Chapter 52

Shagging against trees was the last thing that Tiannah and Oliver were thinking about almost two years later.

Tiannah thought that the two-year period between the ages of sixteen and eighteen were eventful. It was nothing in comparison to the two-year period between the ages of twenty and twenty-two.

So much had changed since the two Quidditch fanatics got married. Unlike the period between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, not all these changes were as exciting or happy. In fact, they were quite horrible.

A few months after their marriage, Harry Potter, the Seeker from the Gryffindor team, fought Death Eaters in the Ministry of Magic. Before that happened, only a few people knew that Lord Voldemort had returned. After that, it was a well-known fact. People were dying and disappearing left, right and centre. Benny turned eleven just a few days before September first, so that meant that he was able to attend Hogwarts. Tiannah was grateful for this. His status as a pureblood protected him against evil. Tiannah, Oliver and Hestia were also purebloods. Ken was too, but as his family were bloodtraitors, he was in danger, thus putting Hestia in danger.

Tiannah and Oliver had moved out of their unit and into Tiannah's parents house, as she didn't feel comfortable not being around her parents in such dangerous times. Jane and Daniel invited Ken and Hestia to stay too, and, because of Daniel's connections to The Order of The Phoenix, he managed to have very extensive protective charms placed upon the house. However, they had to be careful, because such powerful spells could attract Death Eaters. Monica, Theo and almost-three-year-old Dave were staying at James and Meredith's house. This provided safety for both families.

At first, Tiannah hated it. She hadn't been able to play Quidditch for the Holyhead Harpies in almost a year now, and she hated the fact with a passion. More than that, she hated the fact that everything she did was so dangerous these days. There was a sense of uncertainty in the air, and both Quidditch fanatics hated it. Every day, Oliver woke up in the morning with Tiannah by his side, blessing his lucky stars that nothing happened to his wife overnight.

But, something was improving Tiannah's mood. It was three days until Christmas, which meant that there were three days until Benny came home. He hadn't really been writing very many letters, so Tiannah was eager to see how his times at Hogwarts was going. She hoped that he hadn't been picked on for being the youngest. However, he was mature for his age, and looked it. In fact, Tiannah thought that if a girl like the eleven-year-old Hestia saw him, she would say that he was cute.

Tiannah stared out of the window and into her backyard, where the willow tree sat, snow scattered across its branches. In a few days, it would be the sixth anniversary since they officially got together. The thought made Tiannah's heart ache. Had it really been that long ago when the world was whole and beautiful? When her crush on Oliver seemed like the most trivial matter that she had... but then she reminded herself that the world was never whole, never beautiful. Even then, when the Chamber of Secrets opened, it was all to do with the evil man that was behind the misery and war.

Oliver rubbed circles into her back, trying to soothe her. There was something that Tiannah needed to tell Oliver, and he her.

"Oliver, I am really, really scared," she whispered. She had been trying to hold it all together for her parents sake, but it all came tumbling out, and Oliver held her body as she sobbed. He had never heard a sadder sound come from her mouth before, and it unnerved him. Oliver reminded himself that even the strongest of people had their weak moments. Every moment with her seemed to mean so much more amidst the war, which was the one good thing; he came to appreciate her so much more. He ran his fingers along her cheekbones, taking in every hollow and every curve. Her wide blue eyes were full of tears, which fell down the aforementioned cheekbones that Oliver was running his fingers along. He kissed them away and trailed kisses down to her neck, where his lips stopped against her pulse point. He noted that her pulse was going at a million miles an hour, whether that be to do with the crying or his kisses. He hoped for the latter.

When Oliver calmed Tiannah down, she saw there was a look in his eyes, the 'I need to tell you something' look.

"What is it, Ollie?" she asked, as his fingers absentmindedly fiddled with the necklace he gave her when she was seventeen. He flipped it over and read the words; I love you, my little Quidditch star.

"I had this nightmare last night. You were in it, and we were playing Quidditch... when all of a sudden, you were taken by this dark figure... and he killed you, and when I woke up, you weren't next to me..."

She heard Oliver's voice cracked and felt that usual warm feeling in her stomach, as her heart melted. She placed a hand on his cheek, and noted that his eyes were full of tears.

