When I woke up the morning after I was quite surprised not to find myself in my dorm. then I realized that Oliver was sleeping next to me, still holding me close to his chest. I hated to admit it, but it was a pleasant feeling and I could easily get used to it. Not that there was any chance of that happening again any time soon. I got up, being really careful not to wake him up, and slowly got into my clothes again. I brushed my lips on his forhead, just to check that he hadn't still got a fever and then I walked out of the room. I wasn't going to leave him alone, I just thought it would be cleverer if we just had breakfast in there, instead of the Great Hall, where people might have noticed us going together and may have made the wrong assumptions. Especially when it came to Fred and George Weasley.
I realized how early I was only when I walked in the Great Hall and found that the tables were still empty. Swearing under my breath -even if a portrait shot me a very nasty look and started complaining about modern ladies- I got straight to the kitchens. It came with no surprise when I saw the Weasley twins getting out of there, just as I was about to tickle the pear in the painting. Honestly, did they ever do anything according to the rules?
«What brings our favourite Head Girl here at this ungodly hour of the morning?» George asked me with a grin.
«You know...calling the register in the kitchens it's part of my duties» I tried, tentatively.
«Because the house elves are very likely to run away, aren't they?» Fred asked, in a ironical way.
«No, but something might have happened to them during the night...»
«And you're worried about them? How lovely!» George interrupted me.
«Ok, fine, I need to grab some food! Can I get in now?» I asked, as they bowed to let me in.
Sighing with relief I made my way inside the kitchens, where the elves started to bow in front of me, with trays full of everything. I was just starting to take some doughnuts, when the twins appeared again from the portrait.
«By the way, have you heard the new gossip?» George asked me, smirking
«No, I think I missed it, why?» I asked, exasperated, as I grabbed a doughnut and a couple of toast. Oliver would starve with that for breakfast, but still, I couldn't take anything more without the twins getting suspicious.
«Apparently Wood wasn't in the dorms tonight» George carried on.
«How do you know that?»
«We heard our lovely brother - Percy, of course - complaining about it this morning...» Fred said, looking at me in a strange way.
«Let's face it: is Oliver. He probably just spent the night with one girl of his giggly fan club to get over yesterday's match.» I shrugged, there was no way I was going to betray myself like that.
«So you don't know anything about it?»
I shook my head. Luckily I was a trained liar.
«But I thought you told Freddie you were going to the changing rooms yesterday night...»
«I did, he refused to get out of the shower and I left him there. I'm not his baby sitter»
They looked at me for a while as if they didn't believe a single word I told them, but eventually they decided to believe me.
«Fine then...too bad, I would have loved to know that our Head girls doesn't mind a night with a hot...»
«Ok, I think I got it Fred. And for your information I don't mind it at all and no, you will never see that, now could you go before the Hufflepuffs begin to go to breakfast?»
The thought of the Hufflepuffs discovering the way into the kitchen seemed a convincing issue, as they finally went away. I waited for five minutes, my ear sticking to the back of the painting, just to make sure they weren't still there waiting for me. Then I started grabbing more food. By the time I was out of there I had enough to feed five people. I needed a lot more time to get back to the room of requirements, as I tried to avoid the students that were starting to go to breakfast, so it was no surprise to find Oliver awake, when I finally got there. He was sitting on the bed, still wearing his pijamas, staring at the fire burning into the fireplace in front of him.
«So yesterday wasn't a dream» he said with a rather gloomy look on his face.
«No, I don't think so» I replied, coolly. He already regretted the night, didn't he?
«I didn't dream about losing the match then!»
I shook my head. Of course quidditch was the problem, he probably didn't remember anything else.
«C'mon eat something. Are you feeling better today?» I asked him, handing over all the food I brought with me from the kitchen.
He nodded, before grabbing the food and putting it aside on a bed table that suddenly appeared, probably because he thought about it. I shot him a quizzical look: if he thought I was going to beg him to eat something he was very wrong indeed. I was proven wrong, though, when he grabbed my arm and pulled me on the bed, so that I found myself lying under him.
«But I did sleep with you, then» he asked, while a mischievous look -worthy of the Weasley twins- spread across his face.
«You did, just sleep I mean, anything else was just in your dreams» I replied, trying to pull him away. It's pointless to say that I wasn't succesful.
«Then yesterday wasn't that bad...but still, I lost a match» he sat on the bed, leaving me free of getting up if I wanted.
