This is a little shorter since it followed a one-shot that was almost 7000 words (which I'll probably post next).
Oliver Wood had just finished up practice with Puddlemere United when he bumped into a familiar face.
"Katie?"
Katie looked up from the parchment she was holding and recognition blossomed across her face. "Oliver? It's been forever! How have you been?"
"Pretty good. I'm starting for Puddlemere this year, so I've had a lot of practice."
Katie couldn't help but laugh, "Enough to rival your practice schedule?"
Oliver grinned, "Yeah. It's great, without Professor McGonagall restricting my practice times, we practice nearly every day!" He was like a kid in a candy store.
"Good, then you can show me to the pitch." Katie said, showing him the letter she was holding. It was a letter that specified when and where tryouts for a new Puddlemere Chaser would be.
"You're trying out for the position? I thought you wanted to be a Healer?" Oliver said.
Katie raised an eyebrow, "You remember that? I thought you only had room for Quidditch in that brain of yours." Oliver just shrugged, so Katie continued. "And I was training to be a Healer, but for everything that happened last year, I decided I never wanted to see another person in so much pain."
Oliver nodded. He had shown up at the Battle in the middle of it, and it had only gotten worse as it progressed. He had only seen Katie for a minute afterward when she was helping Madame Pomfrey.
Katie shook her head as if to clear it, "Anyway, can you show me to the pitch or not?"
"Oh, yeah. Maybe I'll even put in a good word for you." Oliver joked, leading the way.
"Did Oliver Wood just make a joke about Quidditch?" Katie faked shock as they walked.
"Not really. I know what talent you have, and I can only assume you got better in the two years you had while I was gone."
"It should have been three, but that stupid tournament..." Katie said sadly.
"I tried to get the season back for you guys. I wrote more letters than I care to count on the subject to the school." Katie suspected he was trying to avoid the topic of Cedric. The two were Quidditch rivals, but Oliver had respected him.
"I know. Professor McGonagall asked me to ask you to stop after the tenth."
"I never got a letter from you." Oliver said, confused.
"I know. Because I wanted the season back just as badly." Katie laughed.
"I knew I liked something about you. Well, here's the pitch. Remember all I showed you."
"I seem to remember Angelina doing all the teaching, but thanks." Katie ran off, and Oliver lingered for a moment before leaving, though he had no clue why.
A week later, Katie had joined the team as a reserve Chaser. She was moved to a starting player after one of their original starters got injured, and she found that she was grateful for Wood's extensive practices, though even they didn't compare to the real deal.
That year, Oliver received news that he was accepted to be part of the British Cup team. He was beyond excited and accepted immediately. The only downside, at least for the rest of Puddlemere, was that he got offers from other teams for him to join them, each offering hefty salaries.
"I don't know. This is my dream and I want to take the offer, but I love this team." Oliver was saying to Katie, who had become good friends with, one day.
"Take it." Katie said, without hesitation. Oliver looked at her, surprised. "Look," she explained, "If you don't accept it, you'll be miserable. Besides, we can make it interesting."
"Okay." Oliver said. "Continue."
"Every time we face each other if our team wins, you owe me fifty Galleons."
"Fifty? I thought you said interesting."
"You want to go there? Fine. Every game is worth a hundred Galleons, plus dinner after that night's game. You guys win, I pay up. We win, you do."
"Alright. But we both have to play in the game. Otherwise, we had nothing to do with the outcome."
"Oh, you are so on, Wood."
"Same to you, Bell." They shook, and the next year, the bet began.
By the end last game they would face each other in, Oliver was up by one game.
"Looks like I won, Katie." Oliver grinned as they ate their customary after-game dinner together.
"This year, anyway." Katie said as she took another bite.
"So is this an annual thing now?" Oliver asked.
Katie nodded, "It always was going to be. It's not a real contest if you only do it once."
"Well, I look forward to it."
"Of course, this means we'll have to do this dinner thing again." Katie said.
"That is part of the deal." Oliver pointed out.
"Well, we could always do it more often. Maybe on the off chance we both don't have practice, we could just go out for dinner one day." Katie said as she sipped her water.
Oliver nearly choked on his own water. "Are you-"
"You really do only have room for Quidditch in that brain of yours." Katie laughed. "Yes. I am asking you on a date. On top of that, I beat you to it."
"How did you-"
"Know you were going to ask?" Oliver nodded. "I got Hendricks to tell me. You were acting weird and I asked. He spilled so I knew I had to beat you at something if it wasn't this year's Quidditch face-off."
"I guess you did beat me to it." Oliver grinned and raised his glass in defeat.
The rest of their relationship was very much the same. They continued to challenge each other in Quidditch, Katie even turned down joining Oliver on the same team because she enjoyed the competition too much.
After two years of dating, they got engaged in early January and got married that December. They said their vows in a small church, surrounded by family and friends. Katie had a few small crystals in her hair that looked like falling snow, and Oliver would swear, even years later, that he had never seen a more beautiful sight, even the Quidditch pitch.
After their "I dos" and kissing, Katie and Oliver flashed each other grins before grabbing hands and racing down the aisle. Katie won, even in heels.
Even after marriage, the competition continued. It never got nasty, and it was always over silly things. Both of them loved the competitive nature and warned each other if they were about to get nasty. One of the biggest competitions happened one January.
Oliver came home from work and found Katie sitting at the kitchen table, holding a cup of tea in her hands. He joined her.
"I got really exciting news today."
"I bet mine is more exciting." Katie countered.
"I just made Captain." Oliver said with a grin.
"That's great!" Katie said, smiling just as big.
"Still think your news is more exciting?" Oliver asked, the smile not leaving his face.
"Oh yeah." Katie took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."
"Th- Wait. What?" Oliver stared, wide-eyed. Katie nodded, waiting to see his reaction. It took a moment, but soon he was off his feet, and after making sure her tea was set down, he picked Katie up and pulled her into his arms.
"I- Well I guess you win! Do you-" Oliver's smile was bigger than ever.
"I'm about two months. About the same as Ginny is." She had announced her pregnancy last week.
"Looks like the next generation of Quidditch players will be hitting Hogwarts in eleven years." He said with a grin, which Katie returned.
"Shame there's no contest this year though." Katie sighed, and Oliver laughed.
August came quickly. James Sirius Potter was born a couple days after Ginny's birthday, but it was nearly the end of August and Katie still hadn't delivered.
Both parents were nervous because Katie was a week and a half late. The Healers assured her it was just fine. Just when Katie had accepted that her child wouldn't be born until after September first, she went into labor in the middle of the day. Oliver had to leave in the middle of a match.
It wasn't short, and it took the rest of the day and into the night. Then, finally, in the wee hours of the morning on August thirty first, Amelia Alicia Wood was born.
And neither of her parents could have been happier.
One of my favorite ships that wasn't declared canon.
~PH