OUT OF THE BLUE

Disclaimer: Not mine.

I don't really like this chapter very much. It's kind of awkward, but it needs to be done in order to continue with the story. The next chapter will be better, I promise! I just wanted to get this one done, uploaded and out of the way so I could forget about it! And to crazedperson3000, if you're reading this, you can put it in your c2 community.

Chapter 2: A Long Night

Mr Nice Arse was Oliver Wood himself ...

Turning around, she burst into a fit of giggles.

'What's so funny?' Harry asked, puzzled, but a smile creeping onto his face at the same time.

'Nothing,' she managed, stifling her giggles. 'Oh, look!' she gushed with fake surprise, looking over Harry's shoulder. 'Here comes Oliver now!'

The bemused look on Harry's face vanished, and he jumped out of his seat like an over-excited puppy.

'Oliver! Mate!' Harry shook Oliver's hand firmly and clapped him on the back. 'You've scored yourself a seat at the best table in this place.'

'Harry! Long time no see!' Oliver replied, grinning at Harry's enthusiasm. 'So, where am I sitting?' Oliver glanced towards the table and did a bizarre double take when he saw Ginny.

'Ginny?!' he said incredulously, his eyebrows raised in shock.

'Hi Oliver,' she said, smiling at him sweetly.

'Ginny's my hot date for this evening,' Harry told Oliver, winking at Ginny, who gave him a withering look in return.

'As you can see, Harry's obviously matured a lot since you last saw him,' she told Oliver sarcastically. 'You're sitting next to me, Oliver,' Ginny said, patting the seat beside her. As Oliver passed behind her she took the opportunity to poke her tongue out at Harry.

He shook his head and gave her a condescending look.

'So, what have you been doing with yourself?' Oliver asked Ginny after he had sat down. 'Last I heard you were at university studying medicine.'

'Oh, that was ages ago. I'm a trainee Healer at St Mungo's now.'

'Really, wow, a medi-witch, eh?' Oliver looked impressed.

'Yeah, she's a regular brainiac,' Harry said dryly. 'Just call her Percy. She loves it.'

Ginny chose to ignore him. 'I'm sure my job doesn't compare to being captain of the undefeated champions of the League.'

Oliver chuckled. 'You've done your research.'

'Well, you'd have to have lived under a rock for the past year not to know how good Puddlemere is. And besides, crybaby over there wouldn't shut up about it every time you beat them.' Ginny rolled her eyes towards Harry.

'Oh, is that so?' Oliver looked at Harry, smirking.

'I didn't cry,' Harry said defensively. Ginny made a disbelieving noise. 'I didn't!' Harry repeated.

'Okay, okay, you didn't cry,' Ginny conceded. She turned to Oliver and, giving him a slight nod of her head, she mouthed 'he cried.'

Harry rolled his eyes. 'I'm going to get some champagne,' he said quickly, getting up in search of a waiter.

'So, what's it like working at St Mungo's?' Oliver asked Ginny once Harry had left.

'It's fun mostly. Hard work, but fun. What's it like being a Quidditch superstar?' Ginny smiled at him.

Oliver laughed. 'It's not all it's cracked up to be, that's for sure. The training, the media, the politics. But you'd probably know all about that, dating Harry and all.'

It was Ginny's turn to laugh. 'Harry and I just live together. We aren't dating,' she told him. 'Why does everyone think that we are?'

'He brought you as his date, for a start.'

Ginny rolled her eyes to the ceiling. 'I'm his 'back up' date. Anytime he's too busy to ask anyone else, he takes me. Nothing romantic, believe me. Our relationship is purely platonic.'

'Oh,' was all Oliver said. He gave Ginny a funny look that she couldn't decipher.

She suddenly burst out with peal of laughter.

'What?' Oliver asked, a bemused smile playing on his lips.

'Do you remember that time when you were at The Burrow and Fred and George turned your hair blue?'

Oliver started to laugh too. 'All to well, unfortunately. I'll never forget the look on your Mum's face.'

'Or the look on Fred and George's faces when she turned their hair blue. That was hilarious.'

They were still laughing and trading stories about her brothers when Harry came back with a bottle of champagne.

'Bubbly, anyone?' Harry offered them each a glass.

'Yes, please. I'll need it with all these speeches we have to get through tonight,' Ginny said wryly. She let Harry fill her glass and took a mouthful.

'Whoa! Ease up turbo,' Harry said, chuckling. 'Remember what happened last time?'

'What happened last time?' Oliver's features took on a cheeky look.

'Nothing,' Ginny hissed, glaring warningly at Harry.

'She's a cheap drunk,' Harry told Oliver in explanation. 'And I don't think Ludo Bagman will ever be the same again because of it.'

Oliver laughed. 'What?!'

'Oh God,' Ginny groaned. 'Harry, I was trying to repress that memory.'

'Ginny had a few too many at the Cannon's break up last year and decided it would be fun to give old Ludo a lap dance. The poor guy nearly died of a heart attack.'

Harry was shaking with laughter and Ginny buried her head in her hands.

'I'll bet he enjoyed every second though.' Oliver tugged playfully on Ginny's ponytail, and grinned at her charmingly when she looked up at him.

'Yes, he did. From what I can remember anyway,' Ginny grumbled.

'Speaking of the old devil,' Harry said pointing to the stage. Ludo Bagman had just stepped onto it, ready to start the speeches.

'Here we go ...' Ginny said, taking another extended sip of her champagne. She was in for a long night.