"I'm here, and I won't be going anywhere," she whispered.

"You don't know that," Oliver replied in a husky voice, as Tiannah reached up and wiped his tears away. "I can't lose you like I did in seventh year. That was so hard for me to go through."

Tiannah squirmed slightly and felt that warm feeling in her stomach again. It saddened her to see her husband looking so upset, so she did her best to comfort him.

"Ollie, we're safe."

"You don't know that for sure," he retorted. "And in case anything does happen, I want you to remember this."

His mouth pressed upon hers with such force that Tiannah fell backwards. Sure, Oliver had kissed her like this before, but this was different. There was a desperation in the kisses, as though Oliver was trying to assure her that he would always love her, but it wasn't as though Tiannah would be forgetting anytime soon.

She pulled at the hairs at the back of his head and moaned as his leg slipped between hers.

"You're such a tease," she gasped, as he slipped his hands up her loose flannelette shorts. Every nerve fibre of her body was focused on where Oliver's fingers were, as his fingers caressed her inner thigh, before moving up a few centimetres.

"Stop teasing, Ollie. It isn't nice," she moaned, her breath coming in short gasps. He looked up at Tiannah, her blue eyes pleading; he was unsure whether she wanted him to stop or continue. He decided to go with the latter, instead pulling her on top of him and kissing her roughly. Tiannah whimpered as a fiery tingle crossed her body, and an idea formed in her mind. She swung her legs around Oliver's waist and backed him up against the bedpost. She made sure that the door was locked and that his head was supported by pillows, before proceeding.

Oliver was right. It was the end of the world as they know it. Today could be their last day. Live in the moment, she told herself. Savour it.

She backed Oliver up so that he was sitting up and took off his shirt slowly. When it was removed, she tossed it carelessly to the floor. The flurried movements had slowed down considerably. Tiannah slowly ran a finger down his chest, before leaning down slightly and pressing a hard kiss down on the hollow of his neck. She smirked when she felt his pulse going at a million miles an hour, before deepening her kiss to sucking. Tiannah heard his breath hitch in his throat and felt oddly elated and euphoric at the sound. She could feel Oliver's body shaking beneath hers, and she knew that it was time to stop.

"Okay there, Ollie?" she questioned innocently, arching an eyebrow. Tiannah quickly realised that, as she was straddling him, his groin had become rather, er, hard to sit on comfortably. Oliver pulled off Tiannah's shirt and fiddled with the clasp of her bra, before pulling it off and tossing it away impatiently. He placed his hands firmly on her waist and kissed up from her navel, until he gently started kissing her breasts. She once again pulled at the hairs on the back of his head, moaning and arching her back as to have closer contact with Oliver's lips. As he continued to caress, kiss and suck, Tiannah started to rock her hips against Oliver's. She felt Oliver thrust upwards and start to run his fingers down her back, trying to pull off her shorts. She stopped rocking and let Oliver do so, trying to catch her breath and calm down her heart rate. Once Oliver had slipped off her shorts, he flipped Tiannah over so that he was on top of her.

"Tell me what you want," he said, giving her one of the softest kisses he had given her all day. Tiannah didn't answer for a moment, as she pulled Oliver's pants and boxer shorts off, as she had done innumerable times. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him deeply, running her tongue over his bottom lip. This is so going to be worth it, she thought, as she felt Oliver pull away. Only one emotion registered in her system: need. A hungry, desirous need.

"You didn't answer my question," he murmured, as Tiannah's fingers trailed across his muscled chest.

"You tell me what you want."

"I want to tear those knickers off you," he purred into her ear, fingertips coursing down her hips and stopping at the pair of black knickers. He did so and Tiannah moaned again as his fingers glided across the newly exposed skin, spitfires shooting down her spin as her head span.

"So, now can you tell me what you want?" he questioned, as Tiannah placed her hands either side of his waist. The words spilled out of Tiannah's mouth.

"Hard, fast and now."

"I'm not going to forget that," Tiannah whispered, as they drifted off to sleep. They had shagged so many times that Tiannah lost count long ago, but none of them compared to the one they just had, not even the first time, which occurred five years ago.

"That was the point," he replied, turning around and facing her. Brown eyes burned into blue with the furious sort of look that Tiannah came to love.

