AN Please if you reviewed this the first time it was posted, review again! this story was deleted because it had song lyrics. hopefully I can get some old reviewers back! THANKS!
Chapter 3: There's No Place Like Home
Oliver and Katie left the platform together. Katie's eyes were open for a four people, a two tall men, a medium sized but well rounded lady, and a small girl. Outside Platform 9 ¾, Katie was enveloped by hugs the moment she saw her family, who all had blonde hair.
"Oh darling! It's so good to see you!" exclaimed her mom, Alanna Potts-Bell. Alanna held on to her middle child until Katie squeaked, "Mum, please, let me breeeattthhee." Immediately Katie was released as Alanna said shamefacedly, "Sorry honey." Katie looked at Oliver, who was smirking.
"There's my Kate! Looks like Oliver's been taking good care of you" said Terence Bell, Katie's father, hugging his daughter. "Hey dad!" laughed Katie. Oliver inserted, "Yes sir." Terence's eyes twinkled but he said gruffly, "No funny business, Oliver. Otherwise we'll have to report you to your parents." Oliver saluted in an impression of a soldier reporting for duty. Terence just chuckled and winked: he never would think any boy was good enough for Katie, but Oliver came pretty darn close. It helped that the elder Woods and Bells had been friends at Hogwarts, many, many years ago.
Katie turned her attention to her older brother, Sean, and younger sister, Giselle. Sean, who was two years out of Hogwarts, rubbed Katie's head and hugged her, while Giselle, a nine-year old, squealed and hugged her favorite and only sister.
Sean asked menacingly, "Has that bloke been good to you? If not, he's got another one coming." Katie just smiled at her big brother. "Thanks Sean, but Oliver's been wonderful."
"Good," Sean replied. Then he grinned. "I didn't want to beat up one of my best mates anyway." Giselle giggled.
The three Bell siblings proceeded to talk animatedly about their respective years, while Oliver's parents spotted their son through the crowd and came over to greet him.
Josh Wood shook his son's hand, clapped him on the back, and said, "It's good to have you home, son," in a thicker Scottish accent than Oliver ever had. Josh was a buff man, as could be predicted, for he had instilled in his only child his love, er, obsession with quidditch. Christie Wood, a lean brunette, hugged Oliver and kissed him on the cheek. Oliver groaned, "MUM! I'm almost 18!" Christie ignored her son and continued her embrace by playing with his hair. Oliver looked past his mom and saw Katie smirking. "All's fair in love and war," she muttered. Her boyfriend just sighed.
The two families finally calmed down enough for Terence to say, "All right, all of you, let's get in the car and go home." The Woods and the Bells walked out to the parking lot, Terence pulling Katie's trunk.
Katie linked her arms with her brother and sister, looked at her father quizzically. She asked, "Car? You mean that good-for-nothing Muggle contraption?"
Terence smiled. He was a jovial and good-humored man. "Sweetie, you see, these aren't ordinary Muggle cars. My friend, Arthur Weasley of the Muggle department at the Ministry, let me borrow these for the day. They're five-person cars bewitched to fit all eight of us and our luggage. Ah! Here we are."
The two families, following Terence's cue, stopped in front of a silver car labeled, "2005 Honda Civic." Josh merely grunted and started piling Oliver and Katie's bags in the trunk. Apparently, he was a man of as few words as possible. Katie, Giselle, and Sean walked to the side of the car and opened a door.
"Wow," they exclaimed simultaneously. The interior of the car was decked out like the inside of the Hogwarts Express, but it was one large compartment with a fancy table and chandelier. Everything was scarlet, as befitted the former, current, and future Gryffindors. Arthur Weasley had spared no expense in getting this car ready for his friends.
"See, what did I tell you?" asked Terence, his mouth wide in a smile. He climbed into the driver's seat. "We'll be there in no time. Only about a ten minute 'drive.'"
After they were all settled in, Oliver, Katie, Sean and Giselle on one side, and Christie, Josh, and Alanna on the other side, Christie looked at Katie and asked, "How are you, dear?"
"Fine, thanks, Mrs. Wood," replied Katie. "In fact-----"
Katie never got to finish her statement, for all of a sudden, Giselle crowed, "Everybody look! We're flying above the clouds!" All heads turned towards the window, and they all gasped.
"It's almost as beautiful as flying on a broomstick," murmured Oliver. Katie rolled her eyes at this.
She retorted, "Oh shut up, Ol, nothing is beautiful to you compared to Quidditch."
