Disclaimer: Not mine, sorry.

Andy was trying out the unfamiliar broom when she saw Oliver for the first time that day. She was practicing an upside down spiral, when suddenly Oliver was standing on the side of the pitch, watching her with an inscrutable expression. Andy coasted over to where he was and hovered just above him. He squinted up at her, and gestured for her to get down off her broom. Deciding that he was still her captain, Andy complied.

"What happens if I don't catch the Snitch today?" asked Andy. She felt that she flew alright on this new broom, but alright wasn't going to win any games, she suspected.

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. "Then, I guess we lose."

"Will you throw me off the team?" asked Andy, suddenly unable to look Oliver in the eye.

"Of course not, you prat," scoffed Oliver. "We just got you back; just because you can't perform without your broom doesn't mean we don't need you."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Wood," said Andy with a smirk. Oliver gave her an odd look and shook his head.

"S'not flattery. It's just the truth." Andy stared at Oliver; he was acting odd. He rarely ever gave out compliments; and when he did, they were usually given out in some underhanded way. A compliment hidden by a mocking tone, or a vague insult. This Oliver was nice and incredibly not right.

"Well," said Andy, aware that she was still staring oddly at Oliver, "be that as it may, I have to get back to practice. So, unless there's something you need to say…?"

"There is something that I wanted to talk to you about, actually," said Oliver. There was a weird pitch to his voice, and when Andy swiveled back to look at him, he had a hand on the back of his neck, and his eyes were nearly boring holes in her.

"Yeah?" said Andy, cautiously. Something was obviously up with him. Andy just hoped that he wouldn't try to talk to her about their friendship; she felt so vulnerable that she thought she might agree to whatever he said without thinking.

"We've been mates for years, you know, and even though you think I'm an arrogant idiot, and you make a huge production out of everything you do, I think we get along pretty well most of the time, right? This past week notwithstanding, obviously," said Oliver. Now, Oliver's cheeks were tinged faintly pink, and if Andy hadn't been standing right by him, she would have assumed it was chilly outside. Why the heck had she chosen to be friends with someone so odd?

"Yeah? Oliver, get to your point, because I'm really not seeing where you're going here," said Andy. Oliver let out a huff of breath before clasping his hands together and nodding.

"Right, so, here it is. I've been told recently that the reason I fight with you so much is because I fancy you, and it's, I dunno, sexual tension or whatever," said Oliver, who was now blushing fiercely, but when Andy opened her mouth to ask just what he was getting at, Oliver held up a hand. "Just wait a mo', okay? Anyway, I obviously thought they were crazy, because you're my best mate, and that would just be weird if I thought of you that way, you know? But I was thinking about it, and I realized that you're—you're pretty, and dead funny, and—well, a bit mad, but in an oddly good way, and I—I mean obviously I, I dunno, care about you, I guess. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I fancy you a bit, or maybe more than a bit, and I think that might be to blame for why I've been such a prat lately. So, I just wanted to put that out there as an explanation."

Realizing that she was just staring at Oliver, Andy managed to say, "I think that's just your natural state-of-being."

Oliver let out a laugh at that. "Yeah, that's probably true." There was a short pause. "So, I'm going to go prep the room now; I'll see you later?"

When Andy figured out that that was supposed to be a question, she nodded. "Yeah."

Oliver smiled at Andy, then, and gave a funny little wave before shoving his hands in his pockets and heading off towards the school. Andy just stared at him as he walked.

What in Merlin's name had that been?

After spending most of the day adjusting to her new broom, and trying to figure out if Oliver was being a prat or—

Well, needless to say that after spending so much on rather stressful things, Andy was glad to take some time off and go to lunch. She thought it would be a good time to talk to Oliver as well, but he was conspicuously absent. Coincidentally, so were Angelina and Alicia.

"I don't believe in coincidences," announced Andy as she sat down. Katie and Lee, who had been in the process of alternatively saying inane things and blushing, looked up quizzically. Fred didn't even stop eating to say, "Wha's the matter wi' you, Tiny?"