"I love you, Oliver Wood. Don't you dare forget it. Even if something happens to me, I will always love you."

Tiannah saw the wounded, worried look on his features and felt a little bad for saying it. But Oliver needed to know.

"Tia, I love you too. I'm going to make an incredibly cheesy and soppy speech right now but I don't want you to forget it. Tia, you are my everything. You were my first kiss, my first proper girlfriend, my first shag; you were and are the first person that I am certain that I am in love with. Maybe perfection does exist, and if it does, you are my type of perfection. You're everything to me. I love you, Tiannah Wood."

Tiannah mentally swooned at everything that Oliver said. It didn't seem staged; it seemed completely honest. Cheesy, yes, but Oliver rarely told her that he loved her very often these days. She loved the reminder. There was just one thing...

"Oliver, was I really your first kiss? With skills like yours, I don't think so," she joked, in an attempt to lighten the mood. Oliver turned an unusual shade of pink.

"Oh, erm... well, when we were five, we were playing husbands and wives. I, um, kissed you on the lips; because I saw Mum and Dad doing it and I didn't know any better."

Tiannah bit her lip, biting back laughter. I was five when I had my first kiss? With Oliver?

"Are you angry?" he questioned, worried.

"No! I'm happy. I couldn't think of a better person to have my first kiss with. Seriously. That adds to a grand total of... five people that have snogged me, or I have snogged."

"Really?" Oliver asked, very surprised. She's gorgeous as hell. You would have thought that she would have had more kisses... Oliver mused.

"Yeah. Theo, Cedric, Hestia, you and Mark," she shuddered at the memory, but changed the subject; finally, they were starting to get happier.

"Let's think," Oliver said, brushing away the Mark comment as easily as he could. "You, Diana, Katie-"

"You kissed Katie Bell?" Tiannah hissed.

"Dare," he explained, before continuing. "Okay... Ken, Hestia-"

"You've kissed Hestia?" she questioned, cocking her head curiously, eyes burning into his. Oliver held his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, we weren't together when it happened! Well, Hestia just wanted to make sure that I was a good kisser for you. I didn't particularly feel like telling anyone. Ken knew, and he gave me a hard time for it. I never told anyone this, but Hestia and I used to have talks every night. She was the first person I told about my feelings for you. She always told me that you really loved me and always did. Well, I didn't believe her for a while," he chuckled, as Tiannah's annoyance and anger dispersed.

"Who else have you kissed?" Tiannah asked.

"Um, so many girls. In the two years that we weren't talking, I had so many girlfriends that it wasn't funny. Towards the end of the two years, I started imagining that they were you. Only thing that kept me interested, to be honest. I felt bad, though. They all liked me and I was fantasising about my best friend."

Tiannah turned red. The day was clearly one for revelations.

"That's odd. Because sometimes, when I was kissing Theo, I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Oliver chuckled. "We're meant to be!" he said, in a good imitation of Hestia's fangirl-squeal voice.

Tiannah giggled, before continuing to speak. "I just was never fully happy in America. I mean, I'm grateful that I went there; if I didn't, I wouldn't have met Hestia, nor do I think that I would be as good at Quidditch. But I missed you so, so much."

Oliver looked a little ashamed, feeling so as well. I didn't mean to make her so miserable...

"I missed you too, if it's any consolation. When you got back from America when we were sixteen, I realised how much I missed you. I truly realised how much I love you. Even as kids."

Tiannah found that she still blushed at Oliver's compliments, just as she did when she was sixteen. I'm such a stupid schoolgirl, still, she thought to herself.

"This is cool, talking to you about this. I didn't expect to find out this much," she said honestly, smiling and placing a hand on Oliver's chest. She felt him shiver slightly.

"So what else do you want to know?" Oliver questioned, pulling the blanket over himself and Tiannah; it was winter, after all, and they were naked.

"Hm... what were your thoughts when I was with Cedric?"

He noted how her expression fell slightly at the mention of her deceased ex-boyfriend. He held her bare body closer to his, relishing in the burning feeling of her smooth skin on his.

"Well, I wanted to kill him every time I saw him with you. I thought that I wanted him to dump you, because then maybe I had a chance with you. When I saw how upset you were when it all happened... I don't know. I can't really remember very well, to be honest."

