A/N: Thanks to the following: Snakeborn, xXSurFer ChiiCaXx, his-lil-shortie-, shadieladie, rox4787, PapayaCrazy, The High Queen of Narnia, CardboardCreative (glad to see you back... hope you like this as much as Riddle's Phantom), tofuubeaver, pottersgirl91 (ah, my friend, nice to hear from you as always), CareBearErin (and a welcome back to you as well), slythringrl, and nehimasgift.
I foresee this being as popular as my latest fic, Riddle's Phantom, if reviewing like this keeps up... but I guess for that to happen I've got to keep up writing like I did on the last chapter. So, read on and then review, let me know if I am. Thanks and enjoy!
Chapter 2 – Oliver's Mishap
Oliver Wood walked into the Puddlemere locker room to see his fellow teammates suiting up for their big game against the Bigonville Bombers. The Bombers were known for their offensive strategies, and if Puddlemere won this game, then they would go on to play the Heidelburg Harriers. The Harriers were said to be fiercer than a dragon and twice as clever, but Oliver and his team were a definite match for them if they thought that they were that good.
"Nervous, Oliver?"
"No, Kent, I'm not," Oliver replied with his thickly accented Scottish voice. Oliver was anything but nervous as he did the clasp on the front of his navy Quidditch uniform. They had already beaten out eight of the best teams. The Appleby Arrows, the Vratsa Vultures, the Thundelarra Thunderers, the Fitchburg Finches, the Tarapoto Tengu, the Braga Broomfleet, the Grodzisk Goblins, and the Quiberon Quafflepunchers.
"Well, don't let victory go to your head there, Wood," warned a girl on the team.
She was fairly new as well, only being on the team two years more than Oliver who was only just starting his seventh year. This wasn't a long career in Quidditch, but then again, new players were coming everyday and others were being fired or dismissed to be replaced.
Oliver hoped this would never happen to him, at least not for a while. He was young for a Quidditch player, but not quite as young as Krum who started his career at eighteen. Oliver had started one year after that though at nineteen, and he was now twenty-six, energetic, and loved by all the fans of Puddlemere, especially the female and children fans.
"I don't let victory go to my head, Kels," Oliver laughed at the girl, Kelly Safferson, one of the Chasers.
Kelly turned to David Kent, another Chaser, and raised her brow as Oliver buckled his shin padding in place and stood up from the locker room bench.
"Hey, Donald, can you hand me those arm pads?" Kaitlyn Donald threw Oliver his brown leather arm pads as she stopped examining her broom tail and Beater's bat.
Oliver loved his teammates, they were like a second family to him, he never got homesick while he was out with them.
"Ready everyone?" Another one of the girls on Oliver's team, the Seeker, Amy Ashford asked.
She was beaming around at everyone as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. She was twenty years old and like a little sister to Oliver. He had a close friendship with her and found that he and she were often the favorites on the team of children fans.
"Ready," Brian Byington, a Chaser for Puddlemere, called as he finished lacing his boots and grabbed his broom, racing out with her hot on his heels.
Everyone knew that those two were deeply involved, though it was a bit strange because the tabloids would always say Oliver and Amy were together. It wasn't true because everyone knew that Brian planned to marry Amy after this season was over, everyone except Amy that is.
Oliver would be glad because he hated the rumors, his heart was lost, but he hoped to find it someday. For now though, it could stay that way because he was content just playing Quidditch with his friends. But every now and then, he would find his mind wondering back to the night he had lost it.
--Flashback--
It had all started one July night in France. Oliver and the team were on a well deserved break after a wonderful win. They had been training hard, in all weathers for numerous hours on end, which explained their ability to preform like they had. And now they were preforming quite the act of dancing in a club when trouble struck.
It was only Oliver's third year on the team and he hadn't quite gotten the grasp of fans and fame just yet, which would explain his horrid situation as he ran down a street looking for a place to hide from a group of about twelve screaming girls. Cries followed him down the street as people watched him pass, dodging and ducking in and out of alleys and crowds.
"Sign my purse!"
"No, sign my arm!"
"No, he's going to sign my shirt!"
Oliver didn't know what to do. He looked around and saw a little café with tiny two person tables out front of its inviting windows. He ran to a table, not looking to see if anyone had been sitting there, and held a newspaper up in front of his face to hide. The group of girls passed and Oliver was more than glad to be away from them as he lowered the paper with a sigh only to have someone speak to him.
"Excuse me, do I know you?" Oliver was in horror. Not more people who recognized him, he would never escape!
"Okay, okay, I'm Oliver Wood from the Puddlemere United team... I'll sign whatever you want as long as you don't tell anyone I'm here," Oliver bargained frantically.
