A/N: Here it is! The team's back together! This reunion idea was a real cornerstone for me when coming up with this fic. I wanted to see these seven characters interacting as adults and I've found very few fics where it happens. I just went ahead and self-indulgently wrote it myself. Oh, and I know it's not technically canon, but I went with Scottish Oliver for this fic, because, well...Scottish Oliver. Enough said, I think.


When Alicia finally Apparated to Puddlemere's stadium she was running about fifteen minutes late. She was late because she'd wasted a good half an hour trying on every piece of clothing she owned. She had initially wanted to play it cool – just appearing to have thrown on any old thing – then she recalled Gwendolyn's stunning face and she thought she had better step it up a little.

Then she'd remembered that she was attending an interview as a member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. It wasn't really about her. Or Gwendolyn. Or even George for that matter. Making this charity match a success was the only thing that she should be focussed on.

So she'd settled on jeans (appeasing her vanity with the pair that made her bum look fantastic) and a black tank top. Sporty but a little edgy. Hopefully. Her hair was too long to do much with so she plaited it to the side and let it hang over her shoulder. Her make-up was more overdone than she usually bothered with, but it was a necessity as she hadn't slept well the night before. The last thing she wanted was to look like a zombie in front of everyone.

Alicia began to jog through the silent corridors of the stadium, her new pink trainers squeaking as she followed signs that pointed her towards the pitch. Conducting the interview in a Quidditch stadium seemed like overkill and she seriously wondered if this Gwendolyn was as great at her job as everyone seemed to think.

Before emerging onto the pitch she paused in the players' tunnel briefly to compose herself. And to catch her breath. Shit. She really needed to start exercising if jogging for one minute left her panting.

"Alicia?"

She gasped and slapped her hand over her heart. Harry had just appeared behind her and scared the life out of her. "Harry? Oh, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's running late."

"Had to take care of a few things at work first," he explained. "You all right? You look peaky."

"Do I?" Alicia asked, fanning herself vigorously with her hands. She evidently should have put on another six layers of make-up. "I'm fine. I've been running through the stadium is all."

Harry nodded and sidled past her. "We better get out there or Ginny will have our heads. She's been right cranky lately."

"She's creating a life inside of her body so give her a break."

"You say that now."

Alicia followed Harry out of the tunnel and blinked as the morning sun momentarily blinded her. Once her eyes had adjusted she spotted a group of people congregating by some tables on the edge of the pitch a few feet away. Fiery, sunlit red hair caught her attention and her stomach lurched. This was going to be excruciating.

In the end, Alicia had chickened out of contacting George as Katie had suggested. She hadn't been ready to face up to the reality that maybe George was done with her already. It would have been the final blow on what had already been a terrible day. She could only assume that he knew about the spread in the paper by now.

Her parents definitely knew. They'd shown up at the flat last night after she'd repeatedly ignored their calls. She'd spent close to an hour assuring her father that she was safe, that George wasn't some sort of suicidal vigilante who still chased after Death Eaters.

She had no real way of knowing how George had reacted to finding out their non-existent relationship was being dissected by everyone now. Part of her hadn't wanted to know. She couldn't avoid him now though and she had just realised that Katie was probably the only one who knew about the terrible date on Sunday night. She and George were going to have to act normal around everyone else, lest more people get involved and throw in their two Knuts.

Alicia winced as she saw Ginny come striding over to her and Harry. "There you two are! Where have you been?"

"Catching dark wizards. You know, my actual job," Harry replied blithely.

"Urgh, dark wizards. That's always your excuse," Ginny said. She snatched up an arm each and drew them towards the rest of the group. "We're still waiting on Oliver, too. Nine o'clock means nine o'clock. Can't anyone tell the time anymore?"

"Told you," Harry muttered under his breath, causing Alicia to hide her smile.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, Gin."

Alicia's eyes sought out Katie as she stubbornly refused to look for George again. He could seek her out this time. She found Katie standing by a table set up with snacks and coffee so she slipped away from Ginny and went over to join her.

"Morning."

"Morning, love. Coffee?"

"Yes please."

