A.N.) Ok, I did honestly write a little bit while in Florida with Chorus. But, for the most part, I was very distracted by singing, riding rides in Disney, and swimming with seriously hot guys from school. Yeah. Can ya blame me for putting writing second? Lol. But, we won 1st in the nation (ROCK ON KMHS CHORUS!) and now he's the next chapter without anymore delay.


>Oliver>

>dreaming>

"Cristina? Where are you?" I called out, the darkness blinding me.

I stumbled over everything, branches and thorns tearing at my skin and clothes. Where was my wand?

We had wandered too far into the forest. Now we were lost, no light and separated from each other.

"Oliver! I'm over here! I can't see you!" she yelled in reply, her voice distant.

"Stay where you are! I'm coming to you!" I shouted, stumbling constantly as I made my way toward her voice.

I stopped where I was when I heard something moving behind me. Although I couldn't see anything in the dark, I turned around to face what was following me.

As soon as I had turned, my follower shot past me, a force of some kind throwing me to the ground.

Recovering quickly, I ran after it, afraid that whatever it was went after Cristina. My skin stung from every twig and branch that slapped me as I ran past.

"Cristina! Run!" I yelled, praying I could reach her first.

I kept pushing myself to go faster and faster, but I was already going as fast as I could. My lungs were burning and my legs were numb, but I couldn't afford to stop.

Ahead of me, I saw a red flash, yet it was too distant for me to see more than outlines of trees and other foliage. I was plunged into darkness again when the light faded away.

I tripped over something and fell hard face first, sliding until friction stopped me. I couldn't move, exhaustion finally taking over me. I could hardly keep my eyes open, my body trying to shut down so I could recover.

A loud scream brought me to my feet and a sharp pain shot through my leg. Ignoring the pain, I made my way to the screaming as quickly as I could, the last of my energy keeping me going.

Suddenly a blinding white light filled the air, forcing me to stop where I was. It slowly began to dim enough to where I could open my eyes.

I was standing on the edge of a giant pit, no end in sight, or at least none that I could see.

"Oliver! Help me!" I heard Cristina cry out.

I looked down and saw her barely hanging onto a tree root that was poking through the dirt walls.

I dropped down and reached for her, lying as far over the edge as I could without risking myself falling too. Cristina reached for me and grabbed my hands.

"Hold on! I can't lose you again!" I shouted as I started to pull her up.

Cristina was just climbing out when something hit me hard, throwing me against a tree and knocking the wind out of me. I couldn't focus on anything and the world kept spinning around me.

I couldn't move, my body finally having shut down. I felt a hand on my back and managed to open my eyes enough to see Cristina at my side, her wand out and ready in case the attacker came back.

"Oliver, stay with me. We'll make it through this. Please, I can't lose you," Cristina whispered into my ear.

"I can't lose you..."


"I can't lose you!" I cried, sitting straight up.

I woke up in a cold sweat, forgetting where I was. Taking a few deep breaths, I drew back the curtains to see if I'd woken anyone up.

Either no one had heard me or they were all hard sleepers.

I got out of bed and got dressed. I'd shower later. What time was it anyway? I looked at my watch. Seven o'clock Sunday morning. When did I go to bed?

Trying to go back to bed would be useless. I needed to walk.

I made my way out of the Common Room silently. Being alone was what I wanted right now.

The Hospital Wing was empty at this early hour, save for the one occupied bed near the far end of the room. I walked silently to that bed, still not wanting to draw any attention to myself. Thankfully, all the portraits were vacant at this time.

I sat on Cristina's bed and took her uninjured hand in mine. She hadn't moved from when I last saw her yesterday afternoon.

I gently stroked her hand mindlessly, gazing at her from where I sat.

The pale, early morning light washed a grey-blue color over her body, making her look cold and surreal. Her hair was still pulled back in a tight braid, a few loose strands crossing her face.

I let down her hair and brushed the loose strands off her face. Her hair looked like a dark halo around her head, the sight of it eerie to me.

I took her good hand and pressed it to my face, the warmth of her skin still present, despite the cold morning light.

All I could do was sit there on her bed, holding her hand against my face, wondering what I could've done to keep this from happening to her.

"What could I have done to protect you?" I asked, closing my eyes as my voice disappeared into empty space.

"Don't blame yourself. You're as bad as me," someone whispered near me.

I spun around quickly to find Cristina awake, a small grin on her face. She squeezed my hand as though to prove I wasn't dreaming.

"I guess I am as bad as you," I said, managing a laugh.

I felt like a massive weight had been lifted off my chest. Just to have Cristina smiling again made me feel like the world was better.

"How long have I been out?" she asked, fully awake now but her voice was still soft.

"Since yesterday afternoon," I replied, gently stroking her cheek.

"Did we win?" Cristina asked me, grinning.

"Now I've turned you into me," I said, laughing. "And yes, we won. 350-0."

Cristina winced as she tried to laugh, wrapping her good arm around her chest.

"What happened to me?" she asked softly, looking up at me.

I told her what happened, why we guessed Slytherin didn't play up to their dirty standards, what they had done to her, and the injuries she had suffered.

I could see the fierce fire in her sapphire eyes spark again, quickly becoming a roaring flame.

"That bastard!" Cristina growled, yanking the covers off of her and jumping out of bed, only to wince and yelp in pain, falling back against me.

