Sorry if it took me so long to update! But I was in England working and the time to write was not much! Anyway here's the new chapter! I hope you like it, so please R&R :) and thanks for the reviews I got, you make it so worth it :D
Of couse, I own absolutely nothing concerning Harry Potter, I owe only the plot of this story and the carachter that weren't invented by J. but by me.
The morning of the first quidditch match finally came. If I had not been up since dawn to finish my DADA homework I probably would have doubted about the fact that it was morning. I hadn't seen the sky over Hogwarts looking so dark in years. Half an hour before the match I met with Eve -who had been wise enough to have breakfast- and we went together to the pitch, not before casting an Impervius charm on our clothes. We had huge red and yellow umbrellas, which were very welcomed by the people sitting next to us, that found an unexpected shelter for the heavy rain that was pouring on us. I was honestly wondering if it wasn't better to get back to the castle. In spite me being a proud gryffindor and sort of a quidditch fanatic, I wasn't really looking forward to that match. Of course the main reason was our fabulous keeper, that I've been avoiding since that awkward day at the quidditch pitch. The fact that I realised that I could smell him in amortentia didn't mean absolutely anything. Ok, so probably I did love him as a friend, because he was a very good one, but nothing more. And the fact that he broke up with Patricia right after our talk didn't mean anything. He started focusing more on quidditch and I started focusing on myself and that's how things worked in the last week. It was perfectly fine, if you forgot about my secret hope of something changing between the two of us...no, there was definitely not such a hope in me. I loved him as a friend and that was all that would always be, because -let's make it clear- it was not possible for me to fancy someone like Oliver Wood. I knew so many things about him that would have been enough to make anyone find him repellent, how could I possibly fall for someone like him?
«Looks like our keeper is coming in this direction» wishpered Eve in my hear.
I looked up to find that she was perfectly right: here he was, walking boldly towards the stands, his expression hidden by the darkness and the heavy rain.
«Bill!» he called for me when he was close enough to be heard over the thunders.
«Oliver, how could I possibly help you?» my voice was sarcastic and Eve shot me a nasty look because of that, but honestly, it was fifteen minutes till the beginning of the match, the Oliver I knew was supposed to be locked up in the changing rooms, with his team.
«Just...wish me good luck, would you?» he asked and for a split second I could see the fear in his eyes. The brave captain was still human, after all.
Without even realising what I was doing, I jumped to my feet and hugged him, causing a standing ovation from our fellow griffyndors, especially when he hugged me back after a few seconds of surprise. I let go of him the moment I heard Adrian shouting that it was about time. I just gave oliver an apologetical look, but he answered with a feeble smile.
«Go now and show those Hufflepuffs how to play quidditch!» I whispered at him.
I watched him walking away, conscious that in five minutes time I would see him again, in his natural element. I turned only to see a lot of giggling going on around me, most of it coming from my friends. How lovely. I just told them to shut up and stared deliberately in front of me.
«Come on, Bill! There's nothing wrong in you and Oliver being all right again!» exlaimed Adrian, punching me on the arm in a firendly way.
«Actually is quite a relief» Percy added «I don't think that arguing between housemates is desirable in such a climate of tension and hatred»
I looked at him in disbelief: did Percy Weasley thought that he could give me some lessons on socializing with human beings?
«Well, it's just that is quite strange, I'm not used to it anymore and I still believe that he did tell the slytherins about me and Bill, but you know...I was just tired of missing him!» I finally admitted. I decided that there was no point in feeling miserable because I wasn't speaking with Oliver, when he was feeling the same and we could solve everything just letting go of a bit of pride.
The match begun and we missed more than one thing because of the rain or of the umbrellas that were preventing us from seeing what was going on up there. I was glad that I had Imperviused my clothes, but I wished I brought with me a jar of magical fire, as it was getting really cold. We were winning, anyway,so at least we were out there with a reason, even if I wondered how Harry could ever be able to see the snitch, when it was difficult to recognise the players. I suddenly began to wish that the match was over, I was freezing over my seat, and no matter how hard I tried to keep myself warm, the cold was just spreading all over me. Then I realized that everything was too dark even for a day like that and that that was no common cold. I turned at the far end of the pitch, to see a bunch of Dementors coming closer. It looked as if the whole lot of Azkaban's guards was heading towards us. I tired to warn Eve, but I couldn't talk, so I resolved in grabbing her shoulder and showing her what was happening. Seconds later everybody noticed about the unespected visit and the whole school began to panic. Stupid as it may seem, my first thought was to look up in the air, to check if Oliver was all right. He was still on his broom, but I spotted a Bludger -missed by a very surprised George Weasley- heading straight at the back of his head. A second later Oliver dived and avoided the heavy ball. I sighed in relief as he tried to carry on with the match, as if nothing happened. I spotted Diggory, flying really fast, after something that probably was the snicht...but I didn't really care: I was stuck again inside my head, horrible thoughts popping up, while an invisible icy hand got hold of my guts and was trying to tie them into knots. Then, suddenly, a terrifying scream got my attention, for a split second I was out of the dementor-caused trance and I could see why a lot of people where shouting: Harry Potter was falling down, so fast that he was going to be reduced no better than a pancake by the time he hit the ground. I took out the wand from my pocket, trying to hold on to that last bit of myslef that was still fighting the dementors. I saw Dumbledore taking care of Harry and McGonagall casting a Patronus, follwed by Vitious and Snape. I wanted to help, but I could not picture a single happy memory inside my mind. I was just about to fall into that icy mist again, when the picture of Oliver holding me before the match showed in my mind.