Alicia glanced over her shoulder quickly as her traitorous body ignored her brain's insistence on not looking around. Harry and Ginny had joined Fred and Angelina and the three of them appeared to be trying to calm Ginny down. That meant…

Alicia's heart sank as her eyes settled on George talking to a short, dark-haired woman a few feet away from the rest of the team. Gwendolyn. They appeared to be having a rather earnest chat. George's hands were in his pockets and he was leaning his head down towards her; Gwendolyn was smiling and every so often she would reach out and lightly touch his arm.

"Here."

Alicia snapped her head around and accepted the paper cup Katie was holding out. "Thanks."

"Stop staring at them. Eat a donut or something. Keep yourself occupied till Oliver shows up then we can get this over and done with."

Alicia mindlessly picked up a croissant and bit into it roughly. Why was she touching him though? Surely that wasn't normal behaviour between exes. She could count on one hand the incidents of physical contact she'd had with Chris since their break-up. More often than not it had merely been her shoving him aside. There had certainly been no light caresses during hushed conversations.

"Don't make a scene," Katie hissed warningly. "Go sit over there and don't do anything stupid while I make my own coffee."

Alicia tried to plead her innocence but her mouth was full of pastry. She stomped over to a nearby bench. Half of her felt like marching over to drag George away and the rest of her wanted to collapse on the grass and curl up in the foetal position. Instead, she set her coffee cup down by her feet and began to idly pick apart her croissant.

For all she knew Gwendolyn was over there right now offering to have George's baby. This could be their moment of reconciliation as she sat by uselessly and-

Alicia squealed as a strong set of arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind.

"My wee Chaser," Oliver said in her ear, holding her in what felt like a combination hug/headlock.

"My breakfast," she whimpered as her croissant hit the grass between her feet.

"That is not a proper breakfast, lass. Stand up and let me have a look at you."

"Get off me then," she said, wriggling and twisting away from him. She straightened her hair and clothes back into place and belatedly realised everyone was looking over at her. Including George and Gwendolyn.

"It's so good to see you," Oliver enthused as he pulled her in for another hug once she was standing up.

"Good to see you, too," Alicia said tentatively, looking to Katie for help. All she received in reply was an unhelpful shrug.

The Oliver she remembered hadn't been this touchy-feely. Well, unless a match had just been won, then he'd hug and kiss anyone within arm's reach. And it wasn't like they'd ever been close enough to warrant such an exuberant greeting.

"What's going on?" Alicia asked, trying to pull away but failing miserably.

"I just found out I made the Scottish national team," he answered, tightening his grip on her.

"Seriously? That's amazing!"

"Everyone! I'm officially the new Keeper for Scotland!" he shouted over her head.

Alicia heard footsteps approaching and she was finally able to extricate herself as the team came over to congratulate their captain. As everyone hugged and thumped him on the back Alicia looked on and was the happiest she'd been in years. She hadn't been academic or outwardly social back at school, so she'd spent the majority of her time with the people currently huddled in front of her. Being back together with them now was so familiar and comforting.

She let the feeling wash over her and erase the turmoil of the last couple of days. This was pure, unadulterated friendship and love and she needed that right now.

"I knew it! I told you!" Katie said.

Oliver nodded, his cheeks red and his eyes shining brightly. "I thought for sure I'd have to wait a few more years since Duncan McGilvray is such a legendary player. But apparently they wanted to take the team in a younger direction this year so they picked me."

"That's smart play on their part. Scotland needs to shake things up if they're going to be competitive again," said a lilting Welsh accent.

Alicia looked over to see Gwendolyn join their team huddle. She bristled at the intrusion then her mouth fell open as Oliver also pulled Gwendolyn in for another one of his bone-crushing hugs.

"How long's it been, Gwen? Four months at least? You keeping yourself busy?"

"You know me, Ollie, always chasing a story."

Ollie? Who the hell was this woman? What the shit was going on?

"Glad to hear it, lass. You want access to the Scottish team, you just let me know, all right."

Gwendolyn smiled prettily and thanked him. Just as Alicia thought she had reached her limit of bewilderment, Gwendolyn turned and tackled Harry in an enthusiastic hug. She reached up and tousled his hair as she said something indecipherable.

