More Than Quidditch 2

AN: I can only imagine what you must be thinking; "well, well, well... she FINALLY has poked her head out from under that rock of hers and has decided to attempt, once again, to entertain us." Yes. It's true. I have.

I'm very sorry for not writing anything in a long time. I've had a lot going on. I'm changing a lot and sadly I haven't been focusing on writing these stories anymore. But I promise to finish all the stories I have on here currently. I won't leave you hanging.

CHAPTER 9

"I-I-I-I...I am?" Harry stammers, unsure of what is currently going on, let alone how he is involved.

"He is?" Oliver asks, not sure if he should believe what he has just heard.

"Yes. For a few weeks now. Isn't that right, Harry?" I ask, smiling up at Harry.

"I'm not–" Harry begins, but I stop him by pinching his arm. "Ah! Er, yes, it is..."

Oliver looks at the two of us, as if he's studying us... taking us in...

Then he stares at me, his eyes searching the depths of mine, possibly reading my mind. Possibly discovering my lie. Possibly discovering my secret; the baby growing inside of me. The baby that belongs to him. The baby he doesn't know exists.

I gulp. How will he react when he discovers this secret? How will I tell him? Will I ever tell him? Will he ever know of this child that continues to grow and evolve everyday? This thought makes me shiver.

Oliver finally looks away from me, and without a single word, briskly leaves the changing rooms. I can feel the relief wash over me. It's only there for a minute.

"Katrina?" Harry says my name. I almost forgot he was here. I almost forgot that the whole team was here.

I slowly roll my head in his direction, and I can see the confusion written his face. Hell, I can feel his confusion.

"What just happened?" He asks.

I answer as honestly as I can, "I wish I knew, Harry. But one thing is for sure; nothing good shall come of this."

"What is going on between you and Oliver?" Harry asks me, his worried eyes bearing into my heart and making me feel guilty for bringing him into this.

I need to give Harry an explanation. It's only fair that I do. I need to tell him the truth.

The whole truth.

"You know what? Meet me in the common room after you're done changing," I tell him. "Then I'll be able to explain everything to you. In private."

...

Once Harry Potter entered through the portrait door, his eyes searched the length of the common room for me. I sat waiting in a quiet, secluded corner. He spotted me and quickly walked over and took a seat in a hard wooden chair.

"Now, what's going on?"

I take a deep breath, and then proceed to tell Harry Potter, one of my friends, everything. I tell him about the bad break up. I tell him how Cho Chang is all over Oliver. I tell him what happened during the match. And most of all, I tell him that I am carrying Oliver Wood's child.

Harry is in shock. Complete and utter shock. He has no words. Well, at least for a moment.

"Are you serious?! How did that happen?! Well, er, don't answer that, I mean I know how it happened and all but, erm.. You know what I mean.." Harry is flustered. He blushes a bit and, by habit, lifts his hand to mess up the hair in the back of his head.

"I know what you mean, Harry. It was a mistake. A very stupid mistake that I can't reverse."

"Oliver... does he..?"

"Does he know that I'm pregnant? No. I haven't told him. I don't know how to tell him. I don't think I can."

"You're going to have to tell him sometime, Kat. You can't hide it forever. I mean, aren't you going to get.. You know.. Big in a few months? How are you going to hide that?"

"Well, actually, I probably should be showing already. I'm 5 months now," I reveal.

"Then how..." Harry is even more confused.

"There's a potion. It hides the development of the baby, so I look like I haven't gained any weight. And I don't have a baby bump," I explain.

"That doesn't have an effect on the baby?" Harry asks.

"No. The potion is completely harmless, if done correctly. That's why I got Hermione to make the potion for me."

"Hermione knows too?"

"Yes. Harry, you and Hermione are the only people I have told. You are the only two people that know, and that's the way I'd like it to stay, alright?" I ask. I know Ron is his best friend, but Ron is the type of guy who would let it slip. Don't get me wrong, he would never do it intentionally, but well... He is Ronald Weasley, after all.

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me," Harry promises me. This comforts me.

"Thank you, Harry. And I'm really sorry to have gotten you involved in all of this, but..." I trail off.

"But?"

"But, well, I think you may need to play along with this. I think you may need to pretend to be my boyfriend," I tell him. Harry blushes and looks down.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Kat?"

"He already thinks we're a couple. I don't know what else to do. We won't have to play along with it for very long. Just for a while. Will you please help me?" I'm pleading.

Harry sighs and answers, "I guess so. We just have to be careful about it."

I smile brightly, thanking Harry and hugging him.

"One last thing," Harry says just before I walk away.

"Yes?" I ask.

"You're going to have to stop playing Quidditch."

My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach. No way am I quitting Quidditch. Not a chance.

"Harry–" I start to protest. He stops me.

"How can you play such a rough sport in your condition? What if something happens to the baby?" Harry says.

That's what I fear. The thought makes me shudder.

"But people will expect something's up if I give up Quidditch. Everybody knows Quidditch is my dream, my passion. How would it look if I just quit without a reason? I'll just take it easy, that's all. I can't give it up," I try to convince him. It isn't working.

"Katrina, you have to quit. You can't put yourself and the baby in danger. You could have fallen off your broom in today's match!"

I think back to how Cho Chang had pushed into me, how I pushed her and she dangled from her broom. That could have been me. I could have fallen. I felt guilt fill in every inch of my body and mind. Not only did I feel guilty about pushing Cho, but I felt even more guilty for the child growing inside of me.

The child has no control of his future, of his fate. His life and safety lies in my hands. My immature, stupid, unworthy, irresponsible hands. I want to cry. How could I be so stupid? This poor baby could have died. Died before it even had a chance to live. I feel Harry hug me and I realize I'm sobbing.

"I'm sorry Kat, I didn't mean–"

"No, it's not your fault. You're absolutely right. I have to quit."

...

Later that night, I find myself roaming the empty corridors. No, not roaming exactly. I have a purpose, a destination. I'm just taking my sweet time. Maybe I shouldn't even do this now. Maybe I should head back to my room. This isn't a good idea at all. I should turn around right now and–

"What are you doing in the halls at this time of night?" I hear a stern voice question me.

A chill climbs up my back. My body stiffens. Why is it that whenever I give up looking for something, it finds me anyway?

"Oliver," I say quietly. My voice sounds so different to me. It sounds sad and hopeless. I wonder if he hears the change too.

"Katrina? Why are you walking around in the dark?" He asks. I still don't turn to face him. He hesitantly puts his hand on my shoulder. I shake it off.

"I was looking for you," I say.

"You know, I ought to kick you off your own team for what you pulled today," Oliver tells me.

I feel the tears fill to the brim of my eyelid. I already feel guilty enough. Hearing it from Oliver makes it a thousand times worse, for some reason. And I hate it.

"No need. I quit," I say curtly, then I go to walk away, but he stops me.

"Quit? You? You're quitting Quidditch? Are you mad?" He is baffled.

"That's right. I'm quitting."

"How can you quit now? You've been on the team since your second year. This is your seventh year. You're Captain. You've got everything going for you, and you want to quit? Just for no reason?" Oliver asks. He knows better than anyone that Quidditch means the world to me.

"Things change. Quidditch doesn't mean so much to me anymore." It's so hard to say. I struggle to make the false words come out of my mouth.

"Does this have anything to do with me? Kat, you can't give up your dream just because I–"

"Don't think so highly of yourself. This doesn't have anything to do with you," I lie. I walk away from Oliver Wood, who stands there thinking for a few more minutes before finally walking in the opposite direction.

This has everything to do with you, Oliver.

AN: And there you have it. The latest chapter. And your thoughts?