«Expecto Patronum!» I shouted and it was to my utter surprise that I saw my silvery leopard flowing out of my wand. A second later Percy followed me and so did Eve and Adrian. In a while the Dementors started to go back to their places, chased by the shiny Patronuses. Then, out of nowhere, the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle reached our hears. Nobody had thought about the match, but there was Diggory, clutching the Snitch in his hand: the match was definitely over and we lost it.
I wanted to go to Oliver as soon as the match was over, but I couldn't. McGonagall called all the prefects plus me and Percy and asked us to help her taking the students back in the castle and then to make sure tht everybody had enough chocolate. I knew that the whole team was visiting Harry in the infirmary, because George shouted something about it as Percy tried to force him to eat some chocolate, but none of them were back yet. After a couple of hours I left Percy providing chocolate for our fellow seventh years and I ran to the infirmary. Of course Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me in, as Harry had already enough visitors, with a special permission from professor McGonagall. I knew there was no point in insisting, so I just asked her if she could call Oliver Wood. Five minutes later she was back with Fred.
«What now?» I asked, rising an eyebrow
«Hey...relax! Is not like I'm dangerous...»
My eyebrow got even higher.
«...ok maybe sometimes I am a bit dangerous, but not now. I just came to tell you that Ollie isn't here»
«But he isn't in Gryffindor Tower either and yes, I checked the dormitories and I'm not ashamed of that» I added in the end, before he asked me about it, trying to make some silly joke out of it.
«Clever girl! I bet you were disappointed not finding him in his bed...»
«Fred Weasley if you don't stop speaking nonsense I will transifgure you into your brother- and I mean Percy.»
«You definitely got your point» he said, pretending -or maybe not- to shudder.
«So do you know where Oliver is or you don't?»
«We left him in the changing room...it looked like he was trying to drawn himself in the shower»
«Great. He's really as stupid as he looks then» I started walking immediately towards the stairs: I needed to get to the pitch as soon as I could.
«and yes, I really hope that he's still in the shower so I can join him!» I shouted at Fred, who started giggling. I would never admit that, but those two were the funniest thing ever.
I ran all the way down to the pitch, the storm was now worse than ever and the only thing that saved me was that I was still wearing the clothes from the morning. Of course the spell was starting to wear off a bit, as I was slightly damp by the time I got to changing room door, but nothing too serious. I pushed the door open and I walked in. The first room was empty, but I could hear the shower in the other room. I sighed.
«Oliver! Come out of the shower, you're not a triton, you know?» I shouted, but I had no reply.
«Seriuosly Oliver, get out of there! We can talk it over if you want to, but staying under a shower won't help you» again no reply.
I walked toward the door that was separating the showers from the dressing room and pulled the handle. It was my last warning before getting in and slapping him as hard as I could.
«Ok, if you're not coming out, I'm coming in and I don't give a damn if you're naked!» I could hear Fred in my head, suggesting how lame my tecnique was. I just shook my head, hoping to get the thought away, and walked into the room.
Oliver uniform was the only one still in there and the only clothes to be seen where his. He definitely was in the shower. I got closer to the tent and put an hand on it. I hoped that that warning should be enough to have an answer from him, but apparently I was wrong.
«Oliver, I'm counting to three, then I'm coming to get you. One...» nothing happened.
«..two...» nothing, again.
«...three!» I opened the tent and screamed at the top of my voice. Not that Oliver naked was such a terrible show - I couldn't see much of it anyway- but he was curled in one corner of the shower, his eyes closed, his lips livid. Only then I realized that there was no pleasant warmth in there and that he was under cold water. I grabbed him by a hand and dragged him out of the shower, as I was summoning his towel. I forced him to seat on a bench ad wrapped him up in the towel, before trying to see if there was any sign that he was alive.
«You never give up, do you?» he whispered suddenly, making me jump.
«What were you thinking?» I shouted as an answer «you've been for two hours under icy cold water? You really wanted to be dead because of a stupid quidditch match?»