The woman had just tousled Harry Potter's hair.

Someone tugged on Alicia's hand insistently. She turned to see George had come up beside her. Thanks to her years of covert perving, she normally had a fairly attuned radar when it came to his whereabouts, but she'd been so preoccupied that she hadn't noticed him till now.

"We need to talk," he said softly.

Great. Alicia nodded and allowed him to draw her a few feet away from the group.

"Gwendolyn seems to get along awfully well with everyone," she blurted inelegantly before he could even bring up the events of Sunday night.

George frowned down at her. "Well she was my girlfriend for almost a year. Obviously she became close with my family and friends."

"She seems to fit in particularly well with the team though," Alicia continued, glancing over in time to see Angelina putting her arm around her apparent replacement.

"Gwen's a…magnetic woman. Everyone gets along with her, all right." George grabbed hold of her shoulders and turned her so her back was to the group. "I didn't drag you over here to talk about Gwen. Well, actually, I guess I kind of did. She pulled me aside for a chat just as you arrived."

Alicia shrugged his hands off her shoulders. "I know. I saw the two of you. What's going on?"

"Gwen just wanted to give me a heads up. This is her first big exclusive and she's under a lot of pressure from her editor to make it a worthwhile front page story. She'd rather stick to Quidditch, but she doesn't have much choice – she's got to ask us all personal questions."

"How personal?" Alicia demanded, crossing her arms defensively.

"Since we're playing Slytherin she's going to have to ask you about Warrington."

"Can't I just say I have no comment on the matter? Isn't that what you do to avoid talking about your private life?"

"I usually change the subject and start promoting the shop. But Gwen just wanted to check with me first to make sure that you wouldn't be offended by her asking in the first place. I told her you could handle whatever was thrown at you."

Alicia sighed. "Great. No matter what I say it will undoubtedly piss Christopher off. I'll try to come up with some vaguely diplomatic answer I suppose."

She turned to walk back over to the group but George grabbed her wrist to stop her. "There's one more thing. Gwen's going to ask about us."

"Us?"

George nodded and rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck. "Because of that stupid photo in the Prophet. We should get our stories straight."

Alicia groaned and threw her head back. Like they needed the entire magical population of Britain getting involved in their relationship. Or lack thereof as the case may be.

"I think we should stick to the facts and say that we're just old friends."

"Fine by me," Alicia said briskly.

George hadn't let go of her wrist yet so she didn't try to turn away again. She could tell he wanted to say something else so she waited, scrutinising his face. He shirked away slightly and let go of her.

"I'm sorry about the other night," he said eventually.

Alicia shook her head adamantly. "None of that was your fault. I shouldn't have pushed you the way I did. You were only being attentive and considerate."

"I thought this was going to be easier. But it's not really working out, is it?"

"It hasn't been ideal," Alicia replied noncommittedly. She wasn't going to be the one to torpedo their relationship, but she was also getting sick of being the one always putting herself out there. Grovelling and begging had all seemed well and good last night, but seeing George with his beautiful ex-girlfriend just now had dented her ego and battered her confidence a little.

"I think we should take a step back."

There it was. Coffee and French pastry churned together in Alicia's stomach. "What exactly does that mean?" she asked.

"We can just spend time together for a while. Get to know each other without expectations or pressure."

"No dates then? We'll just be friends spending time together?"

"Right. From there we can see what develops. Does that sound good?"

It sounded fucking awful. But Alicia could feel her headache coming back and all she wanted to do now was get through the interview and go home. "Sounds marvellous," she answered, forcing a smile.

"Great because I'll still need your help at the shop this week. And I'm still happy to help you train if you're comfortable with that."

Being with George whilst not actually being with him sounded like torture. Like being back at school again – so close yet so far. But she had no idea what to say, especially not with their friends standing only feet away. She'd already agreed to help him out while Fred was away and she evidently needed to get back into shape, so there wasn't much else she could say.

"I'm looking forward to working at the shop and I'd still like your help getting back to match fitness."

George gave her a relieved little smile. "So we're okay?"

