, a distant rumble of thunder could be heard.
"There's nothing wrong with Malfoy's arm!" said Harry furiously. "He's faking it!"
The rest of the team felt sorry for Harry. They knew that he, especially, wanted to beat the Slytherin team and prove to Malfoy that the Gryffindor team got in on pure talent and not because they bought their way in.
I know that, but we can't prove it," said Oliver bitterly. "And we've been practicing all those moves for so long, having assumed that we're playing Slytherin, and instead it's changed to Hufflepuff at the last minute, and their style's quite different. They've got a new captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory –"
Angelina, Alicia and Katie suddenly giggled.
"What?" said Wood, frowning at this light-hearted behaviour. What was so funny about such a serious matter?
"He's that tall, good-looking one, isn't he?" said Angelina.
"Strong and silent," said Katie, and they started to giggle again.
Oliver flushed, jealousy surging in him for moment. Wasn't he strong, tall and good-looking as well? What did Katie see in Diggory? He hurriedly pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind.
"He's only silent because he's too thick to string two words together," said Fred impatiently. "I don't know why you're worried, Oliver. Hufflepuff is a pushover. Last time we played them, Harry caught the Snitch in about five minutes, remember?"
"We were playing in completely different conditions!" Oliver shouted, his eyes bulging slightly. "Diggory's put a very strong side together! He's an excellent Seeker! I was afraid you'd take it like this! We mustn't relax! We must keep our focus! Slytherin are trying to wrong-foot us! We must win!"
"Oliver, calm down!" said Fred, looking slightly alarmed. We're taking Hufflepuff very seriously. Seriously."
"Spinnet! Johnson! Bell! None of you are concentrating! You're not doing the correct formation! Fred and George, quit fooling around! Harry, you're not looking for the Snitch hard enough!" Oliver hollered. He had been this agitated since the unwelcome news arrived. The team's spirits had also dampened; and they were currently wet, streaked with mud and rainwater, and their muscles were aching terribly. Things were evidently not going well.
Katie was hearing Oliver's ceaseless complaints and insults when her patience snapped. True, Wood had a right to be angry, but he was too much, first by forcing the team to continue practicing for hours in the rain; and now he was going crazy, hurling insults at everyone else at the most minor flaws. She rose to her full height, and said bluntly.
"Listen, Wood. How can you expect everyone to play perfectly in such weather? We're all tired, and making us practice in this rain isn't going to help at all. If you'd just stop shouting yourself hoarse and speak normally, you might make things more pleasant for everyone else here."
Oliver was fed up. "Well, it appears that you don't appreciate the constructive criticism I'm giving you, Bell. Don't you want the Quidditch Cup? Here I am trying to help improve your moves, and yet you are complaining that I'm throwing insulting comments. If you feel that way, then leave."
Katie had a dangerous glint in her eye, one that appeared when she was irate. "I was just trying to say that…" she protested hotly, but stopped halfway, knowing that Wood, being the stubborn prat he was, was never going to see things her way. Arguing with him was only wasting everyone's time and her energy.
"Fine…fine." She said slowly, staring at Wood with a face void of emotions. Then, without a backward glance, Katie walked towards the castle, broom in hand.
The next morning, Katie was feeling better after her beauty sleep, but she still refused to talk to Oliver, despite the fact that the match was in a few hours' time. All she had said to the rest of the team was that, "Of course I'll play, but only because I'm a member of the Quidditch team, not because of him. I'm being kind, because he deserves much worse than silent treatment."
Oliver himself was feeling extremely nervous. He had been awake since four in the morning, walking around and muttering to himself. He dreaded the upcoming match; and furthermore hated Bell for being madder at him than she usually was. Her silent treatment made him feel vacant; and he would rather have her snap at him in her normal, sarcastic way than completely ignoring him. It wasn't entirely his fault he was so Quidditch-obsessed; after all, he was sure majority of the population in Hogwarts, with the exception of Slytherin, wanted to witness his team kick Flint's team's sorry ass.
