Chapter 6- Melting Moments.

The players' conference room was quiet in the early hours of Monday morning. A handful of Puddlemere staff and players pottered around; patching up gloves, assessing damaged brooms, making coffee. Keeping the hood of her grey Oxford sweatshirt up and her head down, Yana slipped through the door, taking care to avoid Coach Benito, who was at the front of the room setting up a projector screen with Assistant Coach Darius Armstrong. Fearing a repeat of the previous day's reprimanding, Yana hurried over to the benches where Leo Madigan was sitting. He was bouncing a ping pong ball against the wall with a table tennis paddle, silent and focused. Pulling out some dried apricots, she snacked and watched him in silence, eventually lowering her hood and shaking out her curly hair. Leo did a double take and dropped his ping pong ball.

'Whoa, whoa. What is that?' Leo exclaimed.

Yana looked up as she tied her hair back, tucking a few grey strands out of sight. 'Um, what is what?'

'That. On your face.' said Leo. Yana raised an eyebrow, daring him to be more specific.

Behind him, Wilda Griffiths appeared, holding a steaming cup of coffee. She sat at Leo's other side. 'Morning, all. New specs, Yana?'

Perched on Yana's long crooked nose were a pair of rectangular glasses with thin black frames.

Yana shook her head. 'I've had them for ages. My playing goggles have the same lenses.' she said.

Leo and Wilda hummed in fascination, and were soon joined by Andrei, carrying toast in one hand and Leo's ping pong ball in the other. He threw the ball back at his fellow Chaser, who caught it with ease. Glancing across the room, checking that Benito wasn't in earshot, Andrei took a seat directly opposite Yana and looked intently at her. 'How was the tribunal yesterday?' he whispered.

Yana's chest tightened. How did he know?

Andrei chuckled at her stunned expression. 'Don't worry, first time at tribunal is scary. It is standard procedure after any offence.' he said. 'We've all been there. Even Oliver.'

Now that was something Yana found hard to believe. Oliver Wood was the most straight-laced Quidditch player she'd ever met.

On the far end of the room, Benjy Williams, lying on a table, lowered the newspaper he was reading. 'Page two of The Prophet says you got a twenty Galleon fine, sweetheart. Ouch.' he said, not sounding sympathetic at all. Since her first day at Puddlemere, the Seeker had taken to giving her affectionate nicknames, and was thriving on how much it visibly annoyed her.

'Only reason it isn't more's because I haven't punched you yet, Williams.' Yana said through gritted teeth.

He snorted and sat up. 'So ladylike. What you need, love, is PR training. It'd do wonders for your image.' said Benjy.

'You calling me ugly?' said Yana.

Benjy rolled his eyes. 'I meant your public image. Anyway, don't flatter yourself, sunshine. You're not my type.'

'What, tall and intelligent? Because the last two girls I've seen with you didn't appear to be either.' said Yana.

Leo, Wilda and Andrei burst into laughter. For once, Benjy was speechless, and returned to his newspaper, red in the face.

.

It was at that moment Solomon Brodie opened the door. 'Cheery Chasers on a Monday morning. Who spiked your pumpkin juice?' he said. Oliver Wood trailed in behind him, walking slowly and stiffly.

'Oh, Yana got Benjy real good!' Leo hooted, wiping tears from his eyes.

Brodie raised his eyebrows. 'Huh. Sorry I missed it.' He nodded to Yana before making his way over to Coach Benito.

Yana caught Oliver staring at her. 'Have you finished gawking, Wood? I'm not a gallery painting.' she said.

'Back to your usual sprightly self, I see.' Oliver replied.

'How're your ribs, Ollie?' said Wilda.

Oliver sat down next to her, groaning. 'Sore as hell. Benito's grounded me till Wednesday, but said I could come in for match review today. I'll be back in no time.'

'We'll see, young Wood, we'll see.' said Benito, walking towards them with blackboard in tow. He pointed his wand at the projector, and looked around at his team. 'Alright everyone, settle down. Let's review Saturday's win.'