"I don't want your autograph. I'm Hermione Granger... Remember? I helped you win the Quidditch Cup in Hogwarts in your last year by putting that spell on Har-"
"On Harry's glasses. Yeah, I remember you," Oliver said with a smile as he held out his hand. She took it lightly, shaking it and returning his smile. "So, what are you doing here?"
"My parents and I are on vacation. I've only just finished at Hogwarts just this past June and they brought me here to celebrate. They're out on a romantic dinner right now, so... I'm here reading and drinking tea," replied Hermione as she looked around.
"Sounds like you're having a right ol' boring time," Oliver laughed.
"Call it that if you like, but it's better than running from fans," Hermione said pointedly as she nodded behind him. Oliver turned around to see a group of about twelve girls pointing in his direction. How in the world did they get back there?
"Oh, no! You've got to be kidding." Oliver was downright tired of this.
"Why don't you duck into that alley right there and hide a while," Hermione suggested as she nodded to an alley that lay right next to the little café.
"Good idea," Oliver agreed as jumped up from the seat and ducked into the alley. He was in there for about a half hour when his small fan club gave up looking for him when they asked Hermione where he had gone and she told them she didn't know.
"I think it's safe now," Hermione called as she peaked into the little alley. Oliver came out from behind a garbage bin that he had been sitting behind.
"Thanks," Oliver sighed.
"No problem," Hermione said as she walked back over to her seat and sat down to finish her third cup of tea.
Oliver looked at her for a moment and then at the clock on the tower of a nearby building. It was one o'clock in the morning and there was nothing to do, and she had been nice. Not to mention any club that would have been worth going to was probably packed by now and he had had his fill of running for the night. So, he came to the conclusion that he would sit at that café with her for the rest of however long she planned to stay there.
"Come here often?" Hermione looked up from her book at him as he sat across from her smiling a stupidly amused smile. She just couldn't help herself, that smile was contagious.
"No, do you?" she replied.
"All ze time," he said with a mock French accent which clashed horribly with his Scottish one. Hermione giggled and Oliver felt himself smiling at this. How could he have missed this girl at Hogwarts? "So, how long do you plan to be out for?"
"Only fate knows. Possibly until I fall off this chair asleep or my parents send out a search party for me. Whichever occurs first," Hermione joked. "What about you?"
"I planned on staying as long as you would," Oliver sighed a bit bashfully. "If you'll let me that is."
"Seems to be a free café to me. The worst I could do was ask you to move to another table... which I won't," Hermione explained. "I quite enjoy the company."
"Same here," Oliver said as he got a feeling he was going to enjoy tonight. And he had. They had laughed nonstop and by the end of the night, they were making plans to meet there again for the next night.
--End Flashback--
Oliver suddenly broke away from his thoughts as he heard someone speaking to him.
"Excuse me... Oliver Wood?" Oliver turned around and saw two teen-aged girls who looked to be no older than thirteen or fourteen, both blushing and grinning stupidly at him.
"Yes?"
"Oh, he's coming this way, quick get out your quill," ordered the one that had called to Oliver.
"Can we have your autograph?"
"Um- sure," Oliver relented as he took the smiling photo of himself and the quill. He chuckled to himself as he heard the girls squeal and whisper about him being 'gorgeous, hunky, and dreamy'. "Who should I make these out to?"
"Chloe, that's me, and- and Holiday," said the first girl.
"Here you go." Oliver handed them back the photos, both girls swooning and giggling madly as a security wizard came stalking into the hall. He was looking angry and the girls yelped before taking off in another direction, the guard hot on their trial as Oliver laughed.
"C'mon, Wood," called Sean Berkeley, a Beater for the team. Oliver jogged off down the hall after him, everyone lined up at the gate getting ready to go out. Oliver felt adrenaline rush through him as he heard Ludo Bagman's voice booming outside in a muffled sort of way as the gate clicked and began to rise with the sound of a moving chain.
"And please put your hands together in a warm welcome for the home team of Puddlemere United! And their Chasers – Brian Byington, Kelly Safferson, and David Kent, followed by their Beaters – Sean Berkeley and Kaitlyn Donald. And last but not least, the crowd's favorites – their Keeper, Oliver Wood, and their Seeker – Amyyyyyy Asssshhhfooorrrd!" Ludo was getting on in years, but he was still the most enthusiastic and energetic Head of Magical Games and Sports that the wizarding world could ask for.
"All right guys-"
"And girls," called out Kelly Safferson.
"And girls... let's bring home a win for the best team in the league," yelled David Kent. There was a group shout from the team before everyone took their places and the referee was announced.
"And all the way from Korea – our ref, Jin Sun-tae Chang," Ludo bellowed.