Okay seemed to sum it up pretty well. Not great, but not awful either. Alicia nodded and said, "We're okay."

They returned to the group to find that the interview process had begun. Gwendolyn had conjured a small round table and some chairs and was currently talking to Harry. She'd talk to Oliver next, then the twins, then lastly the Chasers. They'd end the interview with a few photos.

While Harry was having questions thrown at him, the rest of the team lolled around. Alicia was off to one side sitting on the grass, idly pulling at random blades and enjoying her alone time. She only got about a minute of peace before a shadow fell over her and she shielded her eyes and looked up.

"So how've you been?" Oliver asked, dropping to the grass beside her.

"Great. Never been better," she lied, banking on him not being able to spot her duplicity. Oliver could spot a twig out of place on a broomstick twenty feet away, but he'd never been good with emotional cues. "How about you?" she asked, plastering a weak smile on her face.

"I have nothing to complain about; I'm living my dream life."

Alicia gave him a genuinely affectionate smile this time. "No one deserves it more than you, Oliver. You've been on this path since you were a little boy on a toy broomstick."

He rested his forearms on his knees and regarded her earnestly. "Thanks. What have you been up to? Where has your path led you?"

Alicia cocked her head. Was he being serious? Did he really not know? But of course, Oliver Wood wasn't going to read anything other than Quidditch publications. "I take it you don't read the Daily Prophet?"

"Why would I read that rubbish?"

"Oh God," Alicia muttered and rubbed tiredly at her forehead. "I've got something to tell you then."

"What is it?"

"When I was living in France I was in a relationship with someone…someone you're probably not going to approve of."

Oliver reached over and grasped her knee suddenly. "Hey now, lass, don't talk like that. I don't mind if you fancy women – plenty of female Quidditch players do."

"I'm not a lesbian," she said, shoving his hand away. "I was in a serious relationship with Christopher Warrington for over two years."

It took a second for recognition to dawn, then Oliver's eyes narrowed. "The Slytherin Chaser?"

Alicia nodded. She averted her gaze to the grass between her crossed legs and said, "We split up years ago but, uh, we have a four-year-old son together."

Oliver didn't say anything for a moment, which forced her to look back up into his hazel eyes. He was just staring at her blankly, no emotion discernible on his face. Alicia hadn't anticipated being this nervous about Oliver's reaction. His role in her life was a strange combination of friend, mentor and older brother, so his opinion of her apparently mattered a great deal.

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say," Oliver eventually said, scratching absentmindedly at his jaw.

"Angelina threw a lamp across Katie's bedroom when she found out."

"I don't feel like throwing anything. I'm just surprised, I guess. Aren't you miles out of his league?"

Alicia rolled her eyes. "He's good-looking now, all right. Why does everyone fixate on what he looked like back at school?"

"I wasn't talking about his looks. From what I remember he's a typical cowardly, manipulative, vicious Slytherin," Oliver said, causing Alicia's heart to sink. "You're the exact opposite of all that. But at the end of the day, I trust your judgement. If you chose to be with him then he must have some redeeming qualities. What's your relationship like these days?"

"Pretty shite. We have very little contact with each other these days, so it's not going to get in the way of the match. I promise."

"Glad to hear it. What about your son though? Who will he be cheering for on the day?"

"Probably his dad," Alicia admitted, a small twinge in her chest making her feel melancholic. "Jake loves Quidditch – he gives you a run for your money, actually – so he knows I used to play and he knows all about our team. I'm still just his mum at the end of the day though. He doesn't really think of me as an actual Quidditch player."

"Well we'll have to change that then, won't we?" Oliver said firmly, giving her a bracing smile that eased the ache in her chest. "At least spending time with a fellow Chaser would have kept your skills sharp."

Alicia blushed at that assumption. She and Christopher had indeed thrown the Quaffle around together a fair few times back at the villa in Burgundy, but it always became too competitive and heated. To the point where it usually ended with them snogging frantically amongst rose bushes or grape vines.

"Uh, I'm a little rusty with a Quaffle these days. But I'm going to run drills with the girls as often as we can manage it."