"Morning Captain." Fred and George approached Oliver on their way down to breakfast.
"Morning", Oliver muttered, clearly unenthusiastic about talking.
The twins were looking rather serious; Oliver supposed they had something important to tell him. Yet, he did not wish to listen, for he knew what was coming.
"Hey, Oliver. Look, what you did yesterday was not right. Sure, Katie was too blunt, but you were also too harsh towards all of us. You even vented your anger on her. Now both of you are not talking. You really should go and apologize to her. After all, both of you are supposed to be an item; and we've been waiting for six years already. Get a grip, Wood!" George said honestly.
Oliver snapped. He was fed up, and wondered that why should he always be the one apologizing to Katie. Of course he meant those things he had told Katie sincerely, but she was evidently taking advantage of the situation. He didn't see why he had to always be the one pleasing her. Anger and frustration overwhelmed him so much that he viciously punched the wall next to him.
"Just get lost, you two. I do NOT need any preaching, thank you very much. Damn it, why must it always be me that is in the wrong? Why don't you tell this to Katie Bell? After all, she is always creating trouble. I have too much on my plate already to care about her and her problems. Just…just get out of my sight. Leave me alone." Oliver spoke in a strained voice, ready to rip anything into shreds. The twins were appalled and decided it was the right for their departure.
"All right, Wood. We'll go. But don't regret it when you can't get her. Remember, she's not like so many other girls, who would fall for you at first sight. You don't have a lot of time." That was all Fred said as the twins brushed past Wood and continued walking, without even a backward glance.
Oliver Wood barely touched any food on the breakfast table, having no appetite to eat; and instead chose to spend his time by ordering his team to "eat up" and "build up your energy", while the rest of the Gryffindors looked on with amusement.
"Katie, you can't avoid talking to our dear Captain forever, you know", Angelina whispered to her silent friend, after making sure Wood was out of earshot.
"Oh yes I can. At least I will, until he flattens his ego and apologizes." Katie replied firmly.
"But can't you see that you're affecting him? He likes you so much that now he's going crazy just because you're not talking to him. Wake up, Katie!" Alicia said, shaking her head in despair at her stubborn friend.
"Oh, you're both talking rubbish. He's just being more insane than usual because there's a match later and he can't afford to not have his dear Quidditch Cup this year. Isn't it obvious?" Katie snapped coldly.
Just then, Oliver strode up to the three girls, wanting to speak to them. Unfortunately, he heard Katie's harsh words and stopped in front of them, taken aback and unable to retort. Alicia, Angelina kept silent, seeing that Wood was severely wounded on the inside. However, Oliver and Katie's eyes interlocked with each other, Wood's eyes visibly showing hurt and frustration, while the message in Katie's eyes was unreadable. Oliver then broke the awkward silence by looking away and clearing his throat.
"Girls, go to your dorms and change. Hurry up and meet me at the locker room."
The atmosphere in the locker room was tense and solemn. The team sat on their benches, fully clothed in their burgundy Quidditch robes and broom in hand, waiting for their seemingly distracted Captain to deliver his usual prep talk.
"All right, team. You know this match against Hufflepuff determines our chances of winning the Cup. Don't let your guard down at any time during the game; and if we play like we normally do, gaining the upper hand won't be a problem."
As if on cue, the whistle of Madam Hooch, the referee, sounded. Hundreds of students could be heard filing into the arena, chatting as laughing as they took their seats. Oliver took a deep breath to calm himself and walked briskly towards the door.
"Well, here goes."
Oliver stood next to the door, letting all his teammates pass by first. As the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team walked out together onto the field, bright sunlight and a breeze caressed them. Oliver was in the lead, his mouth in a thin line and jaw clenched tightly. Facing them was a group of people wearing canary-yellow robes, led by a tall, flaxen, and handsome boy.
The match was about to begin.
How was it? Rather boring, I presume, but I promise the next chapter will be more interesting. Hopefully it will be up soon. In the meantime, do review! )