Oliver watched the ref come walking out onto the pitch, a Quidditch crate containing the balls floating behind him. He felt the anticipation building to the point of explosion as the ref set the box down and mounted his broom. There was a roar from the crowd as the ref kicked open the box and the balls went flying upward. Then, in a rush of color and a whirling sound of swishing Quidditch robes, the players were off.
"And there goes Kent with the Quaffle. Oooh, nice steal by Rico Montague with the help of Snider."
"Watch yourself, Kent," Oliver called as Kent nearly missed being hit by a bludger again. The players were now speeding toward Oliver, but he didn't let it get under his skin, instead it excited him. He was going to show them just what they were getting into by messing with Puddlemere United.
"Move it, rookie," yelled Montague.
"I don't think-," Oliver had begun to yell back at the Chaser for Bigonville Bombers, but he had launched the Quaffle. Oliver dove to the side on his broom and just managed to brush his fingers on the Quaffle, stopping it long enough for Safferson to come and take it.
"Close one there, Wood," shouted Kelly as she whizzed off across the field. His eyes followed her across the field as she zig-zagged in and out of players to score a goal.
"That's ten to nothing in favor of Puddlemere," Ludo Bagman bellowed. Oliver smiled as he watched the players change direction, blurs of navy blue and black headed toward him. This was the part he loved the most, the other team's attempt to score because he got to block and then hear the crowd scream his name.
"So you're going for the left goal – supposedly," Oliver whispered to himself.
He loved how they thought that they could fool him. They would fake left or right while their eyes looked in the other direction letting him know that's where the were going. Oliver slowly began inching to the left as the opposing Chaser drew back his arm. Oliver smirked when he saw Brian Byington come up from behind and pull the Quaffle from the opponent's hand. Oliver wasn't too disappointed that he didn't get to block, his time would come.
"Sleek steal by Byington," roared Ludo. "Now, the players are on the move now- ooh, that's horrible."
The crowd, or at least the Puddlemere supporters, gave a group gasp as Tiddle, a Beater for the Quafflepunchers, sent a bludger at Brian, crushing his hand and making him release the Quaffle. Oliver wasn't happy about this, and apparently neither was Kaitlyn Donald as she sent the bludger back at Tiddle who missed on his swing and was smashed in the face with the black ball. There was the sound of boos as well as cheers as Donald and Berkeley hit their bats together and then soared off to finish their work.
"Here comes Safferson with the Quaffle and- YES! Score for Puddlemere – twenty to zero!"
"Look out, Wood," yelled Amy. Oliver only just had time to duck as Amy and the opposing Seeker came racing past. Oliver couldn't see the Snitch anywhere, but apparently Amy could. Though something worried Oliver, she was headed straight for a wall. Suddenly, Amy soared upward and the other Seeker hit the wall hard with a loud, dull thud.
"And that would be a Wronski Feint by Ashford, beautifully executed," boomed Bagman.
"Yeah, nice one, Amy, but next time let's not cut it so close," Oliver called out with a laugh as Amy came flying past once again.
In that instance though, he noticed a bludger coming at the both of them. He raced out, grabbed her broom and pulled her downward, out of the path of the raging black ball.
"WOOD!" Amy shouted.
"Would you rather get hit by that thing?" Oliver barked back.
"Oh... sorry. Thanks! I totally didn't see it," Amy giggled before flying off, but Oliver wasn't laughing as he heard Ludo's magnified voice echoing in the stadium.
"Bigonville score! That's twenty to ten still in favor of Puddlemere!" In Oliver's neglect of the goals to save Amy, the opposite team took advantage and scored.
"Damn it!"
"Don't worry about it, Wood," called Byington. "It's better to save our Seeker... without her, we're not much good. Besides, it's only one goal!"
"Yeah," Oliver sighed as he got his head back in the game and began to focus once more on the Chasers which were now soaring toward him. Oliver kicked the Quaffle that Snider had launched in a goal attempt, and Kelly Safferson was about to catch it when Montague elbowed her in the chest.
"Penalty! Penalty! He elbowed her ref," roared Bagman angrily.
Oliver watched the ref fly up and separate Kent, Snider, Safferson, and Montague before doing as Ludo said and giving a chance for a penalty shot to Puddlemere.
"Good shot! Thirty to ten – Puddlemere!" Ludo said once the goal was made.
"Nice shot, Kels," Oliver bellowed as he saw the players heading back toward him.
His eyes following the little red ball that was being passed back and forth between Montague, Snider, and Rorie Magglin. Then something hit Oliver, Snider wasn't a Chaser, he was a Beater. Where was the other Chaser? Oliver's eyes shot around the group of two Chasers and one Beater that was heading for him, but he didn't see Bigonville's third Chaser anywhere. Then something moved just out of the corner of his vision and he turned his head to see the other Chaser waiting by the right goal post.
"Berkeley!"