"Good," Oliver said, nodding his approval. He looked her up and down with the detached look of a personal trainer or coach. "Are you at least match fit?"

"Not in the slightest," Alicia said. No point being cagey with Oliver. He'd probably be able to work out her BMI and resting heartrate just by looking at her. "I'm going to work on that as well. George has offered to help me with that bit."

"George?"

"Yeah."

"Right." Oliver ran his hand over his short brown hair and peered over to where George and Ginny were sitting on a bench. "I saw the two of you talking privately earlier. Is this another one of those things I didn't pick up on back at school?"

Alicia grinned, remembering the hard time everyone had given him for not noticing Fred and Angelina's months of blatant flirting. "Don't feel too bad about it. I had a little crush on George for a while but I was very subtle about it. George himself didn't even pick up on it."

"And what about now?"

"Right now things are a little complicated."

"Is it going to disrupt anything?" Oliver asked sternly. "You know how I feel about relationships within the team."

"They throw off the delicate team balance," Alicia recited in a sing-song voice. "Yeah, yeah. Pity you can't take your own advice then."

"Oh. So you know about Katie then?"

"Doesn't everybody?" Alicia asked with a shrug.

"Harry, Ginny and Gwen don't know. Unless we're being too obvious. Are we too obvious?"

"Honestly, I probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been looking out for it. You didn't squeeze the life out of Katie like you did when you hugged Angelina and me. You held her delicately and your hands were a little too low on her back."

"Ruddy hell."

"Relax. Just act normal and no one will notice anything."

"Right."

Just as Alicia was contemplating whether she was comfortable asking Oliver about his exact intentions with Katie, Harry came over and said that it was Oliver's turn to be interviewed. He gave a relieved sigh and stood up quickly, making Alicia think that he had been expecting the conversation to turn towards Katie and that he had just dodged a hex.

Harry took Oliver's vacated spot on the grass beside her and leaned back on his hands and turned his face towards the morning sun. They sat in amicable silence for a while. Alicia surveyed him from the corner of her eye. He certainly looked better than how she remembered him before she left for France. She'd spotted him briefly at Remus Lupin's funeral and he had looked gaunt and pale and exhausted.

Harry cracked an eye open and turned to her. "So how are you feeling about this match?"

"Honestly? I'm terrified. How about you?"

"Pretty much the same. If Malfoy gets to the Snitch before me I'll never live it down. Our paths don't cross too much but I do occasionally have to deal with him through our respective Ministry departments."

"You think he'll actually play?" Alicia asked.

Harry shrugged. "Seems likely. The Malfoys are still trying to change their public image."

"And having Draco play in a charity Quidditch match would do wonders for them," Alicia said, not bothering to disguise the bitterness in her voice. "Well, there's nothing to worry about. I can't imagine Malfoy's suddenly become a brilliant Seeker out of nowhere. You'll beat him easily."

"I hope so. Why are you terrified about the match?"

"Because I'm very much out of practice these days."

"I'm sure Oliver's going to take care of that. I bet he's already drawn up a training schedule for us."

Alicia grinned. "Yeah. Complete with a few sessions at the crack of dawn."

"They were the worst," Harry said with a wry shake of his head. "Do you think I'll be able to get out of them considering the job I have?"

"I don't even think he'd let you off if you were the Minister for Magic."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

The mention of Harry's job sent a sudden jolt through Alicia. She desperately needed help – expert help. Luckily enough, she happened to be sitting beside an accomplished Auror.

"Harry, do you think you could do me a favour?" she asked quickly, before she could talk herself out of it.

"Sure."

"Do you know anyone who's good at Masking Charms?"

Harry sat forward and settled his gaze on her. "Masking Charms? What do you need one of those for?"

"It's not for me," she said, sounding unconvincing even to her own ears.

"You sure everything's all right?" Harry asked.

Shit. Alicia had realised her mistake too late. This was Harry Potter, the highly-trained Auror, not the scrawny, wide-eyed kid she'd met at Quidditch training over a decade ago. She kept falling into this same trap of forgetting that things had changed while she'd been away. Time had passed and people had grown and adapted to the new way of the world. Harry was the prime example of that.

