Chapter 24:
Happy Christmas
"Katie? Are you ready? Oliver's waiting!" Katie couldn't keep the smile off her face as she heard her mother yell 'Oliver's waiting'. She brushed a loose curl out of her face and started downstairs, but not before checking herself over in the mirror one more time.
She took a deep breath as the foyer, and Oliver came into view. She couldn't help giggle quietly as she saw him. He was wearing a muggle suit and a tie that matched her dress perfectly. He was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, just like he did before a Quidditch game; a sure sign that he was nervous. On the little side table, the one that held the bowl for the keys and such, there was a clear little box. Oliver kept glancing at the box, between glancing at the clock and the stairs of course. Inside it was a small, but elegant corsage with two white roses. When he caught sight of Katie he couldn't help but break into a grin.
She was wearing the beautiful red dress; not only did it fit her flawlessly, it made her look, in Oliver's opinion, like a goddess. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail of soft, smooth ringlets, with a few ringlets framing her face. He hadn't had the chance to talk to her since she discovered her dress and accessories, so he was, understandably, a bit nervous. But he decided that since she was not only wearing the dress, shawl, and shoes, but also smiling sweetly at him, there wasn't much to be worried about.
Aimee's voice broke them both out of their trance as Katie reached the bottom of the stairs. "We won't wait up, I'm sure you two are responsible enough to get yourselves home … safely." Aimee gave Katie a knowing smile as Oliver was silently reminded of Paddy's older brother speech by a sharp poke in the ribs from the said older brother.
"Yes, of course, Mrs. Bell," Oliver said, his eyes still lingering on Katie, who just smiled back at him.
"Have fun, darling," Daniel said as he stepped forward and gave Katie a hug and a kiss on the forehead, Aimee and Paddy followed suit before leaving the foyer.
"Hi," Katie said bashfully, biting her lip.
"Hello." Oliver cleared his throat as he picked up the corsage and held it out to Katie. She smiled and walked forward, allowing him to slip it onto her wrist. Katie pulled her shawl around her shoulders as Oliver put on his suit coat, and, without saying anything more, he took her hand in his and led her outside, closing the front door of the Bell house behind them. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and offered it to Katie. She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Portkey."
"Oh." She put her hand on it and within seconds they felt the familiar tug at the back of their navels. Katie opened her eyes again once she felt herself on firm ground and gasped involuntarily as she took in her surroundings.
She and Oliver were standing at the top of a hill; the sun was setting in front of them and she noticed that they were just outside of Hogsmeade. The sunset was absolutely breathtaking; the colors going from red to orange to yellow and all the colors in between. She felt Oliver wrap his arms around her waist from behind, but was too mesmerized by the sunset to react.
A few minutes later, when the moment had passed and the sun almost completely gone, Katie turned around in Oliver's arms so that she was facing him and kissed him sweetly. "That was beautiful, thank you."
"The night hasn't even begun yet, Miss Bell." Oliver smiled mischievously as he took Katie's hand and led her down the hill, towards Hogsmeade. "And, just as a disclaimer because I know you'll say something, we're going to Bucca di Beppo and you don't need to worry about the prices."
Katie's eyes widened at the mention of one of the most expensive, delicious but expensive, restaurants in Hogsmeade. It sold the most delectable Italian food in all of England, save a few places in London. "But Oliver that place is like –"
"Your favorite, I know." He gave her a look and she knew she wasn't going to win this battle, so she decided to just let it go. But he was right; her parents had brought her there for her birthday when she was 12 and since then it had been her favorite restaurant. Oliver shot her a cheeky grin as they reached the restaurant and he held the door open for her.
The concierge turned up his nose a little and snootily asked, "Do you have a reservation?" as if he expected them not to.
"Yes, under Oliver Wood."
"Oh, of course Mr. Wood! Can I take your coats?" Oliver and Katie shook their heads, trying not to burst out laughing at the concierge's overly sweet tone. "Right this way." The man led them to their table, handed them their menus, and left without another word.
"So, Kate, would you trust me to order?"
Katie chuckled and smiled across the table at him. "No, Ol', because I don't think you know what I really like, considering you've only been my best friend for 6 years."
"You're so evil, do you know that?"
"Hmm, but that's why you love me." They exchanged a smile as Katie put down the menu. "I didn't get a chance to thank you, yet … for this dress," she smiled and blushed as she looked down at it.
"Only the best for my Kate," Oliver replied as he took her hand in his from across the table and kissed it gently. She giggled and bit her lip, blushing slightly.
Just then, the waiter came over and asked for their order. Grinning mischievously, Oliver leaned over and whispered something to the waiter. He was going to make Katie wait until the food was brought out to see if he had ordered correctly or not. Katie just rolled her eyes.
"I'm assuming my brother gave you his … "speech", eh?" Katie giggled as Oliver nodded, slightly more pale than he had been a few seconds ago.
"Your brother is … well he's just bloody scary. But don't tell him that I'm scared of him."
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I think he already knows," she whispered, leaning closer to Oliver.
"Shh," he replied with a smirk, pressing one finger against his lips.
The waiter returned a little while later with the food and Katie was slightly surprised to see that Oliver had picked exactly what she would have chosen herself; Seafood fettuccini Alfredo.
Two Hours Later
"So where are we going now, Oliver?"
