AU: Oliver Wood has fallen for his new neighbor, who happens to be an American witch. Romantic fluffy fic taking place during CoS, but from the p.o.v. of Oliver's love interest, Laura.

Oh, and J.K. Rowling owns everything in the wizarding world, I've just set my character, Laura, into it. So please let her stay for a little while, she (and the author) mean no harm.

A/N: This chapter contains more of Laura's chats with her friends from home, so here's the key again so you all don't get confused.

Chelsea's words are underlined

Jenn's words are bolded

Laura's words are italicized

I hope this isn't too confusing! Normal font is regular old narration.

Chapter 5

Hand in Hand

I didn't see Oliver as often the next couple of weeks as I had the first few days. He was working hard on his Quidditch stuff, and Mom found plenty for me to do around the house once she saw that I had adjusted to my new environment. One morning at the beginning of August I received another letter from Hogwarts.

Dear Ms. Keaton.

The Hogwarts Expressing will be leaving King's

Cross station, platform 9 and 3/4 at eleven o'clock am on September first for the start of the new term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is the list

of materials you will need for the term.

Sincerely

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy headmistress

I pulled out the other sheet of paper and read down my list of supplies.

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6 by Miranda Goshawk

Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart

Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart

Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart

Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart

Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart

Wandering with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart

Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart

Advanced Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

Apparition Made Easy by Rodney Popinfellow

Deciphering Ancient Runes- A beginners guide by Zander Corlith

Since your case is unique, we have also enclosed the list of supplies required by first years, so that you have everything you will need at Hogwarts.

I scanned down the list on the next piece of parchment, noting that I had almost everything except the dragon hide gloves and a telescope. Though I would also have to take my old school emblem off my black robes, which was slightly depressing.

I had barely put down my list when the doorbell rang, and I hurried off to let Oliver in. He too was grasping a Hogwarts Envelope and looking slightly annoyed.

"Seven Lockhart books, can you believe it. Plus all our others, I'm not going to be able to fit everything in my trunk! Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a witch, no one else would pick seven Lockhart books for a course."

"Who's Lockhart?" I asked, thoroughly confused as to why he was having such a fit.

"The world's biggest pretty boy. Women love him, just because he looks good. Mom has his books: I've looked through them a few times, they're horrible. Most of the book is about him, with a few little helpful things thrown in. His guide to household pests should include how to get rid of him!"

I was still confused as to whom this Lockhart guy was, but decided not to press the subject since Oliver obviously was not a fan of his: whoever he was.

"So," I said instead, "where's the closest Wizard's World so we can get all this stuff?"

"Sorry, Wizard's what?"

"Wizard's World, you must have them here. One huge store with everything magical you could ever need, broom sticks, robes, wands, cauldrons, books, even pets."

"We don't have anything like that here. We have Diagon Alley, which has lots of different stores where you can buy the different things. Like Ollivander's for wands and Flourish and Blotts for books," Oliver replied. "You can come with me if you like? We're going next Tuesday to get my stuff."

Next Tuesday it was. I was so excited that I could barely contain myself. When I told Chelsea and Jenn later that night I thought the parchment was going to explode.

Ohhh, he's taking you shopping! That is so totally a date.

For school supplies, he's taking me shopping for school supplies.

Who cares, it's still shopping and it's still a date.

I'm more interested in this Diagon Alley place. How can they live without a Wizard's World store close by? What happens when you need that last minute potion or something?

It's a very different culture over here. Things like tea and cake in the afternoon and such. Do you have any idea how many of our Muggle neighbors have invited us to tea over the last couple of weeks? I hate tea!

But it must be a fascinating learning experience.

You like learning too much!

Well, I will give you both the scoop when I get back next Tuesday.

The days till next Tuesday crept by more slowly than even the week before school let out for the summer. It was a mixture of a day spent with Oliver and the excitement to see this Diagon Alley place. Finally my alarm buzzed early Tuesday morning, welcoming the big day. Even the fact that the sun was newly risen could not dampen my spirit. I sang at the top of my lungs during my shower and munched happily on my otherwise dull breakfast of oatmeal. At twenty-five past eight I practically skipped over to Oliver's, with a satchel full of wizard money and my list of needed supplies.

Oliver looked much less excited than me to be up this early. It looked as if he had barely combed his hair as he sat yawning in front of a plate of eggs and bacon. His mum welcomed me, offered me some breakfast (which I politely declined), and curtly told Oliver to hurry up.

Oliver looked up at me and said, "How come you don't look tired."

"Cause I've never been to Diagon Alley and am excited to see it."

"Not worth getting up this early for."

"Oliver, hurry up, I want to beat the rush. You don't want to be waiting in line for the floo network to let us out at Diagon Alley like last time. We got so sooty."

Oliver rolled his eyes at his mother's tirade, but still quickly finished his breakfast.

"All right, all right, I'm ready."

"Good," replied his mother, grabbing her handbag from the kitchen counter. She pointed her wand at the sink and the breakfast dishes started cleaning themselves. "Off we go then."