"Take it easy! Don't hurt yourself anymore. Please lay back down," I said, supporting her body against mine.

Reluctantly, Cristina got back into bed with my help, though she remained upright.

I put my hand on her bare shoulder, Cristina quickly pulling away, pulling the covers up to her neck.

"Why didn't you tell me I was exposed like that!" Cristina exclaimed, blushing as she continued to hold up the sheets.

"You're not exposed. Trust me, I can't see anything," I replied, rolling my eyes at her.

Cristina took a minute to make sure I was being truthful before dropping the sheets. I'd never lie to her.

"How long am I out?" she asked, finally settling down.

"At least a few weeks," Madam Pomphrey answered, surprising us as she walked in.

"I can't be out that long! The team needs me!" Cristina shouted, trying to get up again.

I held her down as gently as I could, not wanting to injure her anymore.

"You will not leave here or play again until I say you can," Madam Pomphrey replied sharply, shooting me a look. "Now, Mr. Wood, you must leave."

Cristina protested, but Madam Pomphrey would not hear a word of it. There was nothing I could do to extend my stay.

"I'll be back later" I whispered, brushing her hair back and kissing her forehead.

"Oliver, have Kylie replace me. She's the only one who can. Trust me, she's very good as a Chaser," Cristina said, squeezing my hand before I was thrown out.

Making my way back to the Common Room, I couldn't help but smile. I had every reason to. Cristina was awake and would be ok, even though she wouldn't play Quidditch for a while.

Walking into the Common Room, I went up to my dorm, my friends and roommates still asleep.

After all, it was still pretty early.

I went over to my trunk and pulled out some clean clothes and went to shower. Closing the door behind me, I set my clothes on my shelf and started the shower.

Stepping into the shower, I let the hot water cascade over me and my mind wander.

My mind continued to go over one thought after another, Cristina the only focus.

I'd never felt that helpless before, seeing the girl I loved more than anything lying on the ground, defenseless, battered and bruised, her body motionless as we played on.

The fear of the thought of losing her still haunted me, my nightmare having seemed so real.

Cristina meant the world to me. Despite popular belief, Quidditch was not my world; Cristina was. I don't know what I would do without her.

She's not like any other girl around. She doesn't throw herself at me, trying to get my attention. She doesn't treat me any differently from her other guy friends. We were each others' equal, teammates, friends, and now lovers. We deeply respected each other, sharing ideas, plays, and sometimes homework too. Cristina was smart, witty, outgoing, sensitive, beautiful, friendly, athletic, competitive, loving, and had an attitude that proved she didn't tolerate crap from people.

I love Cristina more than anyone would ever know. No matter what, no one will ever change that.

My thought finally done processing, I turned off the shower and dried myself off.

After I wrapped my towel around my waist, I wiped the fog off part of the mirror and just stood there looking at my reflection.

My clone stared back at me, tall, strong, attractive, and proud. He looked like someone who could easily protect the girl he loved.

I got dressed and looked at my clone again, my hair dripping onto my shirt.

I was that guy in the mirror. I was the tall, strong, attractive, and proud guy looking at myself.

I can easily protect the girl I love. I won't allow anyone to hurt Cristina again.


"Kylie! I need to talk to you!" I called out as I walked into the noisy Great Hall.

Kylie and Harry looked up, smiles still on their faces.

"Sure. How's Cristina doing?" Kylie asked as I sat down in front of them.

"She's awake now. Aside from the fact she's pissed because she's out of Quidditch for a while, she'll be fine," I replied, putting food on my plate.

"Who's going to replace her until she comes back?" Harry asked.

"Well, she named someone, and I agreed," I replied, smiling.

"And?" Harry pushed on.

"You're sitting next to her," I answered, still smiling at them.

"Me? This is incredible! I'm so excited!" Kylie exclaimed, her face lighting up as she hugged Harry.

I finished breakfast and left them to celebrate. It wasn't a long term replacement, but I knew they were still happy.

The Common Room was full of students when I walked in, but no one said anything to me. I guess they all figured I still wanted to be alone.

I went up to my dorm and grabbed my books and other supplies. Knowing how Cristina was about her school work, I went over to her room to get her supplies.

Cristina's dorm was empty as I went over to her trunk, though her roommates don't mind my coming in there, as long as they're all decent.

After I grabbed her stuff, I walked back to the Hospital Wing, hoping I wouldn't get kicked out again. Cristina was sitting up when I walked in and waved me over.

I went over to her and sat on her bed. She grinned at me when she saw my books.

"You know me too well," Cristina said, still grinning.

"Guess I do," I replied, setting my stuff down. "So what would you like to start with?"

"How about Divination? I'm interested to know what my fate is now," she answered, rolling her eyes.

"Alright then. Let's get started."


A.N.) I know. It's taken me a while to finish this chapter. Gimme a break, I've had a lot on my mind and a lot to do. School ends this week and then I'll be at work almost every day. Whitewater just opened this weekend and I am very proud to say that I did the impossible and made it to Deep Water guard. Yup. I'm a Wave Pool lifeguard now. Extra dollar of pay (which is actually quite good with all the hours I work) and the really cute guys tend to be on Wave Pool. Hehe...go me. Anyway, R and R as usual and I swear I have already started the next chapter (something has to keep me awake in this last week of Trig).