.

After an hour, they moved outside to the pitch for warm-ups and ball drills. Benito hadn't said a word to Yana all morning, and she was starting to wonder if his coldness was a continuation of their disciplinary meeting the day before. When it came to conflict, Yana's family had never favoured the silent treatment, making her coach's response toward her even more unsettling. Should I approach him? Be overly nice? Or would that look like sucking up? she thought.

As she reached for her Firebolt, she felt a firm hand on her shoulder, and turned to find herself face to face with Benito. She jumped. Surely he hadn't read her mind?

'No need for the broom, Vaso. You're grounded for the rest of the morning.' he said gruffly, 'Wood, go set up the beep test. You can supervise.' he called over his shoulder. There was a collective 'oooh' from her teammates.

Yana looked at them with apprehension. 'What's the beep test?'

Leo sighed dramatically. 'One of the worst inventions Muggle sport ever produced. I am so sorry.'

'Welcome to Benito's boot camp from hell.' said Wilda. 'Just do as you're told, and it'll be over before you know it. Promise.' she whispered.

Yana frowned. 'But why- oh. This is because of Saturday, isn't it?'

Benjy Williams was grinning from ear to ear. 'You do the crime, you do the time. Have fun, sunshine.' he sung.

Yana glared as she stalked past him. 'Go suck a snitch, Williams.' she hissed.

.

She met Oliver at the base of the northern goalposts. He was levitating two bright orange markers onto the grass. Beside him, a small gramophone sat perched on a table.

Yana folded her arms and huffed. 'Alright. So what's this beep test then?'

Oliver looked at her with utter seriousness. 'It's a test of stamina. These two markers are twenty metres apart. When you hear the beeping sound, you run from one marker to the other, and stop. Then, when you hear the next beep, you run back. With me so far?'

Yana shrugged. 'Sure. Run back and forth. For how long?'

A smile tugged at the corner of Oliver's mouth. 'Until you can't. At each interval, the beeps get faster, so theoretically, you will too.'

'Theoretically?'

'Men's club record is eleven point two, and nine point seven for the ladies, but just go as far as you can. Merlin's mercies to you.' said Oliver.

Yana clucked her tongue and walked to the nearest marker, pulling off her goggles and her Oxford sweatshirt and tossing them onto the grass. Despite the morning's vigorous training and milder weather, she wore a long black top and navy Puddlemere shorts. She nodded to Oliver, signalling she was ready, and he tapped his wand on the gramophone.

.

The first beep sounded, followed by a prim female voice announcing each progression. Yana jogged between the markers with ease, while Oliver stood by, hands behind his back. In her peripherals, the rest of the team were up in the air doing flying drills, but with no other distractions, the quiet repetition of running was quite comfortable.

'Doing well, Vaso.' said Oliver. Yana nodded in acknowledgement, but remained silent. She wasn't doing this for him; she'd already resolved to suck it up, do what she was told, and put this whole thing behind her. Maybe then-

'Hey, don't let Benjy get to you.' Oliver said, 'He can be an asshole, but he does it for the reactions.'

Yana huffed, keeping her eyes on the marker in front of her. 'I swear he's part Dementor. It's like he enjoys making me miserable.' she said.

'You seem to do that pretty well on your own.' Oliver said wryly.

'That's just my face.' Yana said back.

The gramophone kept beeping, and Yana kept running. It was hard not to get distracted by the shadows and whooshes of the others flying above her.

'Hey, what do you like to drink?' Oliver said.

Yana nearly tripped over. 'What?' she puffed.

Oliver seemed completely unfazed by her reaction. 'You know, at dinner parties? That kind of thing.'

Why the hell was he asking her this? Of all the times to start a conversation…

"Level five point two." the gramophone droned.

'Water- peach ice tea- Prosecco? I don't know. Can we discuss this another day?' Yana said.

