(CoS) CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Rogue Bludgers and Stolen Kisses

The game was, to say the least, intense.

Ellie shot into the air at breakneck speed on the blow of the whistle—so fast, she nearly gave herself whiplash. Katie, to whom Ellie had gifted her old Cleansweep when she upgraded, seemed to be having a similar experience. Oliver shot them both a get it together sort of glare as Angelina snatched up the Quaffle.

Angelina tossed it almost immediately to Ellie, who tore over to the Slytherin goal so quickly, the Keeper didn't even seem to know what was happening; she made the first score easily. Applause rang out from the stands as Lee Jordan announced the first points on the board for Gryffindor.

The applause thinned out pretty quick, though, when a Bludger whisked about an inch past Ellie's head, quite nearly decapitating her.

She whirled around, suddenly feeling the all warmth and safety from her conversation with the twins drain from her. She spotted Fred not far from her with his arm still raised, as if he had just batted it away from her. He looked absolutely furious.

"Duck!" he shouted suddenly. She ducked and whirled around again to see that the Bludger had somehow U-turned back toward her. This time, though, it didn't come as close to her. It wasn't her it was after, she realized as it zoomed past her and toward Harry, who was twisting and turning to try to escape it. It was Harry.

"Ellie!" Oliver shouted. "Focus!"

Did he really not see the rogue Bludger?

"Just stay with Harry!" Ellie shouted to Fred before zooming back over to the girls. She caught a Quaffle pass from Katie just in time, but dropped it in a last-ditch attempt to avoid yet another spastic U-turn from the Bludger that was stalking Harry.

Angelina and Katie weren't having much better luck. They all seemed to agree that both Beaters should focus on Harry, but, having to fend for themselves, they weren't able to score many goals. Ellie could almost see Oliver's heart breaking.

Finally, when Oliver himself missed a save because of the Bludger, he signaled for a time-out.

"Madam Hooch," he said as soon as they touched back down. "This is insane. That Bludger has so obviously been tampered with."

"That's a dirty lie," snapped Marcus Flint from the other side. "Wood's just embarrassed his Beaters can't handle a little excitement."

Fred and George both made moves like they wanted to hit Flint for that; Ellie and the girls quickly reached out to hold them back.

"These Bludgers have been sealed safely away since the last practice session," Madam Hooch told Oliver, "which, incidentally, was a Gryffindor session. Was anything amiss with them then?"

"Well, no, but—"

"It's fine," Harry interrupted. "Our problem is that both Beaters are focused on me. Give the girls one of them."

Ellie didn't like the sound of that, but she knew better than to protest; this was Oliver's decision.

"Fine," he said through clenched teeth. "Let's get this over with."

"I'll stay with you, Harry," said George.

"Do me a favor, Fred," joked Angelina weakly as they mounted their brooms again. "Don't let me die."

He didn't, of course. Fred managed to keep the girls safe and even able to score enough points to hold their own while George tailed Harry like a bodyguard. Oliver himself, the only unprotected one on the team, had a few near-misses, but for the most part, they were managing.

Harry, Draco, and the rogue Bludger all seemed to spot the Snitch at exactly the same time.

Harry, of course, was the strongest flyer of the lot.

But as his arm outstretched for the victorious catch, the rogue Bludger smashed its way right through George's bat and—crunch—into Harry's arm.

"He got it!" Oliver shouted, not seeming to care in the slightest that Harry's arm was broken. "We won!"

Ellie soared down to meet the team by Harry, who looked to be in a lot of pain. Before she could reach him, though, Oliver grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to him—close to him.

"Tell me," he murmured softly as he leaned in so close to her, their noses almost touched. "The exhilaration you feel when you win a game—is that how you feel when he kisses you?"

She took a step back, heart starting to pound. What was he thinking, saying these things to her at all, let alone right there in the middle of the Quidditch pitch—in front of the whole school? "We don't…" She could barely remember how to speak. "We don't kiss."

She had never really thought about it before, funnily enough. Why didn't she and Dean kiss? Was it just the awkwardness of "dating" so young?

No, she realized as she stared up at that impossibly handsome face of Oliver's. That wasn't the reason, at all.

Oliver looked far too pleased with the answer she had given him. He reached out for her waist and pulled her toward him, then asked in that same, deep voice, "How about when I kiss you?"

And with that, he kissed her.

She'd like to say she stopped him from the beginning, but it would be a lie. She should have, of course—she owed at least that much to Dean—but the excitement of the game, compiled with her resentment toward Dean for distancing her from the twins and the undeniable sexiness of the Quidditch captain in front of her, didn't quite allow her to. So, for a second or two, she kissed him back.

When she pulled away from him, he was smirking.

"Have your little first relationship," he told her smugly. "It won't last."

And with that, they both turned their attention toward Harry.

Much to everyone's dismay, Lockhart volunteered to "heal" Harry, which resulted in all of the bones in his arm disappearing entirely. Ellie tried to join him to the hospital wing, but Dean confronted her before she'd even stepped off the field.

She felt the gaze of not only Oliver, but also Fred, George, and half the school on her as she stepped off to the side with him, but she tried not to focus on any of them. Dean deserved her patience; he deserved better than his own girlfriend kissing another guy in front of the entire school.

"I'm sorry," she said before he got so much as a word out. "That wasn't fair to you."

"Wasn't fair to me?" he repeated, sounding baffled. "Ellie, it was humiliating!"

"I know—and I'm sorry. But I didn't ask him to do that, Dean."

"No?" His chest was rising and falling with pent-up rage. "Because it kind of feels like you've had something going on all along."

"Well, we haven't," she said firmly. "We kissed once, last year, before I ever even thought about dating you. But that was it."

"And the way he reacted to finding out about us? That was just residual from last year?"

Her patience was waning thin. Why was she even trying so hard to convince him? Did she really even want to be with him anymore? Had she ever?

You don't seem happy, Fred had told her. Why are you with him?

Being with Dean was supposed to be fun. Maybe that was never fair to him, but it was the truth. The way she had felt when she sang the song that day—the song about taking chances and exploring—it was long gone. This wasn't fun.

"Look, I'm telling you the truth," she finally said. "I don't know what else to say."

He held her gaze for several seconds, then, finally, said, "Well, I don't think you should hang out with him anymore."

She did her best not to groan. "He's the Quidditch captain, Dean."

"Outside of Quidditch, then."

"Right—outside of Quidditch." Her blood was starting to boil. "We'll put him on the list with the twins, then. Anyone else you'd like to add?"

He stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, you clearly have jealousy issues."

"And why do you think that is? You just kissed someone else in front of the whole school!"

"I know—I know." She felt like disappearing. She hated this. It wasn't anything like what it was supposed to be. "But I can't do what you're asking."

"You mean, you can't stop spending time with him. With them."

She swallowed, forcing herself to be brave. It was the only thing to do—for both their sakes. "No, Dean. I mean I can't be with you."


Well, I doubt any of you are all that crushed by this particular breakup, are you? But don't you think that, in a way, it was the first relationship she needed to figure out what she actually wanted? Sucks for Dean, of course... Feel free to leave your fresh predictions on where the story will go from here in your reviews, and see you soon for the next update!