Saying that I had mixed feelings at the moment was underrating. I really thought that something was going to happen but then stupid quidditch came between us again. Even more surprisingly, I didn't care at all. Honestly, you couldn't have Oliver without quidditch and I grew to love the sport along with Oliver. Hang on: did I just admit that I loved Oliver? Well, that must have surely been a mistake I made dued to not having breakfast. I grabbed a muffin and told him to hurry up: we needed to get to visit Harry as he promised yesterday night. Also, he needed to came up with a good excuse for Percy Weasley, unless he didn't want a month detention. I would have had to say something to Eve as well, but I suppose I could just tell her that I fell asleep in the prefect's bathroom: it already happened more than once. It took us an hour to get out of there, but we eventually managed it. We walked down the corridors, straight to the infirmary. It was no surprise that Madam Pomfrey looked suspicious when she saw us. First of all, not many students bothered visiting their friends at that time of the day, secondly Oliver wasn't looking at the best of his conditions. Of course anyone who had known Oliver would have blamed quidditch for that, but a trained nurse as Madam Pomfrey could have spotted the signs of an illness any time. We just put on our best smiles -or at least I did- as she walked us towards Harry's bed. It was no surprise to me to find him already awake: there wasn't much you could do in there and I bet I had been sleeping for at least thirteen hours. I never spoke much with Harry, ok he was famous all over the wizarding world, I grew up listening to his name, as if he was a hero of some fairytale, but when he came to Hogwarts I didn't really fuss about getting to know him. I think he had his own right to have a normal Hogwarts experience and normal meant that people from fifth years didn't rush to be best-mates with an eleven years old. Of course Percy didn't miss his hahnce, but I wanted to be good with him and I thought that it was only because his youngest brother, Ron, was Harry's best friend.
«Are you all right?» I asked Harry.
«Yeah, thanks. Madam Pomfrey just wanted to keep me here another night to make sure everything's ok»
«Well, you had quite a fall»
«I've been told» he said gloomily.
«Well, I'll leave the two of you chatting then, I'll be right there» I said, grabbing a chair and sitting a few feets away from Oliver and Harry. I summoned a copy of the Witch Weekly from a nearby bedtable and started going thru it, pretending to be extremely interested. Honestly, I couldn't care less about the gossip, so I just moved to the quizzies, checking now and then how that chat was going. I found myself completely absorbed in a quiz about "My perfect man". I couldn't believe that I was really doing that, it was totally rubbish and for people like that Howthorne girl...not Head Girls with a lot of ambition and a fair amount of brain. According to the result my ideal man was the quidditch player. Totally rubbish, as I was saying. By that time I got angry enough with the magazine, to send it back where I found it. I just pretended to read the indications noted on a bottle of dark green potion that was standing on Harry's bed table so it wouldn't look like I was listening to them. I could hear Oliver saying Harry that he wasn't blaming him at all for the result of the match...good boy.
«...but Harry, I hope you know that from now on no further mistakes will be admitted so from tomorrow we will practice every night till Christmas Break all right?»
Before Harry could answer I had already kicked Oliver's leg. I couldn't believe he had just said that to a boy that risked his neck falling off a broom.
«Ouch! What now?» he asked, turning to face me.
«Oliver! This guy just fell from over a hundred feet and you want him to practice tomorrow? Honestly, who was so thick to give you that captain badge?»
«Probably someone that was so thick to give you a Head Girl badge, knowing that you had grown a passion for breaking rules over the years, Miss wilde» answered a calm voice behind me.
I turned and to my utter horror I found myself face to face with Hogwarts' headmaster. What a wonderful way to begin a day.
Me and Oliver stayed silent as we walked behind Dumbledore to his office. The only time I'd ever been there was back in my fifth year, when I found a second-year Ravenclaw trying to sneak in the Forbidden Corridor on the third floor. That time, though, I wasn't really risking anything. I was still surprised to find out that the stairs moved on their own accord to the door. We followed the headmaster in and we just waited in front of his desk, trying not to look so guilty.
«You may sit if you wish» he said, pointing at a couple of chairs in front of the desk.
We did as we were told without saying a word, even if I couldn't help noticing that Dumbledore was smiling.
«You colleague Mr Weasley was delighted to inform me this morning that apparently Mr Wood wasn't back to bed last night and that he overheard from Miss Dennis that even you, Miss Wilde, didn't touch your bed»
That idiot of Percy. He would sell his own mother to make a good impression on the headmaster, I was sure about that.
«Well...» I began, but Oliver interrupted me.
«I'm sorry headmaster, but I can assure you none of this was Bill's, I mean, Miss Wilde's fault» he shouldn't have done that. I had to talk, not him. I could take him out of that trouble without having to say that we were together.