The intervals were no longer allowing a gentle jog, and she focused on her breathing as the pace increased. Hopefully now Oliver would leave her alone and-

'Are you annoyed at me?' he asked.

'Keep talking and I will be. Why?' she said, gritting her teeth.

'You seem mighty serious, is all.' said Oliver.

'I'm always serious. Now shush.' she replied.

"Level five point four."

.

The jogging progressed to sprinting. Yana hated sprinting. She'd always enjoyed the freedom of distance running; setting her own pace and taking in her surroundings. This test was the complete opposite. How had Benito known to torture her this way? Was one mishap really worth this kind of penance? Did he really treat all of his players like this?

"Level eight point seven."

'Good work, Vaso! Keep it up!' Oliver called. 'Oh, and I never got to say earlier, if you want some more practice with those defensive saves Benito was talking about, I can run you through and the others through a few drills later this week.'

Yana was panting. Couldn't the idiot see she was running? 'Hopefully- we won't need- to use those tactics- again.' she said between breaths.

"Level eight point eight."

Somehow, Oliver remained oblivious of her discomfort. 'I know, but Benito said it'd be better to all be prepared in case the goalposts stay undefended. And while I don't expect to be taken out again anytime soon, I think-'

'Wood. Can we- talk about this- later?' Yana puffed.

The Keeper furrowed his brow. 'Wait, so is that a yes?'

'Only. If. You. Shut. Up.' she wheezed back.

Her muscles burned, she had a stitch in her side, and her lungs felt like they were about to explode. But she would finish Benito's stupid test and hopefully be done with whatever kind of discipline this was. She was so focused on the beeps that she didn't notice that her teammates return to the ground to watch. Leo began chanting her name, and was soon joined by a chorus of players, including the reserves who'd begun their ground drills on the other side of the grass. Coach Benito stood apart from the group, arms folded, watching her like a hawk. When the recording announced level nine point nine, Yana finally fell on her hands and knees, trembling. She felt like melting into the grass. A huge cheer erupted from the squad, even Coaches Armstrong and McGovern burst into applause. Yana rolled over and gave them a thumbs up.

'Bloody brilliant, Vaso! That's a new women's record! Wilda's gonna be devastated.' exclaimed Oliver.

She raised her head, squinting in the sunlight, and saw the Keeper smiling down at her. It was a handsome smile- genuine, like when they'd joked around together at the season gala. For all Oliver's annoying curiosity, and her numerous attempts to brush him off, he still seemed genuinely pleased for her. With a flick of his wand, he packed up the equipment and summoned her water bottle over to her. Grasping it eagerly, Yana took several long slurps, before looking back to Oliver.

'Thank you.' she gasped.

His smile widened.

Yana frowned. 'What?'

'You said something nice to me. I'm speechless.' he said.

'Maybe I should start being nicer then. Shut you up more.' she replied.

From across the lawn, Benito waved Oliver over. As he walked stiffly to the other side of the pitch, Yana flopped back on the grass, closing her eyes. "Who the hell was this guy?" Despite the fact they'd played against each other at school and mingled in professional circles for years, Yana realised she barely knew Oliver Wood. One minute, he was a tight-ass stickler for rules and competition, the next he was cheering her on as she sweated like a pig.

.

'You okay, kid?' said Solomon Brodie, breaking her train of thought.

'Tell my Mum to clear a space in the family crypt. I'll be joining my ancestors very soon.' she groaned.

Brodie gave a deep chuckle. 'That bad?'

'Worse.' Yana said.

Brodie offered her his hand, and pulled her up like she weighed nothing. To her surprise, he sat down beside her.

'Look, at the risk of sounding like a lecturing parent, these punishments aren't actually about you.' he said.

Yana took another gulp from her water bottle. 'How's that?' she said.

Brodie ran a hand over his bald head. 'Our team has one of the best reputations in the League in terms of on and off-field conduct. As Captain, I pride myself on that. But it means people watch us more closely, waiting for someone to stuff up. Benito's copped a lot for signing you on, and what happened the other night has only fuelled the critics.'