"Maybe so, but I think that you'd give Quidditch a run any day in my book," said Oliver very seriously, turning to look directly into Katie's warm blue eyes. Katie flushed crimson, and stared back.
Neither of them noticed the happy smiles of their parents, and Katie's siblings.
Sean Bell thought, "I never would have expected Oliver to be so perfect for Katie. They complement each other perfectly. Though if he hurts her, I WILL beat him up, best mate or no." Sean worked at Gringotts and was a curse breaker, just like Bill Weasley.
Giselle Bell thought wistfully, "I wish I had a boyfriend. Why don't any boys like me? Oh yeah, there are no boys around where we live." She sighed. "I can't wait to get to Hogwarts, she thought. She conveniently forgot the fact that she was only nine years old and not of age to get a boyfriend.
Alanna Bell and Christie Wood were both thinking about the imminent wedding, from the color of the dresses to the dishes to be served at the reception to the number of guests to be invited.
Josh Wood merely thought. "It took them long enough to figure out they were madly in love with her."
Up front, Terence just thought, "I thought spring was the time of love. Not summer." He made a gagging noise, and interrupted Oliver and Katie.
When Oliver and Katie broke their gaze, they noticed the smiles on their families' faces. Katie asked, "Do I WANT to know?"
The answer was unanimous. "NO."
Oliver put his arm around Katie, and noted with pleasure that his own parents were sitting close to each other. "Good, he thought, then they can't tease me about MY relationship, he thought." He decided to change the topic.
"Anyone want some pumpkin juice? I found some under the seats," said Oliver.
Soon there was a toast, a toast taking place in an airborne car. "To summer!" cried Alanna. "To summer," everyone exclaimed, taking a swig out of their flasks after clinking them together.
The car landed as soon as all the flasks were empty. That is, about 15 seconds after they were filled. It was 7 pm.
Katie jumped out of the car and looked around. Rolling hills surrounded her. The trees of the forest were in full bloom and birds chirped merrily. A small breezed whisked by and mussed up Katie's hair, but she did not care. There was not a cloud in the beautiful blue sky. A small path ran through the hills and led to the small wizarding village of Hillsbury. It was good to be home.
Oliver grabbed Katie's hand and said, "Let's run home together." Katie nodded vigorously, and they ran, hand in hand to their houses while the others walked.
They stopped when they reached two gorgeous Victorian mansions, on side by side farms. Lucky that the two were formidable athletes, so they were not out of breath at all and had left their parents (and in Katie's case, siblings) behind by a long distance. The Bell house was a little bigger, but all wizarding circles would consider both homes grand. Oliver's backyard had a quidditch field next to the forest, while Katie's backyard had a large cricket field. The Bells firmly believed in keeping in touch with the Muggle world, much to their village's chagrin.
Oliver said, "Katie, want to meet tomorrow to fly around?"
"Of course, Oliver, anything."
"Great! Well, I'd best be getting inside and unpacked. See you tomorrow, love." With that, Oliver bent his head and kissed her softly on the lips. Katie leaned into the kiss, but broke it quickly.
She whispered, and gestured towards the walking figures, "Let's not give THEM anything else to gossip about. They're almost here."
Oliver nodded, and walked into the Wood house with a cheerful wave at Katie and her family, who were in sight and waved back.
Chez Les BellsThe five Bells trooped merrily into their home. Katie sighed contentedly, and immediately went to the living room and sat in her favorite couch. She closed her eyes. Giselle eagerly followed her sister, and plopped down right next to Katie.
Giselle said with a pout, "I've missed you! When do I get to go to Hogwarts? Can I go next year? I want to play Quidditch for the Gryffidor team! And I want to learn where Fred and George got all their tricks!"
Katie's eyes snapped open and became wide with horror. Merlin forbid the twins get hands on Giselle! They had known her since she was little, having been frequent guests. But that didn't mean that they wouldn't play tricks on her. Oh boy.
"GIRLS! It's time for supper!" exclaimed Alanna from the dining room.
"Yes, Mum, we're coming!" replied Giselle. To Katie she said, "You will tell me about school later right?"
Katie stood up, grabbed her sister's hand, gave it a squeeze and said, "After supper." Giselle nodded happily and bounced alongside Katie to the dining room.
Mrs. Bell had spared no expense in welcoming Katie back home. The table was decked out formally, with candles and fancy china, and was covered with a bright yellow tablecloth. Alanna was sitting at one end of the table.