«It wasn't stupid, quidditch is never stupid»
I rolled my eyes, too bad that he couldn't see me. Was he really going to die because of quidditch? I took a bathfoam bottle and emptied it in a sink, before conjuring a magic fire into it and give it to Oliver.
«Hold it close, will you?»
He didn't say anything, but at least he did as I told. I warmed up his clothes with a charm and then turned to face him.
«Oliver, you need to dress and then we're going straight to Madam Pomfrey..»
«No» he said, a bit more steadily now, but still with a very feeble voice.
«I don't think you have a choice, c'mon, look at you, you're one step away from the grave»
«I'm not. If McGongall know what happened she will give us both detentions for a whole year»
He was damn right. Trying to commit suicide in a shower was against the rules and so it was getting into a changing room if you weren't part of the team, especially if you were a girl, standing there with a naked boy.
«Oliver, I don't care» I found myself saying, in spite of what I was thinking «you need someone to cure you, you're actually burning» I added touching his forhead.
«Room of requirements. It will help»
I nodded, it was completely mad, but it was worth to try. If it wasn't going to help I would take him straight to the infirmary, that was for sure. I waited for him to dress, even if he needed my help a couple of time. It was strange that we didn't find embarassing that he was naked. I wondered if it was even possible to make Oliver Wood uncomfortable.
«Oliver, I can't take you out in this weather, it would be like murder» I sighed, looking outside the door. I had given him my imperviused cloack but he was very weak and I doubted it would be enough.
«Fly» he simply said.
«There's no way you're gonna go on a broom in this conditions...»
«I am, behind you. I know you can fly, I tought you»
I sighed, and nodded. It was probably the cleverst idea, even though if someone saw us flying through a window in the seventh floor we would be expelled. Luckily nobody did, and we landed in front of the room of requirements without any inconvenience. The door that appeared in front of us was rather small, considering the average size of Hogwarts' doors, but had a familiar look. As I opened it, it showed a little cosy bedroom, with a fire burning brightly in the fireplace, a fur cover on the bed and a lot of potions that looked exactly like the ones Madam Pomfrey had. I helped Oliver to reach the bed, then handed him the pijamas that was lying on the pillow and I walked to the shelf with the potions, to see what I could give him.
«You didn't want to die, right?» I asked, with a fake calm tone, as I checked a Warm-up Potion.
«Of course I didn't. I just needed to get a grip on myself and I couldn't while relaxing under hot water» he replied, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
«Oh, I see. And did you had any divine illumination while you were almost ibernating in the shower?» sarcasm was heavy in my voice this time and I was pretty sure he noticed it.
«No. I mean, we can still win if Ravenclaw wins...and then if we win against them of 200 points...but it all depends on Ravenclaw! I'm not in control of the situation any longer and I hate it. I have to cling on to hope to win the quidditch cup this year and you can't win quidditch with hope»
In spite trying to look angry I smiled. The mania of controlling everything was probably the only thing we had in common, but maybe that was why we were in the same house.
«Ollie, you lost one match, the games are still open, is gonna be more difficult, of course, but you have an amazing team, you can make it»
«I wish I had your confidence...»
«It's just that I don't care as much as you do and that makes me see things in a more objective way. It's the same with you when it comes to my exams, remember?» I asked, sitting next to him with a kind smile, as I handed him a goblet full of potion. He nodded as he took it and drank it all in once, a grimace showing on his face.
«How's Harry?» he asked
«I s'ppose he's fine, I spoke with Fred briefly and he wasn't that concerned about him» he was more interested in sexual implications in the realtionship between me and Oliver, but I wasn't going to tell him that. «but tomorrow you should go visit him, he is probably feeling terrible about disappinting you.»
He nodded, or tried to, as in the middle of the movement he had to hold his head wth his hands. I bet it was throbbing painfully.
«Lie down and sleep. I come and check how you're felling tomorrow morning»
I started walking to the door, but he stopped me, holding my wrist. I turned, with a questioning look on my face.
«Or you could stay here» he suggested, a hopeful gaze on his face.
«I'm sorry Oliver, I don't want everybody to think that I...»
«...that you slept with me?» he asked «But that's exactly what we'll do! Just sleeping, I swear.»
«As if you could do anything else tonight...»I said, smirking at him. He smiled at me.
«Oh, all right then Wood! But you are not going to touch me»
The very second I said this words a nightgown appeared on the pillow next to Oliver's. I grabbed it and wore it, not paying attention to what Oliver was doing. I had just seen him under the shower, who cared if he saw me in my underwear? I jumped into the bed next to him. I had to admit that that place was really warm...suddenly I felt Oliver's amrs around me and surpirsingly it didn't annoy me.
«Thanks for not leaving me alone tonight» He wishpered into my hear. I just smiled and held him tighter in reply. Five minutes later we were falling asleep, without worrying of anything outside the walls of the Room of requirements.