A knot twisted in Yana's stomach. She picked at a loose thread on her shorts, avoiding Brodie's eyes. He sighed.

'Look, I'm you had your reasons for leaving Appleby, and I know it's none of my business, but you need to put it behind you. Understand?'

Yana swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. 'Loud and clear.' she murmured.

That seemed to satisfy Brodie, and he stood up without another word.

'Hey Sol?'

He looked back at her.

'You do sound like a lecturing parent. But you do it well.'

Brodie chuckled. 'Wish my daughters had that attitude. Never knew little kids could talk back so much. Oh, and Monique's been asking when you're coming over for lunch. Let's make a date soon.'

Yana gave a lazy salute. 'Can do.'

With shaky legs, she followed her teammates back through the tunnel to the locker room. Benito was waiting for her at the entrance, hands behind his back. Yana stopped and faced him, waiting for a response, almost daring him to speak. Am I being too cocky? she thought. She'd done everything he'd asked; showed up to the hearing, paid the damn fine, and ran until her body gave out. After a painful silence, Benito brought his arms forward, and hand back her Firebolt. He adjusted his cap and walked away, leaving Yana both perplexed and utterly relieved.

.

.

Thursday evening rolled around with dark skies and drizzle. The upstairs fireplace at Number Ninety-Three Diagon Alley erupted with bright green flames, and Yana stepped out onto the hearth, carrying a large white box.

'Hi, Angie! Hey, George!' she called.

Angelina Johnson hurried out of the kitchen. Tall and dark, she looked beautiful even with frazzled black hair and sauce splattered on her red unicorn apron. Her face broke into a dazzling smile when she saw Yana.

'Hey babe! Good to see you.' she said, kissing Yana on the cheek, and whisking the box out of her hands. 'I cannot wait to see what you made this time.'

Yana shook some Floo Powder off her indigo tie-dye shirt. 'You'll like this one. Sorry I'm late, Gwen insisted that she-

'There you are, Velociraptor! Good timing.' said George, emerging from the kitchen.

Putting on her glasses, Yana got a clearer picture of her best friend's boyfriend. George was in his casual home attire: a blue knitted Weasley jumper, faded jeans, and odd socks. In recent months he'd let his hair grow out, similar to that one time in school he and Fred had gone long, though this time Yana suspected it was to cover the gaping hole and twisted skin around his missing right ear. Behind him, a wine bottle floated in mid-air and bumped his head.

'Ouch!'

'Whoops. Pardon me.' said another familiar voice.

Oliver Wood came around from behind George, and grabbed the floating bottle. He too was dressed casually, in a deep green skater shirt and jeans. Yana smoothed down her long denim skirt nervously. Oliver placed the wine bottle and a water jug on the small rickety dining table.

'Evening, Vaso. Hope you like Prosecco.' he said casually.

Yana stared at him, confused. 'What? I mean- what are you doing here?' she croaked.

'Nice to see you too.' Oliver replied with a grin.

Angelina and George watched their exchange with bemused smiles.

'I did say bring dessert for four.' said Angelina to Yana.

'Yes. Yes you did.' said Yana, suddenly aware of how hot her cheeks were feeling.

'We've been meaning to catch up with both of you for ages, so thought two birds with one stone, y'know?' said George. 'Anyway, I hate small talk. Food's ready, take a seat!'

'I'll use the loo first. Feel free to start.' Yana said. She quickly retreated down the hall, prompting both Angelina and George to glare pointedly at Oliver.

'What?' said Oliver.

'This is okay, right?' said George. 'Having you two over outside of work?'

Oliver shrugged and crossed his arms. 'Don't see why it wouldn't be. She's your friend, not mine.'

Angelina folded her arms. 'I think you'll find Yana is an absolute delight, thank you very much.'

'Are we talking about the same person?' Oliver asked, taking a seat.

George snorted. 'She can be a grumpy bugger, but believe it or not, she does have some winning qualities.' asked George.

