Marcus Flint and Oliver Wood are polar opposites. Sworn rivals by different colours on their ties and their tendencies to say foul things towards the other on the Quidditch pitch, they are the perfect enemies. They take every opportunity that arises to start a fight, sometimes loudly enough for everyone else to hear, other times in private. Anything can be turned into an argument, practice times, game strategies, whether or not Flitwick is a goblin or not… absolutely everything. If one didn't know the two, you'd be sure to believe the boys hated each other's guts, but if you actually had the pleasure of having made their acquaintance, you knew that Oliver Wood and Marcus Flint were best friends, and no stupid fights, tie colour or profanities exchanged on the Quidditch pitch would change that.
Oliver had initially been crushed when he and Marcus were sorted into different Hogwarts houses, but Marcus had seen it as a good thing. ("C'mon Ollie, now we both can be captains of our house teams!"). Oliver had still not been too keen on the idea, despite Marcus's comforting words, but eventually he'd learned to appreciate it. He understood that he had a stupid hero-complex that made him belong amongst his fellow Gryffindors, and equally understood how Marcus's cunning and deceiving nature made a perfect fit for Slytherin.
Despite being sorted into separate houses, Marcus and Oliver made a point to always eat breakfast and dinner together. Breakfast at the Gryffindor table (due to none of Marcus' Slytherin peers being morning people) where Percy Weasley often joined them. Weasley would read them the latest prophet, whilst Oliver and Marcus only half listened, too occupied with discussing something Quidditch related. Marcus has never been overly keen on Percy, but has always figured that he could tolerate the chap for Oliver. After all, Oliver has always tolerated his friends every evening over dinner.
At first, the arrangement was frowned upon by Gryffindors and Slytherins alike, most giving them snide looks, Terence Higgs even going as far as calling Marcus a "traitor". Albeit doing so whilst fake coughing like the coward he was, but Marcus had heard, and Higgs had eaten his words up. Turns out messing with Marcus Flint was something one should actually avoid if one wanted to dodge a black eye. After that incident, everyone left them alone.
Marcus and Oliver, as expected, both made their respective Quidditch teams. Oliver as a keeper, and Marcus as a chaser. All their practice as youngsters had really paid off, something they both loved boosting about every now and then whilst pestering their schoolmates about Quidditch. They'd celebrated their spots on the teams by doing the only logical thing - sneaking out past curfew for a midnight flight. Over the years they've both spent at Hogwarts, both boys have become notorious for their craft of sneaking out past curfew. Right then, when they were merely twelve, clumsy and stupid, both have admitted that not getting caught had been short of a miracle.
They'd flown around the Quidditch pitch a couple of times, chasing one another and laughing a little too loudly for two people who were out of bed after hours. Flying through the hoops, competing on who could speed closest to the ground without tumbling to a steady death. The phrase "I bet I can go faster than you." Was a commonly used one, and favoured between the pair. What's life without some friendly competition? And with them, well everything just had to be a competition. Everything.
Eventually they'd seized their flying and sat on the same ground they'd previously been above. Marcus had thrown some grass at Oliver that he'd managed to pull out of the ground, and Oliver had responded by hitting the other boy on the arm. Not hard enough to hurt him, but with enough force to cause a reaction from him. A habit in which the boys would keep up for many years to come.
So there they sat. Talking through the late night and early morning about anything and everything that crossed their twelve year old minds. Once the sun started rising they had to sneak back into the castle before Hooch came out for her morning check up, and the pair spent the rest of the day snoozing through their classes from the lack of sleep the previous night.
If you were to ask Oliver about that evening years later, he'd tell you it was one of his favourite memories of his time at Hogwarts. That was the day he'd made the Quidditch team, the day he'd gotten to celebrate with his best friend. An opportunity to stay out late and fly through the night. It was truly, the perfect moment. If the same question was inquired upon Marcus, he'd first tell you to piss off and mind your own business, but eventually, if pestered properly, would confess to you that this night was not a happy memory for him, because it was the evening that he realised that him and Oliver Wood were no longer best friends.