The fireplace was in the Woods' living room, though it was usually not lit. Again Mrs. Wood used her wand to start a roaring fire and pulled an urn off the mantle. She offered it to me, but I hesitated as I read off the side- Charles Wood II, May he rest in peace.

"Don't worry, Laura, it's really floo powder. I'm Muggle born, so except for my parents, I can't tell anyone I'm a witch. Instead of hiding the floo powder, we put it in a fake urn, tell them that it is my husband's grandfather's ashes, and then they won't go poking around in it. I have some rather nosy relatives, especially old cousin Agatha."

Oliver nodded heartily in agreement and flinched as he apparently thought of 'old cousin Agatha.'

I took a handful of floo powder and waited for Oliver and Mrs. Wood to do the same.

"Ok, Oliver you first," she instructed. "Then you Laura and I'll come last. Remember we are going to Di-a-gon All-ey," she pronounced the words very distinctly. "We don't want you accidentally coming out in Knockturn Alley or someplace like that."

I was about to ask why I didn't want to come out in Knockturn Alley, but Oliver gave me his 'I'll tell you later' look. He threw the glittery powder into the hissing flames and then stepped in himself. He spoke "Diagon Alley" and in a green flash was gone.

Mrs. Wood counted to fifteen explaining, "I like to give everyone fifteen seconds in between turns, since some people travel faster than others. Ok, your turn now dear."

I hadn't felt this nervous using floo powder since I had used it for the first time alone when I was eight. I threw the powder into the brick furnace and waited for the usually hiss as the powder hit the flames. I stepped in and enjoyed the warm tickling sensation for half a second before saying clearly "Diagon Alley."

I tucked in my elbows and closed my eyes as I went spinning through the fire place and into the interior of the floo network. I had no idea how long it would take for me to get to London, but it couldn't be longer than the almost five minute floo powder trip I used to take to Salem Institute each morning. After only about a minute I felt myself slow down and I braced myself for exiting. With a lurch I stopped and I threw out my arms to keep from falling over. Opening my eyes, I saw a sprawling cobblestone street with hundred of stores packed tightly together laying out before me. I stepped out of the huge stone fireplace that I had exited in, noticing that there were five others to my right. They were set against a large brick wall, and seemed to mark the beginning of the street. Oliver hurried over to me, where he had apparently emerged from one of the other hearths. We were both dusted lightly with soot. A few seconds later his mother appeared from a fireplace three down from us. She beckoned to us and we went over to the 'cleaning station' where for a Knut each a wizard dusted us off and we walked through a arch that blew the remaining soot off us.

From there we exited onto the main street, where witches and wizards were hurrying about, doing errands, selling their goods, and conversing with one another. I was reminded of a Renaissance town, with the winding street and quaint shops with vendors everywhere. There even appeared to be a market, containing food I have never seen before, including what looked like melons that changed color to represent the entire spectrum, bright orange fruit on a vine that resembled a cross between a grape and strawberry, and cheese that claimed to be made of Woc milk (whatever a Woc was).

"Let's get the small stuff first," Oliver suggested. "I don't want to cart around all those books for an entire day."

"First to Gringotts," declared his mother. "Or you won't have any gold to buy all those books with."

I, at least, had heard of Gringotts Wizard Bank in school at home, and had been shown pictures, but it was definitely not as I had imagined. I found the cart ride to the Wood family vault quite exhilarating, being an adrenaline junkie; I thought the greatest Muggle invention ever was the roller coaster.

Once Mrs. Wood had filled her money bag with coins and Oliver had filled his own satchel from his own little pile of earnings in the vault (for use at school) we headed back to the surface to begin shopping.

It was getting very warm as the sun rose higher in the sky, and the street was a bit busier than when we had first arrived. Our first stop was a shop called The Eagle Quill, where we restocked our parchment and ink. I bought two new goose feather quills, as some of mine were getting rather ragged, and I had accidentally broken the point off another. Next door to The Eagle Quill was what I discovered to be Oliver's favorite store: Quality Quidditch Supplies. In the window was displayed a shining new broomstick, the Nimbus 2001. I deftly caught Oliver's bag full of ink when he dropped it upon site of the broom stick.

"Ohhhh," he moaned, "I want it, I need it, and we would so kick the Slytherin's butts with it."

"No," answered his mother swiftly, "you have a perfectly good broomstick that is only three years old. We only just bought it for you when you joined the team."

"But mom, this is no ordinary broom stick…"

"It's the person flying the broom stick, not the broom stick itself, that makes a good Quidditch player. If you have the skills and the brains to beat the Slytherins and win the House Cup, then you will."

"If!" Oliver stood looking dumbfounded at his mother. She began walking up the street, toward the next store.

I grabbed Oliver's hand to pull him away from the store window and break him out of his shocked state. But to my surprise, once he got moving again, he grabbed my hand and didn't let go. I looked over at him slightly questioningly.

"Is this ok?"

I nodded yes and tried my hardest not to blush or burst into girlish giggles of glee. I couldn't wait to go home and tell Jenn and Chelsea. And so we continued down the street, hand in hand.