Class was dismissed, and I hurriedly gathered my things, shoved them into my bag, and sped towards the door, hoping to avoid Wood.
As it were, avoiding him was not meant to be. I was just about to descend down the stairway when a hand wrapped around my upper arm and held me back. I let out a huff before slowly turning and glaring up into Macduff's proud face.
"Yes?"
"So, Rue, we're going to Hogsmeade together, correct?" He announced loudly, causing many heads to turn in our direction. I felt the color drain from my face. He had decided to announce it in front of witnesses so that I wouldn't be able to back out. Wanker.
I grit my teeth and said lowly, "Classy, Wood, really classy."
He smirked and released my arm. I promptly hurried down the stairs to Defense Against the Dark Arts, fuming the entire way.
"Mind yourself! Angry German Nazi coming through!" Rose bellowed as we made our way down the corridor to the Great Hall. To say the least, the day had been bloody awful as it seemed that Wood's declaration of asking me to Hogsmeade and my apparent acceptance had spread about the school faster than the news that Harry Potter was a new student last fall. And once everyone knows something that seems slightly amiss and bonkers, they just have to ask about it.
The more people asked, the more upset I got, which is exactly why first years who hadn't moved out of my way were literally being pushed aside. I barreled through a rather large group of Hufflepuff fourth years, much to my own amusement, before taking a seat at the Ravenclaw table. I angrily stabbed my fork into a cut of chicken and placed it on my plate. Fiona, Rosaline, and Carolina were silent and watched me with faces that were torn between amusement and worry.
A second year passed by slowly, curiously observing me.
"Wha're you wookin' aah?" I snapped loudly, talking around the food in my mouth.
The little kid squeaked and hurried further down the table.
"Rue?" Fiona asked after some time, breaking the unusual silence that had fallen over our group.
I grunted in response.
"That was attractive," Rose snorted.
"Look, Rue," Fiona said, leaning across the table. "We all know this is, er, hard for you, you know, accepting that you're, ah, how would you say it?" She looked to our companions.
"Going on a date with your worst enemy?" Carrie supplied.
"Right, right," Fiona nodded in agreement. "Your very attractive, dashing, well-built worst enemy."
I rolled my eyes. "Not helping, Fi."
A wry smile tugged on her lips.
"Rue, darling, this is not the worst thing that could possibly happen to you, you know. You could be going to next month's Hogsmeade with Flint. Now, that wouldn't be good, would it?" Rose laughed.
I shrugged nonchalantly as I sipped my pumpkin juice.
"We'll let you mope the rest of the day, but we want our Rue back tomorrow," Carrie paused before finishing lamely. "Please?"
"Fine, fine," I grumbled before digging my fork into the mashed potatoes.
A week passed and I had more dreams, most of which were vague. However, on a particular Saturday night, I had had a rather barmy and vivid dream that made me want to gouge my eyes out with my wand. I stood under the hot pelting of the shower the following Sunday morning, and I mulled over the damn thing.
It wasn't at all like the other dream, the first dream, where I was flying with Oliver. This time I lounging on the grass near the lake, minding my own business as the real me would. However, Dream Rue rolled over to come face-to-face with Wood, who was laying beside her with his arms behind his head. His head slowly turned to meet Dream Rue's, a goofy smile on his face, before he sat up and nudged her onto her back again. He hovered over her for awhile, searching her eyes for something. Dream Rue grabbed him by the loose tie hanging around his neck and pulled him down. What followed was a rather steamy snogging session that made me quite uncomfortable to think about, and not in the good way. It made me uncomfortable in the "Oh sweet Merlin, I want to spill the contents of my stomach" kind of way.
Either way, as I stepped out of the shower, I came to the conclusion that Dream Rue had indeed lost it, what with the strange affinity for a certain rival Quidditch captain and whatnot. Utterly disgusting.
As I pulled a pair of trousers on, I decided that I needed to prevent any such thing from ever happening in reality. I would convince myself that I fancied some person, and I would confront Wood immediately.
I marched to the Quidditch pitch, climbed into the stands, and waited. He noticed me surprisingly quickly, as if he had been expecting me since the start of practice, and flew over. He ungracefully dismounted his broom, and I couldn't help but snort at the spectacle.
"Falling all over yourself for me, eh?"
His cheeks flushed. "Bit early in the morning for flirting, isn't it?" He finally shot back, running a hand through his windswept hair.
I squinted my eyes in what I hoped was a threatening manner before clearing my throat. "I have come to inform you that I have completed my scheming for the sabotage of your first Quidditch match at the start of next month. And, if I do say so myself, it is most devious and wicked."
Oliver raised his eyebrows. "So?"
"'So'? Are you bloody serious? I have made an evil plot that will surely make you lose your first match, against Slytherin of all houses, and all you have to say is 'so'?"
He nodded.
I stood there, completely dumbfounded. While it was true that I had completed my scheming for Operation: Distract the Scot, it wasn't necessarily true that it would contribute greatly to Gryffindor losing the match, just in distracting Wood for a good part of the game.
"Oh, I see what you're trying to do," he said finally, something having clicked in his mind. "You're trying to get me to call off the date and change the favour to you holding off on this legendary prank, right? Well, I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you, Rue," he said, mounting his broomstick once again, "but I'm not un-asking you out that easily, especially when our favour-date is only one week away!"
And with a wink, he took off, and I was left in the stands.
"Oy, where were you this morning?" Rose hissed as I sat down next to her in the library, pulling out my textbook for a Potions essay.
"At the Gryffindor Quidditch practice," I murmured quietly, glancing in Pince's direction to be sure she wasn't listening.
"Erm, why, might I ask?"
"Tried to convince Wood to 'un-ask' me out, as he so brilliantly put it."
I dipped my peacock feather quill into the inkwell and began scratching away on the parchment.
"Oh, and how'd that go for you?"
"Guess."
"Miserably?"
I nodded my head in affirmation. Rose sighed, turning the page of her Arithmancy textbook.
"You know, it probably won't be that bad at all, Rue. Oliver's a good bloke. He'll show you a great time, I'm sure."
I shrugged, "Yeah, I s'pose."
We worked in silence for the better part of an hour before I decided that conversation needed to happen.
"Hey, Rose?" I whispered.
"Yep." She didn't look up from her book.
"So, I've been having these barmy dreams lately, and I know you're into dream interpretation and stuff, and I was wondering if you could, ah, clue me in and, er, whatnot," I said hesitantly.
"Sure." She turned a page and continued reading. "Go ahead whenever you're ready."
"Well, you see, they're about, uh, Wood," I bit my lip. "Oliver Wood."
Rose's eyes finally met mine. "Do tell."
And there, my dears, is a long-awaited update! I actually have half of the next chapter already written, and another full chapter (that you should expect shortly) completely written! I hope this was entertaining, despite the fact that it is shorter than all the other chapters. I felt that it just naturally ended where it did. Anyway, as always, the Harry Potter Universe belongs to the brilliant Jo Rowling. Also, I beg of you to REVIEW. That is all! Yours.