«I thought that flying back to the seventh floor must have been your idea» Dumbledore replied calmly. Actually I was ready to swear that he almost giggled. I didn't waste time wondering how did he know about it, Dumbledore seemed to know always everything.
«He was sick, professor. I couldn't walk him back to the castle under that storm...»I began, but again I was interrupted by Oliver. I glared at him.
«And I asked her to take me to the room of requirements, because I didn't want to get her in trouble for coming to take me from the changing rooms.»
Honestly, if he wanted he could tell Dumbledore that I used to sneak to Hogsmeade during my nights out with Bill, it would make no difference as I was going to have my badge taken anyway.
«But he was so sick that I decided to stay overnight, so in case he got worse I could take him straight to the infirmary» I changed a bit the ending. I wasn't really sure that Dumbledore needed to know why I actually stayed there. We didn't do anything bad after all.
«I am aware that you know perfectly the rules by yourself Miss Wilde, so I don't think I need to list all the ones that you broke last night»
I stared at my feet, unable to find something to say.
«But I must admit that I could expect nothing else from two Griffyndors. Loyalty, friendship and bravery are the qualities that led you to that house and you showed all of them yesterday» he continued, now smiling broadly.
«I am sorry if we've been more thoughtless than brave yesterday night» I said, finally. Aplogizing was always good with teachers.
«The line between them is really thin, I can't blame you for not realising it.» He was still smiling kindly at us. «Now, you know that I can't ignore what a Head Boy -or girl- says to me, so please let Mr Weasley know that I spoke with you and next time, Miss Wilde, just bring Mr Wood to the infirmary. In such occasions we can close an eye upon someone not in the team being in the changing rooms.»
I nodded hastily, before thanking Dumbledore and walk out of the office, followed by Oliver. I couldn't believe that Percy told the headmaster about that. I mean, if I reported his brothers anytime I met them doing something they weren't supposed to do, they'd probably spend more time in Dumbledore's office than in the Common Room. I shook my head. The reason I wasn't reporting Fred and George was that I actually liked them too much to give them detention and if that made me a terrible head girl...well I didn't really care.
«I can't believe that Percy actually told Dumbledore about it!» Oliver exlaimed, dragging me out of my own thoughts.
«I can. it's Percy we're talking about»
He nodded and laughed. I joined him, but there was nothing to laugh about. It could be pretty annoying to have a housemate like Percy sometimes.
«So I need to go to the library...»
«You, going to the library? Are you sure you are really ok?» I interrupted him. Oliver never went to the library, unless he had to warn someone of an upcoming practice.
«I am» he laughed «But I need to find out some new strategies for the upcoming match»
I sighed, there was no point in letting him know that "upcoming" wasn't the right word for a match that had to take place after the Christmas break.
«I am going back to the common room. I promised to help Fred and George with herbology and I have to translate a lot of stuff for ancient runes»
«Ok then...I'll meet you before lunch?» I nodded and waved him goodbye. He stopped me and kissed me softly on a temple before going his way.
So I didn't know what was going on with the two of us. We weren't acting as friends, but we weren't acting like a couple either. I thought that we were just like my parents, but how could it possibly be as we hadn't been married for almost twenty years? I shrugged, I didn't even know the way he was feeling about me, there was no way I was going to waste my time daydreaming on our own fairytale. I wasn't thirteen, for Merlin's pants! I muttered the password to Sir Cadogan, who bowed and let me in. It was no surprise that Adrian and Eve were looking at me glowing. They probably were thinking that me and Oliver swore to each other undying love or something like that. I ignored them though and went straight to Percy.
«You are a total idiot, you know that Weasley?» I shouted at him. Well usually nobody really cared, because I was always shouting at someone, but this time it was Percy we were talking about. The whole griffyndor house was staring at us and I didn't care.
«If you didn't break the rules I wouldn't have done that» he said, barely lifting his eyes from his transfiguration essay.
«We didn't! Even Dumbledore agreed with us!»
«What, he agreed to your honeymoon night?»
«I will give you a reason to report me to Dumbledor you pompous dumbass...»
But before I could think of the most painful hex I knew, somebody dragged me away. I found myself seated between the Weasley twins, that were still holding me as if they were scared I might go there and murder their brother. Well they were damn right.
«Now calm down Bill, will you?» said George, taking the wand ut of my hand.
«I need to murder him...does he really think that me and Oliver...»
«Don't worry, he's a git. We knew you didn't have sex with our lovely captain last night» said Fred, patting me on a shoulder.
«It's not much in your nature to be this supportive...» I said, suspiciously.