'You boys are terrible gossips. Find something more interesting to talk about.' Yana said, taking her seat at the table. In his peripherals, Oliver saw her slip something small into the pocket of her skirt, but was distracted by a salad bowl whizzing past his head.

'Shall.' replied George as Angelina plated everyone up with chicken pot pie and couscous salad. 'So Yana, what's it like playing alongside our old Captain?'

Yana took her time chewing as she considered her answer, and looked across at Oliver with a glint in her eye. 'Tolerable so far.'

Oliver quirked an eyebrow. 'Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you.'

'Does he still give speeches before each match?' Angelina asked, passing Yana the salad bowl, 'Have some more, babe. You've hardly got anything.'

Yana shook her head. 'I'm good thanks. Wait,' she turned to Oliver, 'you used to give Gryffindor speeches?'

George beamed. 'Oh yeah, every match. Fred and I had all his school pep-talks memorised.'

'They were really something.' Angelina agreed.

'What's that supposed to mean?' said Oliver.

Angelina rolled her eyes. 'Look Oliver, you were always been the best Keeper we ever had, but you were a total die-hard.'

George snorted and pointed his fork at Angelina. 'You were no better when you were captain. We were convinced you'd absorbed Oliver's soul, the way you- ow!' Angelina threw her serviette at him. 'Mind my good ear, woman!'

'I'm starting to think it's why you really ditched school, George. Hey!' Yana said, ducking to avoid another serviette.

'Well, I don't remember you holding the Cup at the end of the season.' Angelina teased.

'We can't all have Harry Potter as our Seeker.' Yana said with an eyeroll.

'Hey, remember that match against Huffelpuff in the thunderstorm, when the Dementors came out, and Harry's Firebolt broke?' said George.

Yana clucked her tongue. 'I broke my wrist that game. That was the worst match I've ever won.' she said.

George hummed. 'We thought Oliver had gone into shock. Fred and I had to pull him out of the showers to stop him from drowning himself.'

'What, naked?' said Yana.

Oliver choked on his drink at the same time George spat his out. 'Geez Louise, Yans!' George spluttered as Angelina giggled.

Yana blushed right down to her neck. She was trying and failing to shake the mental image of Fred and George dragging a naked Oliver by the arms across the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch. She took a deep drink from her wine glass.

George chuckled, clearly enjoying her embarrassment. 'But to answer your question, Velociraptor, no. No we did not. More pie?'

'You're starting to sound like your mum.' Yana replied sternly.

George held up his hands. 'I take it back! But seriously, you're not still counting calories, are you?'

Yana shrugged. 'Don't have much of a choice. Anyway, how's work for you guys?'

.

While George and Angelina cleared the dinner dishes away, Yana found herself sitting on one of the squashy grey couches, with Oliver siting on the adjacent loung. She swished her wine glass around, avoiding his eyes. The wine had loosened her tongue slightly, but also scared her enough to keep her mouth shut for saying anything else embarrassing in front of Oliver.

'So,' Oliver said after a long silence, 'why does George call you velociraptor?'

'Because she's scary!' George called from the kitchen.

Yana smirked and flicked her wand, followed by a yelp from George and a cackling laugh from Angelina.

'Un-wedgie my trousers, woman!' George shouted.

Yana waved her wand again and turned back to Oliver. 'Because in school he and Fred decided "velociraptor" was easier to say than my last name.'

Oliver furrowed his brow, confused. 'Vaso?'

Yana shifted slightly. 'Vasokopoulous.' she mumbled.

'Bless you.' said George, re-entering the room with bowls and cutlery.

'I'll bless you to high heaven in a sec.' Yana muttered.

Oliver's face lit up with excitement. 'Wait, Vasokopoulous? As in Vasokopoulous Toys and Amusements?' He laughed loudly in realisation. 'Bloody hell, you're one of the Vasokopoulous'! They're the best magical toymakers in Britain!'