Sparing a second to glare at Fred for the nickname, Andy replied, "Have any of you noticed Angelina and Alicia whispering in dark alcoves or rubbing their hands together in fiendish glee?"

There was several seconds of silence before George spoke. "Andy," he began, looking as if he thought Andy was mad. "Are you insinuating that my girlfriend is having an illicit affair with Angelina?"

Fred began choking on his sandwich and had to be pounded on the back several times by George before he could speak. "What? When did this happen and why doesn't anyone have pictures of it?"

"First, you are such a pervert, Fred. Second, no George, I'm insinuating that Angelina and Alicia are plotting to ruin my life by way of Oliver Wood," said Andy. Fred didn't even manage to look properly chastised before returning to his food—though he did have a rather disappointed look on his face.

Just as Andy was beginning another dirty look for Fred, Katie began choking on her food as well. This time, though, it was Lee who helped her recover. "Merlin, what is wrong with all of you? How hard is it to chew properly? You should be used to doing this by now!"

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong, Andy! Whatever could you be speaking of? I certainly don't know anything at all about Oliver Wood or you, or Angelina and Alicia, don't be crazy!" said Katie, seconds before shoving both hands over her mouth and running out of the Great Hall faster than she'd ever run during practice.

"Well, she is just an awful liar, isn't she?" remarked Fred. Lee hit his arm, and then hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding.

"I think it's kind of sweet," he said. Both George and Fred made disgusted faces—though the effect of Fred's was somewhat diminished by a piece of bacon that hung from his lower lip.

"You are such a girl—no offense, Tiny," said Fred. "Have you even told her that you fancy her, yet?"

"Well, not in so many words, maybe," said Lee, looking anywhere but at Fred. Fred gave him a look full of pity, to which Lee just ducked his head. Was there something in the water, Andy wondered, because everyone was acting odd.

"Speaking of telling a girl you fancy her, is that something you guys would just do for fun?" asked Andy.

"Oh, did Oliver finally wise up, then?" asked George.

"I—what? Who said I was talking about Oliver?"

"What, you're saying that another guy recently told you that he fancied you?" asked Fred.

"Is that so hard to believe?" asked Andy. Then, something about Fred's words sunk in. "Wait, how did you know about that?"

"Oliver came in here maybe ten minutes before you did, whining to Ang about how he'd done what she said and it had turned out horribly," said Fred.

"And you were all upset about something Angelina and Alicia had done with Oliver," continued George.

"So, when you asked if telling a girl we fancied them was something funny for us to do, we deduced that Angelina had convinced Oliver to tell you that he fancies you, finally," finished Fred. Andy, though used to them finishing each other's sentences, was a bit dizzy after having to turn her neck so fast. She took a second to balance herself.

"We're very clever, you know," added George. Fred nodded vigorously.

"Right, so, wait, I mean, that is—what?"

"Clever. It's an adjective, Andy, pay attention," chided George.

"No, I mean…you knew Oliver fancied me? He wasn't just taking the piss?" If that was true—no, it couldn't be true, because that would be wrong. She and Oliver were meant to be best mates. Possibly they would be the godparents of the other's children, and on Saturdays they would leave their spouses at home to play Quidditch. That wouldn't work if they were married to each other!

Now, Fred and George exchanged a look—Lee having scurried off minutes before—and Fred leaned towards Andy. "You should go talk to Angelina. She's better at this nancy-boy stuff than we are."

Which is how Andy found herself traversing the castle desperately, trying to find Angelina so that she could try to make sense of her life. She was so busy fretting that she didn't realize that someone was behind her until they muttered, "Stupefy."

Then, Andy was hitting the floor, and blackness slowly swallowed her. She didn't even get a look at her attacker.

Andy's last thought was that she really had the most horrible luck.

Author's Note: Here it is! The latest installment! I'm thinking maybe two or three chapters left, people, and then this story shall be ended! After that, I'll probably take it down for a bit so I can tweak it all, and make it nice and pretty. So, that's all for today!

(Reviews = love!)