Katie and Giselle sat down next to each other just as Sean and Terence walked in. They sat down as well. With a swish and flick of her wand, Alanna made the food appear on the plates. There was lasagna, salad, chicken fettucine, sesame chicken, and sautéed vegetables. Alanna Bell firmly believed in a variety of food.
The Bells quickly tucked in. Well, they tried to. They usually were not big on dinnertime conversing, but today was an exception. Alanna and Terence asked Katie how she thought she did on her OWL exams, since she had just finished her fifth year. They also asked her if she knew what she wanted to do when she graduated. Did she want to play pro quidditch like Oliver? Maybe work in the Ministry of Magic? Katie patiently answered all their questions, but her answers increasingly short and vague.
Sean interrupted this interrogation. He said, "Mum! Dad! Leave her alone! She just got back, you'll have all summer to talk to her!" Katie glanced gratefully at her brother. Next to her, Giselle was grinning impishly. Katie glared at her meaningfully, with a look that said, LATER.
After dinner was finished, which was around 8, Katie said, "Mum, Dad? I'm going to hang out with them tonight, so I'll see you tomorrow." Alanna and Terence just smiled and said, "Of course."
The three Bell children went up to their rooms. Giselle pleaded with her sister, "Now will you tell me how school and quidditch was?"
Katie glanced at Sean, and said, "I'll talk to you later, ok?" Sean nodded, and went into his room.
The girls went into Giselle's room. Katie suggested, "Why don't you brush your teeth first, and change your clothes so if you get tired you can just go to bed?"
Giselle pouted. "Why? Can't I stay up?"
"No, sweetie, Mum will not let you yet. Don't worry, your time will come." Giselle rolled her eyes, but did what Katie told her to. She was out in a flash, just as Katie had climbed onto Giselle's queen sized canopy bed and under the blankets. Giselle jumped up and crawled in next to her big sister.
"What do you want to hear about first?" asked Katie.
Giselle thought for a minute, and then crowed, "Quidditch." Katie smiled and thought, "This is what happens when you have a sister who is a chaser and is dating a keeper. She'll be a fine player one day. She's small, so she'll probably end up being a chaser. Like me."
Katie began, "Giselle, let me tell you about the time we won the Quidditch cup. Once upon a time, there were seven friends. Their names were Harry Potter, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Jordan, Fred and George Weasley, Oliver Wood, and of course, me. The day of the match, Wood spent the whole of breakfast urging his team to eat, while touching nothing for himself. Then he hurried us to get off to the pitch, so we exited to great applause. We played wonderfully. See, Harry, who was our seeker, could only catch the snitch if we were 60 points or up, because if he caught it before, we would win the match but lose the cup. Does that make sense?"
Katie peered down at Giselle, but Giselle was fast asleep. Katie quietly crawled out of her bed, and tucked her in. She kissed Giselle on the forehead softly, and slipped out of the room.
She headed down the hall, and was about to knock on her brother's door, when she noticed him standing at the window at the very end of the hall. Katie went to stand next to him.
"Kates? Remember when we were children and flew around on brooms with Oliver all day long?" asked Sean seriously.
Katie replied, a little puzzled: "Of course."
"And when we would just roam the forest for the heck of it?"
She nodded.
Sean said, "Katie, I'm afraid------"
Katie just stared.
Sean broke out into a wide grin. "I had you there didn't I!" he exclaimed, punching her lightly on the shoulder.
Katie broke out into peals of laughter. "I forgot you liked making me think that you wouldn't be around for summer! You got me that time." Sean just laughed. He picked her up in a bear hug and swung her around. "It's good to see you, KitKat."
She mock glared at Sean. "You're lucky you just said you were glad to see me, otherwise you'd be regretting that you ever called me KitKat."
Sean smirked and said, "Wouldn't you love it if I told all your friends that your FAVORITE nickname of all time is KitKat?"
Katie growled, "YOU WOULDN'T DARE," then punched her brother back. They went to the attic and played chess and exploding snap and ate ice cream for hours, talking and catching up with each other. She had missed her family.
Chez Les WoodsOliver opened the door to his home, and looked around quickly. He blinked in surprise. Apparently his mom had changed the colors decorating the house from dark purple to crimson. Perhaps it was because she was so proud that her son had finally won the quidditch cup for Gryffindor.
Oliver walked upstairs, and went into his room. It looked just like one would expect Oliver's room to be like: quidditch supplies, posters, figures, and diagrams everywhere: plastered over the walls, on the tables, and more.