'Wait, you didn't know she was a Vasokopoulous? Where've you been, Oliver?' Angelina exclaimed as she placed Yana's large white box on the coffee table.

'Too busy up in the goalposts.' said George.

Oliver sighed. 'My grandparents used to take me to the shop in Newcastle every year to choose a birthday present. Do they still do the factory tour?'

Yana shook her head. 'Not anymore.'

'Shame. Has it always been run by your family?' said Oliver.

'Eight generations and counting.' said Yana. 'Though I'm amazed George hasn't bought us out yet. You'd be doing us a favour.' she added.

George scoffed. 'Heck no, I'm way too scared of your grandparents to even consider it.'

'Are you grandparents retiring?'

'They're thinking about it. But there's a lot to do before then.'

'I see. Will your parents take over after that?'

George coughed loudly, startling them all. 'Hey Yana, what's for dessert?' he said. Eagerly, Yana reached for the box and opened it, revealing a brown cake in the shape of a mountain, surrounded by small balls of chocolate and popcorn. 'Self-saucing chocolate pudding. With a twist.'

George leaned forward with his elbows on the table. 'I'm listening.'

Yana knelt by the coffee table, taking a deep breath and scrunching up her nose in concentration. Tapping her wand twice, the others watched as the top of the pudding crumbled in and from its centre, ribbons of gooey red and orange liquid trickled down onto the chocolate and popcorn. Wisps of steam rose up from the centre, filling the room with a sweet chocolatey aroma.

'Ha! A volcano cake! Brilliant!' George exclaimed with delight.

Oliver looked over at Yana with astonishment. 'When did you have time to make this?'

She shrugged. 'After training. It's a first attempt, but hopefully it's alright. It's a practice cake for my cousin's fifth birthday party.'

'Will your cousin be having this at his party too?' Angelina said, pulling out a large bottle of deep pink liqueur.

Yana tugged at her curls. 'Ah yeah, that. I didn't know we'd be having drinks with dinner, so maybe we should save it for another time.'

'Nah, come on.' said George enthusiastically, 'when's the last time we got tipsy on a Thursday night?'

'We do have training tomorrow…' said Oliver.

'For once, I actually agree with Wood.' said Yana.

'Thank you.' Oliver said, pleasantly surprised.

'Don't get used to it.' she muttered.

Angelina looked thoughtful as she divided the pudding into bowls. 'What if we do "never have I ever"? That way we can pace ourselves. Sort of.'

'And I can find out if Vaso really is as fun as you say.' Oliver said.

Yana glared at him. 'Hey! I can be fun.' she exclaimed.

Oliver held her gaze and smiled mischieviously. 'What happened to "I'm always serious?"'

'More like seriously competitive.' Angelina muttered under her breath.

'Then it's decided!' said George, rubbing his hands together.

.

Once their bowls were all loaded up with pudding, Angelina poured the drinks and sat down next to Yana, while George sat on the lounge next to Oliver.

'Oh my god, Yana, this pudding is amazing!'

'You're gonna put Florian's out of business one day.' George said, licking his spoon.

'That's the retirement plan.' Yana said wryly. 'Alright Angie, you go first.'

Angelina took another bite of her dessert and thought for a moment. 'Never have I ever received a Howler.'

George and Yana immediately reached for their glasses.

'We've had our fair share.' George burped. 'Blimey Yans, what's in this stuff?'

Yana smiled. 'Berries, alcohol and some random herb that only grows on Mykonos. The Greeks are good at many things, and getting drunk on spirits is one of them. Hmm... never have I ever used a spell while playing Quidditch.'

George took another shot. So did Oliver.

Angelina gasped. 'Oliver Wood, well I never! Spill.'

Oliver went bright red. 'Yeah. First year in Puddlemere reserves. Tried a Slippery Jinx on a Wimbourne player's broom. The referee didn't notice, but Benito caught me out. Worst move of my career.'

Yana turned to him. 'Andrei told me you'd been to tribunal once. I didn't believe him.'