Tiannah nodded, the usual sad feeling consuming her system. What happened with Cedric was so incredibly unfair; it reminded Tiannah how easily lives could be taken, when it came to the ruthless. She decided to change the subject before she started getting upset again.

"We should probably get up," she said, pulling the covers off herself and Oliver.

"No! Stay," he whispered, his hands on her hips stopping her from moving. He didn't want the moment to end, because who knew when they were going to get another one like it.

"Oliver, seriously. We should get up."

"Fine," he grumbled, standing up and putting his clothes back on. When they were dressed, Tiannah faced him and laced her arms around his neck.

"I've missed that. Y'know, us just talking."

"What about the shagging?" Oliver teased, eyes glittering mischievously.

"Oh, that too," she assured, winking at him as she left the room, Oliver following her.

Benny arrived home on Christmas Eve. The Summers and the Woods decided to spend Christmas at the Summers household, which wasn't entirely unusual. It wasn't safe for the families to venture out of their households, unless it was to see Order members. They weren't directly affiliated to the Order of the Phoenix; in the first Wizarding war, both families were fully-fledged members. But this time around, they knew that if they were to put themselves in that position, they would be risking their children, and – in Meredith and James' case – their grandchild. Even Benny attending Hogwarts was a risk.

It was lucky that the Summers household was so big. With twelve people inhabiting the household – Jane, Daniel, James, Meredith, Tiannah, Oliver, Benny, Hestia, Ken, Monica, Theo and little Dave – it was going to be a hectic Christmas.

When Tiannah caught sight of Benny, her eyes darkened. He had a black eye, scratches near his eyes, a cut lip and a generally swollen face. He smiled meekly. "Like my new look?"

Tiannah shook her head. "Who did this to you? How?"

Benny smiled meekly at Tiannah again, who noticed that he was grimacing. Whoever did this to him is going to pay, she mused angrily.

"Can we go somewhere else?" he asked, looking around. Tiannah nodded and Benny said, "Hestia can come too."

She looked sharply at her brother, and noticed that he was blushing slightly.

"Do you like Hestia?"

"Well, she's really pretty," he said shyly, looking at the floor. Tiannah mentally awww-ed. She hadn't realised how much he had really grown up in the past two years. He was tall for his age, and spoke as if he were a lot older. She supposed that amongst all of the uncertainty that surrounded the war, he had adapted and matured.

"I won't tell her," she promised, beckoning Hestia to follow herself and Benny upstairs. They sat on Tiannah's bed, as Benny's eyes roamed around, stopping on a pile of discarded clothes on the floor. He turned to Tiannah, eyes glittering.

"Have you and Oliver been shagging?"

Tiannah blushed and gasped, hitting Benny lightly on the arm. "How do you know what shagging is?"

He shrugged. "Monica told me two years ago when I asked what you and Oliver would do on your honeymoon. And anyway, Imogen-"

"Ooh!" Hestia squealed, leaning in closer. "Who's Imogen?"

Tiannah saw her brother blush for the second time that day. She was intrigued to find out who she was, but first, she wanted to know how he had sustained such injuries.

"Benny, you can tell us," Tiannah said soothingly, stroking his brown hair as she saw him hesitate. "We love you. And we won't judge."

"Okay," he said, squirming slightly. "I don't want to tell Mum or Dad, but because you are cool, I'll tell you. Well, you know how Snape is the headmaster? I hate him; by the way... anyway, he has these two goonies to do his dirty work, Amycus and Alecto Carrow. They are really harsh and cruel to the first years, even though some of the seventh years try to stop it. I have this friend called Imogen, and Alecto was threatening to cut her open and see how much muggle she had in her blood. I got really, really angry, and I back chatted and said 'not as much as you do, Professor I've-got-my-head-so-far-up-my-ass-and-I'm-a-fat-pig Carrow.'"

Tiannah bit her lip. It seemed that Benny was following her example in back chatting people who deserved it. It was all well and good – until someone got hurt. Hestia was looking very impressed.

"Okay," Tiannah finally said, brushing away the piece of blood that was seeping from one of his cuts. "I didn't realise how much you have matured of late. I was a lot like you when I was your age, but back chatting never got me anywhere but trouble."

