CHAPTER THREE

Oliver woke up early the next morning to someone shoving him awake. "Oliver, wake up. It's breakfast time." Somebody called to him. "In a minute." He groaned from under the pillow. "Wish I could give you a minute, but somebody wants to see you downstairs. She seems a tad miffed that she has to wait outside. Since when did you decide to chummy up with Quidditch members of the other Houses hmmm?" Fred Weasley asked him. "Who's waiting?" Oliver asked from beneath the sheet. "Some girl named Mae. Look, Katie told me to go wake you up, since girls can't get into our dormitory." Fred indifferently said.

Oliver vaulted out of bed. "I'll be right out, just let me change out of my pajamas." He said, running to the chest of drawers where his clothes were kept. "Get to it mate. And brush your teeth too, it's repulsive when you meet someone with morning breath." George said.

Fast as lightning, Oliver was out with fresh breath and neatly combed hair. He ran out the portrait hole and saw Mae sitting on the ground near the painting of the Fat Lady. "Mae, um, good morning." Oliver said, in a voice that sounded a little too cheery. "Morning Wood. It's about time you woke up." Mae said in a brisk manner. "You wanted to ask me something?" he asked, his heart beginning to rumba against his chest. "Well, not really. I just wanted you to know that I was really insulted by what you said yesterday after the match. Just because you're team captain doesn't mean that you can look down at other players. Or aspiring ones, for that matter." She tartly said, arms crossed on her chest. "Uhm…" Oliver began. "And furthermore, you should keep your eyes on the game, and not on the players. You embarrassed me when you winked at me. Now all my friends think there's something going on between us." She cut in. He held up his hands. "Mae, listen. Quidditch gets to my head a lot, and I usually end up doing things I don't normally do when I'm thinking straight. I apologize for winking at you, and for humiliating you like that. You are a good Chaser, better than a lot of replacements I've seen. It's a wonder you're a replacement and not a player. " He said. She eyed him carefully. "If you mean it…" she began. "Trust me, I do. And if we could, maybe we could start over. Properly this time." He suggested.

Mae looked at him. "OK. I'm Mae Hargrove. Nice to meet you." She said, holding out her hand for him to shake. "Oliver Wood. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He replied, shaking her hand. "You were going to have breakfast?" she asked. "Yes, I was. I'm on my way to the Great Hall right now. Would you like to accompany me there?" he asked.

They walked together, ignoring whispering people and when they had to part ways, Oliver said to Mae, "Nice meeting you. I'll see you around." She smiled at him, and Oliver sat between George Weasley and Lee Jordan. "Mates, did you see who Oliver brought with him today? Awfully lovely wasn't she?" Lee snidely said. Oliver turned a bright pink. "Well, nothing happened." He replied, putting some bacon on his plate. "If nothing happened, how come you walked her here?" George asked. "And if I'm not mistaken, wasn't she the one who wanted to talk to you, and that's why I had to wake you up?" Fred smiled in a not-so-innocent manner. Oliver's face turned from pink to red. "Let's just say we settled something, and got off on the right foot with the other alright? Nothing's happening between us, and none of that bosh is true." He said. "Alright mate, no need to get so defensive. Jeez, and I thought the nuts were all in Azkaban." Lee said, holding up his knife and fork in surrender.

After breakfast, Oliver went back to the Gryffindor dormitory to grab his book bag when he caught sight of Mae with her friends. She was bright pink with her friends all seeming to be laughing at her. "Look, there he is!" one of them squealed, pointing at Oliver. They all herded towards him. "Oliver, what happened yesterday? I mean, we caught it all on those Omnioculars." One of them squeaked. Oliver looked helplessly at Mae. "Nothing. It was just a mistake." He choked out. "A mistake? But we saw it all, over and over again, and in slow motion. You can't deny it!" another said. "I am unusually prone to mistakes when I'm playing Quidditch, and of course, who wouldn't be, when you have to beat a certain House for the twentieth time in a row?" he said, before giving them a slow smile and walking away. "Oooh, he's a charmer. Don't let him get away Mae." He heard one of her friends tease.

"Game, set, match." Oliver smiled to himself as he walked towards his dormitory.