Oliver shook his head. 'I was lucky to get away with a one week suspension. Haven't tried anything since.'

Yana swallowed her mouthful of pudding. 'At least when I hit people, no one cares. It's your turn by the way.'

Oliver frowned. 'Never have I ever… gotten lost overseas?'

All of them drank.

'Oh yes? Do share.' Angelina said.

'Egypt.' said George, 'That time we went on holiday to see Bill, and he showed us around the pyramids. Great fun. Locked Percy in a tomb.'

'I bet he loved that.' Yana chuckled. 'Gosh, where do I start? There was one time where I got lost in Crete with my cousins. We tried to ask some farmers for directions, and ended up coming home with eight pounds of haloumi cheese. Oliver?'

'Belgium, summer holidays when I was twelve. Me dad was determined to do this castle walk without a map, and we apparated in some Muggle town, and landed right on top of these old ladies in a church. Every time we bring it up, me Mam gets super embarrassed. So naturally we mention it every Christmas.'

'That's fantastic!' snorted Angelina. 'This one time in the West Indies, my Grandad was convinced he knew the way to a reef, and dragged my sister and me along this beach. Turns out it was a nudist beach. Full of old people.'

They all groaned in disgust, and burst into giggles. The liqueur was making its mark.

'George, it's your turn.' Oliver said.

The redhead gave a wicked smile. 'Never have I ever… gone skinny-dipping in the Hogwarts Lake.'

There was silence as they all looked at each other, and slowly, Yana poured herself another shot and downed her drink. Angelina squealed loudly.

'Bloody what?! Since when?' George exclaimed with a mix of horror and awe.

Yana held her head in her hands, trying to hide her pink cheeks. 'End of seventh year. Halen and I snuck out after the graduation party. So bloody cold.'

'Who's Halen?' said Oliver. There was a clunk, and all eyes turned to George, who'd spilled the liqueur bottle across the table.

'Ah, bugger me. Sorry, Yans, I just wasted your good nosh.' he said.

She shrugged and tugged at her curls. 'That's alright. Probably a good time to stop anyway.'

Angelina groaned. 'Aw, come on.'

'Nah, I think Vaso's right. Otherwise she'll be flying in zigzags all over the place tomorrow.' Oliver said.

Yana rolled her eyes. 'I'll just say someone Slippery-jinxed me.'

Oliver flushed. 'Please don't tell anyone.' he said quietly.

She snatched his dessert bowl out of his hands and leaned in in a conspiratory manner. 'Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me.' she whispered. 'In the kitchen sink, Angie?'

'I've got it, don't worry. Angelina said, taking the bowls out of Yana's hands. They walked to the kitchen together, and once there, Angelina gave a deep sigh. 'I haven't seen George laugh this much in ages. Thank you for coming.'

Yana pulled her friend into a hug. 'You're welcome. It's nice to see him happy again. I know he has his days, but you've done more good for him than you think, Ang. Let's do this again sometime.'

'With Oliver?' Angelina said, wiggling her eyebrows.

'We'll see.' said Yana.

George handed back her dessert box, and pulled her into a side-hug.

'Seeya round, velociraptor.'

'Later, Weasley. Good save by the way.' she whispered so no one else could hear. He gave her a wink as they broke the embrace.

'Don't be a stranger. And go easy on my sister next time you play her, you two.'

'No promises.' Oliver replied. 'Good to see you guys. I'll let you know how bad Vaso's hangover is tomorrow.'

Yana snorted with laughter as Oliver threw Floo Powder into the fireplace. Was he always this sly, or was it the alcohol talking? She watched him disappear into the green flames, and made a mental note to take a Pepper Up Potion as soon as she woke up tomorrow. No point letting her colleagues know about tonight's fun. After all, she did have a reputation to maintain.

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A/N: Oh golly, it's been a while. Thanks to all those who've followed so far. Apologies for the long break- I've recently had another baby, and spare time is a rare commodity these days. Chapter 7 will be up in a few weeks. Ta.