"I see 'em," Sean Berkeley yelled as he sent a bludger at the waiting Chaser, knocking him from his broom.
Oliver watched as the guy dangled from the goal post as one of his teammates raced forward to help him. In Oliver's preoccupation with this, the Bombers scored yet another goal.
"Damn!" Oliver glared at the Bombers as they passed, each wearing a smug expression. "You'll get yours." Ten minutes later though, it wouldn't seem that way. The score was eighty to fifty and the Bombers were winning.
"C'mon, Wood. Perk up! They won't win," Amy encouraged as she stopped next to Oliver.
She had been leisurely flying about the pitch looking for the Snitch ever since her Feint because the other Seeker couldn't seem to fly straight. Whether it was his broom or him, no one was quite certain.
"You'd better get looking for that Snitch," Oliver beamed.
Amy was such a sweet girl, she never liked to see anyone upset and she was such a great confidence boost. He watched her fly upward toward the center of the pitch and then he turned his attention to the Chasers which were headed his way. Oliver leaned low on the broom, preparing to bolt forward. He suddenly heard something whizzing toward him from the left, a bludger.
"Look out, Wood," shouted Kaitlyn Donald. Oliver did look out, he dove down and missed being hit, but he left the post unguarded.
He wasn't about to let the Bombers score though, that just wasn't an option. He did a one-eighty barrel roll and then began heading back up for the posts. Montague launched the Quaffle, it was almost at the goals when Oliver came whizzing upward, flipped and hit it away from the goals with his broom tail.
That was the turning point in the game, after that, Puddlemere began scoring one after the other.
"YES! Yet another goal for Puddlemere," yelled Ludo. "That's one hundred and ninety to ninety in favor of Puddlemere! And now it's half time."
Oliver gladly landed, he was really thirsty and he needed a moment to think. His team was back up on points, but Brian's hand wasn't any better and Kent was now limping from being hit in the leg by a bludger that he hadn't totally managed to miss.
"How is everyone?"
"Fine, Kent, just fine," replied Kelly as she handed him something to drink. "Byington... you all right?"
"Fine, David," replied Brian as Amy examined his hand.
"What are they planning?" Kaitlyn directed everyone's attention across the pitch to the Bombers who were huddled up, seemingly making a plan.
"Ah, don't pay no attention to 'em," Kent sighed. "They're just mad because we're ruining their rep for being the best scoring team in the league."
This was common knowledge among any Quidditch fan. The Bombers were best known for their ability to score, and since Oliver kept them from doing this, he felt that they had a growing grudge for him.
"All right, everyone back up there," called Jin Sun-tae, the ref.
Puddlemere mounted their brooms and kicked off, each of them taking their place once again as Oliver watched the crowd. Puddlemere fans could easily be spotted as they waved their bulrushes in the air or their navy blue banners with the two golden crossed bulrushes on it. Oliver felt that rush of excitement again as he realized that they could win, most definitely, they could win.
"That Quidditch World Cup is ours this year," Oliver promised himself as he watched the players struggle for possession of the Quaffle.
"It looks as though Bigonville has the Quaffle... yes, they're going in for the goal attempt," commentated Ludo. Everything after that happened in a rush of color, roaring sounds, and painful thuds for Oliver.
Six Chasers were racing at him in a blur of navy and black with a little red dot. Two black balls were headed at him as he heard his teammates shouting for him to get out of the way, but he just couldn't have Bigonville scoring again, not when he had got back his confidence and the team started to win again. He was trying to concentrate on the Quaffle, but had to dodge one of the bludgers. Then came the launch of the Quaffle with a roar of screams.
"Oliver! Watch out!"
"Wood!"
"Ollie, move!"
Too late, Oliver blocked the Quaffle, but he was hit in the stomach at the same time with a bludger, knocking him from his broom. He went through the hoop and was trying desperately to hang onto it, but he got kicked in the head by someone from Bigonville. His vision flickered and a rushing began as he felt his body speeding toward the ground.
Then everything disappeared with a gasp from the crowd as he hit his head on the goal post and blacked out completely, only just feeling the dull, sickening thud of his body hitting the sand below.
"Nasty fall, very nasty fall," Ludo Bagman bellowed.
"Time out! Time out," David Kent yelled to the ref as Puddlemere landed and ran to check on Oliver.
"He's not moving," said Kelly in a panicked sort of way.
"Move aside, move aside," ordered a Medi-wizard as a group of five of them came rushing over.
"Yep, he's out cold," said one of them.
"St. Mungo's?"
"Yep... let's go."
Oliver's team watched as the Medi-wizards Disapparated with Oliver and left them to play the game. When Wood finally woke up two days later, he was in a hospital room with a slightly bushy haired girl running around grabbing bottles and flicking a little stick at things, making those things float.