He plopped onto his four-poster bed, just like the one he had at Hogwarts, and suddenly, a wave of longing for Hogwarts swept over him. Oliver wanted to be back at Hogwarts, where life was good and he got to see his friends every day and play Quidditch as much as he liked.
Oliver pondered about the future for a bit. He wondered where his relationship with Katie would end up, with her at school and him playing for Puddlemere. All he knew was that he just wanted her by his side in the long run.
Oliver's musings were interrupted by a tap on the window. His owl, Snitch, had a letter for him. He tore open the letter, and his mouth dropped.
Dear Mr. Wood,
As you know, we had planned on you starting as our Reserve Keeper when you came to training later this summer. However, our current Keeper, Matt McDonague, suffered a large concussion as a result of a Bludger to the head.
We need you to step your playing up one more notch, because, you, Mr. Wood, are our first choice for the Starting Keeper.
If you should feel that you are not ready for this position, please inform us. Otherwise, we expect you to be at training on August 15.
Sincerely,
Ben Brent
Manager of Puddlemere UnitedWow, Oliver thought dazedly. "I'm going to be the official Keeper? Katie and I didn't expect this to happen so soon."
He jumped off his bed and ran downstairs, hollering, "Mum! Dad! I'm Puddlemere's starting Keeper!"
His parents came out of the living room as he bounced down the stairs.
Josh Wood just grunted and said, "Good work, son." But Oliver didn't mind the shortness; he knew his father was proud. Besides, his mother more than made up for his recalcitrant father.
"That's WONDERFUL, Oliver!" exclaimed Christie. "I'm so happy for you! In light of this new development, why don't we head out to a restaurant for dinner? I want to try that new French restaurant, Petit Pain, in Diagon Alley." (Little Bread)
Apparently, this place was the new "cool" for the wizarding world. Oliver and Josh nodded.
Christie said, "Well, let's all get changed then!"
Ten minutes later, the Woods had Disapparated to Diagon Alley. "Let's see," said Christie, "the restaurant should be number 56."
They walked down the street, happy as can be. The Woods passed Quidditch Quality Supplies, and all the other stores essential to wizard-kind. Soon the arrived at the fashionable restaurant.
Dinner passed by quickly and pleasantly. Josh and Christie drank a toast to Oliver's success, and they all enjoyed their French dinner of French onion soup, crab-stuffed avocadoes or bouchées à la reine, chicken breasts with white wine and cream sauce, stuffed mushrooms or carottes à la crème, aligot or pommes dauphines, salad, cheese, mousse or éclairs au chocolat, Konakry (a jelly-roll cake with raspberry jam filled with crème pâtissière and pineapple and with an apricot glaze) or cherry clafoutis, and, of course, café after the meal. Needless to say, this was a QUALITY French restaurant.
Afterwards, the Woods went back home. They passed a pleasant evening together, talking about work, school, philosophy, and life.
There was no place like home.
What did you think? Suggestions? If you guys have any constructive criticism, or have anything to say at all, go for it! I'd appreciate any comments/suggestions/criticism/flames. Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter. Now, click on the little button that says "GO" on the bottom of this page. And REVIEW!
A Note to my Wonderful, Amazing Reviewers:
Pia O'Leary: Thanks for the tips with scene changes. I'm working on making them more elegant but its so hard! I keep running into clichés and the like, or its just plain awkward. Gracias for the comment!
Aishiteru: You gotta love K-O! drools over sean biggerstaff Thanks for reading!
X-woman1: This is the best ship ever, I swear. Again, drools over sean biggerstaff (see above) Thanks for reading.
CloudChick: Thanks! Hope this chapter pleases you too.
Missy: I tried to give them personalities! Lol, yeah, Alicia's got a big temper. But she cools down fast so it's all good. Thanks.
Softballgeek291: I try to update fast, but lately I've been soooo bogged down by work and AP exams and such. Thanks for reading.
FizzingWhizbee: Thanks for the support! I think your stories are awesome, hopefully one day this will be as good as yours.
Gooniegrl: No fears, the flowing tempers will come. Not for a while though. I have to set the stage for the, er, problems. Thanks for reading anyway!
Megan: Thanks! I figured, might as well write something about the sexay quidditch star, right! Haha.
Strawb3rri3zform3: cool penname! Thanks for the review.
Lilred-07: bows it's not really all that good, you totally flatter me but thanks anyway!
Pretty Padfoot: Thanks a bunch! I remember reading about the werewolf scene in the story and I was like, I have to write about this!