«C'mon! There's no way you'd be in such a bad mood if you had some fun last night!» Fred grinned at me.
I found myself grinning back. I decided that it was better not to kill anybody - Percy wasn't worth Azkaban anyway- and we began to work on their Herbology homework.
Finally lunch break came. Working with Fred and George was no good if you actually wanted to do something, but it was one of the funniest things you could experience in life. After three hours, however, we managed to finish half of the essay and it wasn't even a difficult one. I got thru it one last time, just to check that between all the joking that had been going on we actually did some good work. After a while I handed them back to them, pretty satisfied. One would never tell but those two really wanted to do their own homework, they just didn't like paying attention in class.
«Well I don't know about you but I'm starving» I said, getting up.
«We're already starved» they replied making me laugh again. Why weren't they in my year? Why did I get the only lame Weasley in the family?
We went out of the portrait hole, heading for the Great Hall. A lot of sudents had enough of studying as the corridors were pretty busy. Right before our last staircase I felt someone taking my head. I jumped, I was actually so scared that I was surprised I didn't scream. But it was just Oliver, of course. I should have expected this.
«Hey Captain!» said George, greeting him.
«Hey there human bludges!»
They were really calling each other with quidditch nicknames? I rolled my eyes.
«Did you take good care of my lady?» Oliver asked them.
«Since when I'm your lady?» I said, rising an eyebrow. As far as I was concerned I was none's lady.
«Since now all right?»
I looked at him in disbelief. I couldn't really understand wether he was serious or if he was mocking me. I was more prone to the latter. I was wrong, though, as a second later he had pressed his lips against mine. That was unmistakably a kiss.
«If I asked you out now, what would you say?» he asked me again, grinning.
«She would say yes!» the Weasley twins answered for me.
«Good job guys, remember me to give you a wage rise for being my secretaries...»
I wasn't able to finish my sentence though, because Oliver got hold of me and kissed me again, putting a lot more feeling into it this time. And finally I had to admit myself that yes, I liked Oliver Wood and it was not a stupid crush, I seriously liked him. We walken in the Great Hall holding hands and I'm pretty sure nobody would have noticed, if it wasn't for Fred and George sining the wedding march before us. We just laughed about it. Actually I could laugh about anything at the time. Even of Marcus Flitt heading to our table. But why was Flitt heading to our table in the first place?
«Congrats to the new couple» he said smirking
«Evaporate, Flitt» I said and turned my back to him.
«So you finally got the girl Wood, uh? Well I bet it must be some sort of consolation to have someone to shag when you've lost a match» He insisted.
Oliver was just about to take his wand, but I stopped him.
«You know what, Fllit? Don't evaporate, just flush yourself down a toilet, it would be more appropriate» I replied again, still not looking at him.
«Tell me Wood, does she know?»
«Know what?» I could see that Oliver was exasperated. Really he needed to practice more on his patience, he was just making Flitt happy by acting this way.
«That you might go nutter anytime. Isn't this what happened to your father? He just lost it and tried to kill you and your mother. He was so nuts that actually they sendend him to a special ward in St. Mungo insted of Azkaban!»
This time I turned to see Flitt. I was actually staring at him completely dumbfounded. How the hell was he supposed to know about that? I was the only one who knew this, well, except from some Ministry's officers of course.
«You told them!» Oliver said, looking at me.
«What? No! I could never...» but I never got to finish that sentence.
«You just wanted to have your revenge because you thought I said those stuff about you and Weasley! I can't believe it! »
«I didn't do that...why should I do it now and not as soon as you spilled the beans about me and Bill?»
«I didn't...»
«Fine! Why didn't I do that when I thought you spilled the beans about me and Bill?»
He shrugged. We barely noticed Flitt going away with a satisfied smile on his face. If that was what he wanted to achieve he was perfectly succesfull. I didn't care though, I had to know how the Slytherins got to know all our secrets. I believed Oliver now, I was sure that he never said a word to them. I didn't know if they could get into our common room or what, but I was going to find out.
«Can we just get out of here?» he asked. I could see hurt in his eyes and I couldn't blame him. I knew he lived in the fear that one day he would end up exactly like his own father.
«Of course» I whisperd back, getting up from the chair.
We started to walk out of there and as we were walking Oliver surrounded my shoulder with one of his arms. I kissed him soflty on his cheek. Whoever wanted us to be apart wasn't going to win this time.
So here I am again! I must say that I missed writing this fanfic! I hope you're enjoying reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it! Please R&R ;)
Oh, and of course: I wish I had J.K. Rowling's brilliant mind, but I haven't, so I own absolutely nothing from Harry Potter!