He still had the same messy hair and boyish good-looks. His eyes were still the same startling green colour, but they were somehow wiser now. Not that surprising considering everything he had seen and done in his short live. Unfortunately for Alicia, those keen eyes were currently raking over her face, analysing and assessing.

She squirmed under the sharp examination. She should just go ahead and tell him about the letters. He was Harry Potter after all. If anyone could get to the bottom of this, it would be him. But the chances of him not mentioning it to Ron and Ginny were slim to none. Then they'd undoubtedly tell George what had been going on.

"Who's it for then?" Harry asked.

"Uh, my friend. She's having trouble with an ex-boyfriend who won't stop writing to her. She asked me in passing if I knew anyone good at doing Masking Charms."

"Is this ex of hers dangerous?" Harry asked, his eyes never wavering from her face.

Alicia shook her head quickly. "He's just clingy and annoying. Writing her love poems and rubbish like that."

"Right. Well I guess there's a few people in the department who could handle it."

Relief flooded through her. He had believed her story and now all she had to do was pretend to be this non-existent friend when Harry's colleague showed up. The letters would stop then and she could sleep a little easier. Piece of cake.

"But I can probably handle it myself," Harry continued. "I've set up one or two safe houses in my time. I'll come and do the Charm for your friend."

Bollocks. No cake this time. Alicia's stomach dropped and she stammered, "No, no. That's not necessary. You've got a lot going on between work and the baby and now this Quidditch match."

"I don't mind. It won't take long and I could use the practice."

Alicia smiled wanly. She didn't want to argue the point anymore because that would probably be a red flag to Harry. "That's very generous of you. I'm sure my friend will be more than happy to have The Boy Who Lived come and do the Masking Charm for her."

"Great. Send me her details and I'll arrange a time with her."

"Thanks. I owe you one."

Harry shook his head. "No way. I still owe you for showing up when I needed help. I never got a chance to thank you all those years ago because you left so suddenly. So thanks for being there that night."

Alicia swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. She had been utterly useless during the Battle so she didn't deserve any praise from Harry. And she hadn't returned to the school that night because she craved any recognition or acclaim. It had simply been the right thing to do.

"You're welcome," she managed to mumble.

Harry gave her a smile and stood up. "I better go rescue George from Ginny's wrath," he said, brushing grass from his trousers. He stooped down to squeeze her shoulder briefly as he walked past.

Alicia was finally left to enjoy the sun and the peace and quiet. Her good mood had been slightly sullied by the mention of the Battle. She watched her friends all laugh and joke around amongst themselves and gradually a smile crept back onto her face. She was lost in a swirl of thoughts when someone else came over a few minutes later. Her heart sank when she looked up at Gwendolyn's bright, Hollywood smile.

"Alicia Spinnet," the woman said cheerfully. "I'd recognise those blue eyes anywhere. How are you?"

"Fine," she replied, forcing what felt her hundredth smile of the day.

Katie had informed her yesterday that Gwendolyn had been a year below her at Hogwarts. Alicia had no memory of her whatsoever. But that wasn't surprising as Gwendolyn was a Hufflepuff, and Alicia had paid little attention to the other houses back at school; she knew the players on the Quidditch teams and some of the more popular students but that was it. One thing she did know was that Gwendolyn must have undergone quite a transformation post-puberty – similar to Chris's. There was no way she could have been that pretty at school and gone under the radar.

"I'm just about ready to speak to you, Katie and Ange."

"Great," Alicia replied, rising to her feet and trying to ignore the annoyance she felt at hearing Gwendolyn use Angelina's nickname.

"I was hoping we could talk in private first though?"

Alicia's mind raced for a moment, trying to come up with some way to get out of this conversation. She could pretend to need the loo? Or fake a heart attack?

Unfortunately, Gwendolyn took Alicia's awkward silence as acquiescence. "Oh, good. I just wanted to let you know that I'm so happy for you and George. He's wonderful, isn't he?"

"The best," Alicia agreed warily. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being led into some sort of trap. But Gwendolyn at least appeared to be genuinely pleased that her ex-boyfriend had moved on.