She only said the last part as a warning, until she realised that it was true. If she hadn't back chatted Marcus Flint, maybe her time at Hogwarts would have gone a lot more smoothly.

"You should have seen her!" he fumed, and both girls were taken aback by Benny's hostility. "She was so cruel to Imogen..."

"Is Imogen your girlfriend?" Hestia questioned eagerly. Benny blushed again, and Tiannah frowned.

Benny shifted slightly. "No. We're just friends. She's really pretty and nice, but-"

"I thought you liked Hestia!" Tiannah blurted out, before covering her mouth. She looked at her best friend and her brother, to see that they were both blushing.

"Sorry, Benny," she muttered, looking down at her lap. Hestia spoke up.

"Is it true, Benny?"

He nodded and Hestia gave him a wide and dazzling smile.

"Aw, Benny! You're so cute!" she said, kissing his cheek. "If only you were ten years older!"

"Oh, and what about me?" a voice said at the door, and the blonde turned around and spotted Ken, leaning against the door post, smirking.

"Oh, and you. C'mon Benny, I'll just murder my husband, give you an aging potion and we'll be off!"

Benny chuckled, as did Tiannah. Ken didn't look amused.

"You're such a cougar," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Hey! Just because you are a week younger than I am, it doesn't make a difference!"

"Hest, you're still a cougar," Ken argued, blue eyes gleaming.

"Shut up!" she cried, glaring.

"Cougar!" he cried, before Hestia jumped up and chased after him.

When she had left, Tiannah spoke to Benny again. He's being so brave, she thought to herself. Those cuts must really hurt...

"You sure you're alright? I stink at healing charms, so you'll have to go to Mum."

Benny nodded and Tiannah held him close. "I love you, Benny."

"Love you too."

"So," she said, once she pulled away. "What do you like about Hestia?"

Benny looked a little uncomfortable. "She's really pretty, and a little crazy, I guess. Why?"

Tiannah smirked bemusedly. "I'm just getting my head around the fact that my little brother has a crush. So what about this Imogen? Y'know that you can tell me, Benny. I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Okay. I do like her, I suppose. But she doesn't like me."

Tiannah stifled an eye roll. Was I like this? Did I always automatically assume things? Must be a family trait.

"How do you know?"

"She's in love with Oliver," he said, rolling his eyes. "She always goes on about how good looking and amazing he is. I know that you guys haven't been playing Quidditch for a while now, but you are all anyone talks about."

Tiannah, surprisingly, was coping with the pressure of fame better. It was hard, but it wasn't as awful as she thought it would be. However, she was surprised that people still had the time to talk about Quidditch in these dangerous times.

"That doesn't mean anything. Celebrity crushes are different."

"But is isn't just that," Benny protested, green eyes wide. "She wants to come over during the Easter holidays, and if she does, she'll actually meet him! She probably only hangs out with me because I'm your brother anyways..."

She saw how dejected her brother looked, and held his hand. The thought of the fact that her fame would affect Benny too didn't cross her mind, but it seemed logical.

"Hey, I'm sure that that isn't true. Mum will let her come over if she speaks with her Mum. Seriously, Oliver is eleven years older than she is. It isn't going to happen."

"Okay," Benny said, letting out a sigh. "We should probably go downstairs."

"Yeah. And I need to have a snow fight with Oliver!"

One thing that Tiannah was grateful for was the fact that she could still have a snow fight in the midst of a war. They couldn't venture out to the lake, because it was beyond the protective charms that kept the house and property safe. However, a snow fight under the willow tree seemed fine. It had been two years since Oliver proposed to her. She glanced at the rings on her ring finger and smiled, before gathering up some snow and moulding it into the shape of a ball.

"Prepare for vicious annihilation, husband dearest," she said, blue eyes narrowed. Oliver scoffed.

"Yeah. I'm preparing to contribute to yours."

It was Tiannah's turn to scoff.

"In your dreams, Oliver James Wood."

"It seems that my dreams are about to come true."

"You dreams of losing? Don't worry, Ollie. I'll go easy on you."

With that comment, Tiannah threw the first snowball. It hit Oliver squarely in the chest.