"Shh, you'll see." He grinned mischievously as he and Katie started down the main road of Hogsmeade, away from Bucca di Beppo. She rolled her eyes, but smiled, as she rested her head on Oliver's shoulder. Within a few minutes, they were well outside of Hogsmeade, in a large field, covered with pure, white snow.
Katie gasped involuntarily as it came into view. A huge green blanket spread on the ground, with hundreds of candles on top of it, all flickering slightly in the breeze. She noticed a bottle of champagne and two glasses, along with a box of chocolate … Swiss chocolates. She laughed, thinking of the 15 lb bar of chocolate that she still hadn't finished eating.
It took her a few moments to realize that Oliver was leading her over to the blanket. Upon entering the perimeter of the blanket, she realized that there was a heating charm on it and it was a very pleasant temperature. He motioned for her to sit down and she did, only to be surprised at how comfortable it was, as if she were sitting on a pillow rather than the ground. Oliver sat down next to her and reached for the champagne. He popped the cork and poured some into the two glasses, not taking his eyes off of Katie.
Handing her the glass, Oliver kissed her on the cheek and whispered, "Happy Christmas, Kate."
"Happy Christmas, Ol'." Their glasses clinked together a moment later, before they both took a sip of champagne. Then, Oliver set his glass down and reached into his coat pocket. A moment later, he produced a long, thin, black, velvet box. Katie cocked an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as he handed it to her.
She started to open it, but Oliver put his hand over hers and interrupted with, "Wait." He smiled as he moved his hands up from hers to cup her face. Slowly, he pulled her forward and gently pushed his lips against hers. It was a simple, sweet kiss, much like their first and Katie couldn't stop herself from beaming as Oliver pulled away. She blushed slightly as she saw the look of complete adoration splayed on Oliver's face. "Okay, now you can open it," he whispered.
Katie smiled at him curiously, but didn't say anything as she clicked open the box. She gasped involuntarily as she saw what was inside. There, laying on the silk inside of the box, was a beautiful silver, heart-shaped locket and chain. On the front of the locket was the claddagh figure and on the back was an engraving: "You hold my heart in your hands". The chain was a simple silver one and on the inside of the locket were two pictures; one of Katie and one of Oliver.
"Do you like it?" He seemed slightly nervous, which made Katie laugh.
"Are you kidding? I love it! It's beautiful!" Katie couldn't hold back her smile and simply leaned towards Oliver, capturing his lips with hers. "I love you, Oliver Benjamin Wood."
"And I love you, Katherine Anne Bell." Oliver smiled and took the necklace from her; she turned and held up her hair so that he could clasp it around her neck. He kissed the base of her neck before wrapping his arms around her waist and sighing contentedly. Her hand started, unconsciously, to fiddle with the locket, as they sat there in comfortable silence.
"Oh! I have to give you your present!" Katie pulled away slightly and reached for her purse. A few seconds later, she produced a small, cream-colored envelop. "It's not much."
"Nonsense." Oliver smiled and kissed her forehead before taking the envelop from her and opening it. He pulled out two pieces of cardstock and nearly fainted. "Kates … are these … are these what I think they are!"
"Well, if you think that they're two tickets to the worlds, then yes." Katie laughed out loud at Oliver's face, which looked just like that of a little kid that had just gotten his first broomstick.
"I'm going to the worlds! I'm going to the worlds! Oh Kates, this is the best Christmas present ever!" Oliver kissed her repeatedly. They both knew, for a fact, that the final game was going to involve Puddlemere, one way or another.
Both of them had to agree … this had been their favorite Christmas ever.
A/N: Wow, guys! I'm really sorry! I can't believe how horrible I've been to all my fabulous readers! ARG! Well, I do have good news though: Mock Trial is over; nearly everything else is over, so Pia O'Leary is back! WOO! The next chapter will be up this time next week and the following chapter is not quite done yet, but should be done sometime the week after. Please don't' hate me for taking so long! Please review!
Aya777: Thanks!
Sinoda: LOL, nice. I'm glad you liked them! Yeah, Patty is quite possibly, my favorite character in this story. After this fic is finished, I'm writing another one about Fred and Angelina and then another about George and Alicia, so look out for those!
Nat: LOL! Just trust me! I promise that everything will work out the way it's supposed to – no, not necessarily the way you WANT it to, but the way it's SUPPOSED to! Seriously though, don't worry about it. There will be sequals and all that jazz, so I promise not to leave you hanging! LOL, I hope you liked this chapter then! Oliver was immensely sweet in it! Meh, I LOVE Cherry Coke, but Coke doesn't really hold a very special place in my heart … sorry. LOL, I'm sorry that this took so long and I'm sorry that you were stuck at your cousin's bday party, I know how that is! Thanks a bunch!
Mello80: EEP! I'm sorry that this chapter took such a long time! Good thing you didn't hold your breath, hehe. I hope this lived up to expectations!
Bubbleishness: LOL, by 'bang' I mean … well you'll just have to keep reading and find out! I know, I'm evil, but I'm okay with that!
BeckySue2: LOL! I'm sorry! And I'm super sorry that this took so long. Yeah, I don't usually leave cliffies, but every once in a while I like to switch it up! Besides, the ending fit so it worked!
HarryPotterFan670: LOL, thanks! Sorry for the long wait!
