Meaningless
Box for Puddlemere: Quidditch
Task: Write the pairing Oliver Wood/Katie Bell
For the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Round 5 for Puddlemere United.
Word Count without A/N's: 1,131
Prompts:
(style) Letter!fic
(image) daisy chain
(phrase) 'Under lock and key.'
Dear Katie,
I don't know where to start on what I did to you. How about a simple, 'I'm sorry?' Puddlemere United is finally getting somewhere. We've finally stopped losing games, and we've gotten to the finals. I had trained long and hard hours to get myself into this position. Now that I'm here, I've realized what I'd given up. I had given up family. I had given up friends. I had given up love. I'd ignored the girl I love in favor of what? Quidditch?
I'm sorry.
I know it's meaningless.
When I first noticed you, you were in your fourth year. It was that blissful Hogsmeade day in Halloween. You were with Angelina and Alicia. The three of you were in Honeydukes laughing at someone's joke. I stared at you from the outside window. It was like a feeling of realization hit me as I saw your bright smile and your brown curls. I had to keep those feelings under lock and key (1). For one thing, there was an age gap. You were in fourth year. I was in seventh year. It would have to wait, at least for a couple of years.
The second thing is Quidditch. It's always Quidditch. I was too focused on getting my hands on that Quidditch Cup. I wanted a victory before I graduated. Can you believe I even went as far as to risk Harry Potter riding a potentially dangerous broom to win? In the end, the Firebolt was safe. But there was still the possibility, and I still pushed McGonagall. It only showed how Quidditch-blinded I was.
I'm sorry.
I know it's meaningless.
As soon as I left Hogwarts, Puddlemere United wanted me to be their reserve. I jumped at the opportunity. By then, I had lost many friends. At the time, I thought it was their problem. They didn't understand Quidditch. But it was me. I didn't spend enough time with them.
Friendship goes both ways, and I didn't realize that until now.
I'm sorry.
I know it's meaningless.
Puddlemere didn't do well at first. They lost game after game. I was practicing, who knows when they would eventually need me as a reserve. It was Quidditch, and only Quidditch. My parents wrote me. They always asked if I wanted to come home for dinner. I always told them I had practicing to do. I don't remember the last time I talked to either of my parents.
I'm sorry.
I know it's meaningless.
This letter keeps getting longer and longer. That's how sorry I am.
It was during your sixth year that Puddlemere's Keeper had to retire. Yours truly was invited to take his place. I remember being so thrilled. I had come up to the school to tell you, Angelina, and Alicia the news. You voiced your concerns about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge, and her detention methods.
I was furious at what she was doing to the students. But I seemed to have gotten over it in a matter of minutes, and turned the conversation straight back to Quidditch. I didn't take any time to consider the taken aback looks on your faces. I just continued on talking.
I'm sorry.
I know it's meaningless.
Puddlemere continued their losing streak. It only caused me to practice harder. It was my dream to do well in professional Quidditch. It wasn't happening. I was slowly spiraling into depression.
Then I heard the news about the cursed necklace. That was the first time the guilt from putting Quidditch over everything else took over. My feelings for you returned all at once, and I hastened to go to St. Mungo's so I could visit you. The first time I visited, you were so fragile and so frail. It ripped my heart in two.
What if the last words I'd ever said to you were about Quidditch?
I cried.
I'm sorry.
I know it's meaningless.
The second time I visited, you looked much better than before. I was relieved beyond belief. The Healers said that you were on the way to recovery, and hope seemed to lift for me again. The third time I came to visit, you were awake. You were so happy to see me that it made it all worthwhile. You were so full of life. I remember helping you sit upright, and once you did, you lifted your head up and pressed your lips to mine.
It was my first kiss.
I couldn't ask for anything better.
I'm sorry.
I know it's meaningless.
Once you were back at Hogwarts, I decided that I'd been neglecting Quidditch, and went back to practicing the long and hard hours that I used to practice. Puddlemere had finally won a game, and it was all I cared about for weeks. You and the kiss were pushed to the very back of my mind, and once again I had mixed up my priorities.
The next time I saw you was in the Leaky Cauldron. My team and I were there to celebrate our second win. I remember excusing myself to go talk to you, and we happily spent the evening laughing, talking, and dancing.
It was the last evening I had spent with you for a long time.
For one thing, the war with You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters was getting more and more ugly by the minute. I called your flat to see if you were okay. You said you were alright. Both of us went to Hogwarts with the Order to fight. I had thought long and hard after Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who. It was when I started to regret the Firebolt incident. Sometimes, I wonder if I'd pushed him too hard, just for a victory. After the war was over, I went straight back to my Quidditch career, pushing you aside completely.
I'm sorry.
I know it's meaningless.
The year 2000 was Puddlemere's lucky year. We started winning consecutive games, and we made our way into the finals. Tomorrow, we play our first final. I can safely say that I don't care whether we win or lose. Now, I know where my priorities lie. They lie with my family. They lie with my friends. They lie with you. I love you, Katie Bell. I've known that for a while. I've pushed it aside for Quidditch, and that's the biggest mistake I've ever made.
Once again, I'm sorry.
Once again, I know it's meaningless.
I love you, and I'll try and be better from now on.
Love,
Oliver
Katie sobbed as she read the letter. She noticed something inside the envelope, and she reached inside to pull it out.
It was a daisy chain (2).
As she put it on, she wore a shaky smile.
They'd make things better.
A/N: I know. It's forced. It was written at the last minute. But it's done, and I'm relieved. Phew! xD
Footnotes: two, one for each prompt used. The prompt 'Letter!fic' is seen through the letter :)
Please R&R :)
-Ana