"Although he did mention things have been a little rocky to start off with," she continued.

Alicia's eyes narrowed. "Oh, he mentioned that did he? That's great."

Gwendolyn threw up an apologetic hand. "I don't mean to pry, of course. But I care about George and I can tell you're really special to him. It'd be awful if things didn't work out for the two of you just because George is the way he is."

Alicia glanced at the woman's small, perfectly manicured hand. Envy spiked through her. Her hands weren't soft and dainty like that; she still had the hands of a Quidditch player even after all these years. "And what way is George?" Alicia asked.

"He's hopeless – in an adorable way, mind you – but hopeless nonetheless. I had to throw myself at him for weeks before he got up the courage to ask me out. I was just about to give up on him. You shouldn't give up on him either. He's not an easy man to work out, but he's worth it."

Alicia knew this. In fact, she'd known it before any other woman. Who the hell was Gwendolyn to try to explain George to her? She'd known him since he was eleven and she'd had an all-encompassing crush on him since he was fourteen. A nasty rebuke was right on the tip of her tongue when she suddenly froze.

Alicia finally realised just in the nick of time that she was being ridiculous and possessive when George wasn't even hers to covet. She swallowed her bitchy comment. The truth was, Alicia only knew the teenage boy George had once been. Gwendolyn was the one with all the experience of dealing with him as a man.

If she truly wanted him she was going to have to swallow her pride right along with her bitchiness and get help from an expert.

"He's trying to pull away from me," Alicia offered tentatively. "What do I do?"

"You don't bloody well let him," Gwendolyn replied fiercely.

"But how?"

"I've no doubt you'll work it out yourself. In the meantime, hold on tight and be patient. Everything will work out for the best because you're bright and empathetic and wonderful."

"Thanks," Alicia mumbled after her astonishment had worn off. Seriously. Who the fuck was this woman?

Gwendolyn hooked her arm around Alicia's elbow and bounced on the balls of her feet happily. "Now, shall we get cracking with this interview? I'm so immensely excited to be interviewing you Chasers."

"Us? But surely you've interviewed plenty of real Quidditch stars by now?"

"Of course," the peppy little woman replied offhandedly, dragging Alicia towards the interview table, "but you three are the pinnacle for me. You're the whole reason I'm here."

Gwendolyn had so much exuberance that Alicia felt as if she was being drawn along by a whirling dervish "Wait. What?" she asked stupidly.

"I won't burden you with my life story, but the long and short of it is, I come from a Quidditch obsessed family. My dad and two older brothers are fanatics, but they never encouraged or welcomed my interest in the game. By the time I got to Hogwarts I was used to stifling my passion. Then something happened: I saw the Gryffindor Chasers play together for the first time.

"It was a revelation to me. I mean, you Gryffindors were the dream team back then anyway, but there was something extra special about you three. Suddenly there were these girls my age flying rings around older boys. You were all so fierce and uncompromising; I was awestruck. Suddenly I could see a space for myself in a sport I'd always been told was better left to men. I actually tried out for the Hufflepuff team in my fourth year."

"Why didn't you make it?" Alicia asked.

"Oh. Well, it turns out I have rubbish coordination and balance." Gwendolyn waved her hand dismissively. "That's fine though. I committed myself instead to studying the ins and outs of the game and here I am today. The gender imbalance in the British and Irish League and at Hogwarts is still a huge issue, but I write a regular column in the magazine that focuses on women in Quidditch. I'd love to feature you one day. I've already done Ange, Katie and Ginny."

Alicia couldn't speak. She didn't know what to say. But she understood now; she got why everyone liked this woman. Hell, even she wanted to be best friends with Gwendolyn Hightower.


A/N: Righto, here's the part where I beg for reviews. I have some good motivation this time. If you want to see this tension between George and Alicia reach a (literal) climax then please leave a quick review for me. The rating will be going up as of the next chapter, FYI. Furthermore, the chapter's totally locked and loaded. I've already re-read it a few dozen times because I really love it, so it's edited and fit to be posted whenever I'm so inclined. You want it ASAP, then let me know! Thanks, lovelies!