"Ha! You call yourself a Keeper!" she cried, starting to perform her victory dance. In retaliation, Oliver threw his ball at Tiannah's head.

"Aren't chasers supposed to be fast and good at dodging?" Oliver questioned, brown eyes glittering slyly.

"Aren't husbands supposed to be supportive?" she shot back, smirking and gathering up more snow.

In a matter of minutes, the snow fight was officially on. Snowballs were flying left, right and centre, causing the two Quidditch fanatics to be covered in white snow. Oliver decided to take a more direct approach. With a snowball in one hand, he used his other to hold Tiannah down as he shoved it up her shirt.

"OLIVER!" she shrieked, as the ice-cold snowball touched her chest. He was positioned on top of her, kneeling between her legs.

"Is that cold enough, love?"

Tiannah spread her arms out and fisted up some snow, rubbing it in Oliver's face. She then stood up, quick as a wink, and the game was back on.

"HA!" she cried, as Oliver failed to dodge the snowball that she just sent. He ran towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up and spinning her around. She shrieked as Oliver deliberately dropped her, and realised that as he had been spinning her around, he managed to slip more snow up her shirt.

"Oliver... I'm freezing," she said, her teeth chattering. "Please, can we just call it a draw?"

Oliver approached his wife and nodded, wiping a piece of hair out of her eyes. A grin was visible on his features. "Of course. Now, if you're cold, you had better go have a bath. I might just have to accompany you, just in case."

"Mm," Tiannah replied, as Oliver's warm arms enfolded her in a hug. "That sounds like the perfect way to celebrate my victory."

"I thought that it was a draw?"

"Meh," she said, shrugging. Oliver and Tiannah walked upstairs and into Tiannah's bedroom, where she gathered up a towel and a change of clothes. She walked into the en suite bathroom, stripping off her clothes as she went, Oliver following her.

"Lucky Mum always buys bubble bath," she commented, pouring the contents into the hot water. When the bath was sufficiently full, she slid in and lay down, Oliver following suit.

"This is so warm," she whispered, closing her eyes and grinning serenely. Oliver ran his fingers over her stomach and chest, before leaning in and kissing her softly.

"I wish life was always like this," she whispered, when he pulled away. "Today was so... calm. I wish that life could be as simple as it used to be."

Tiannah closed her eyes and remembered the days when she went to America, played Quidditch with Oliver in the summer, painted her toenails with Hestia... when it was always sunny and beautiful, and they could act like sex-crazed teenagers who didn't have a care in the world...

"I know," Oliver said softly, pressing his lips on hers, not exactly kissing, but enjoying the intimacy.

She curled her fingers on his chest, as he rested his calloused palms on her waist.

Tiannah and Oliver sat, curled up with each other, in front of the fireplace that night.

"I remember sitting against this couch with you, waiting for 'Santa' to come and give us presents," Tiannah giggled, resting her head against Oliver's shoulder and looking up at him affectionately. He nuzzled his nose against the crook of her neck.

"I remember that. That Christmas, you got so excited because you got the Quidditch through the Ages book."

Tiannah started giggling again, this time for another reason. She had always found Oliver's thick Scottish brogue to be incredibly sexy, but he sounded even more so when he said book.

"Say book," she said, smiling up at his confused expression.

"Book," he repeated, looking extremely puzzled. "Why?"

"You have the sexiest accent, Ollie."

He never liked it when people called him Ollie, but in Tiannah's soft voice, it sounded okay. He wasn't the only one who liked the way his partner said certain words.

"Thanks, I think."

Tiannah thought for a moment, before asking Oliver to say something else.

"Say, I want to take your panties off and make you scream."

Oliver turned a light shade of pink and whispered the words into Tiannah's ear. She shivered slightly, brushing a finger against his cheek. If he just rolled the 'r's a little further...

"You are a strange person, Tia," Oliver said bemusedly, as she started randomly giggling. "Why are you laughing?"

"Remember the sex game?" she asked. Oliver nodded.

"I just remember Percy Weasley looking as if he was about to have a stroke..."

She started giggling again at the memory. Oliver shook his head bemusedly.

"You are one of a kind, Tia."

Disclaimer: I wish, wish, wish that I owned Harry Potter.