Hey guys, thanks so much for sticking with this story. Happy Days!
Fred had seen me leave the party in tears and had knocked carefully on my door in the wee hours of the morning after he and George had shut their party down. He had known exactly what had happened; apparently someone had overheard us talking. I let him in and he conjured himself a sleeping bag to stay the rest of the night [well, morning]. When he woke up, George joined us in my room. We talked a lot about their joke shop, all three of us knowing full well we were purposely avoiding the subject of Oliver. I was thankful to them; I didn't want to think about the dull ache in my chest.
It was difficult but I hadn't spoken to Oliver in a month. He didn't seem like he was having any trouble ignoring me. In the semi-finals against Hufflepuff, I purposely dropped the quaffle and allowed one of the yellow clad players attempt to score. Oliver successfully blocked it and didn't say a word to me about it. Fred and George did, however, get an earful when they failed to hit Cedric off course by mere inches.
I was so embarrassed. Fred and George had been by my side since it happened. Girls were laughing at me in the corridors, 'Oliver dumped her cause he caught her snogging a third year'. That was the least farfetched rumour I had heard. According to the general population of Hogwarts, I had cheated on Oliver with numerous nameless boys, the entire Slytherin Quidditch team. Yes, the entire foul-mouthed Slytherin team… including the girls.
Oliver seemed to love the fact that he came off looking like a saint in all of this drama. Girls were fawning over him, telling him it was ok and that they would gladly accompany him to the next Hogsmeade trip. He looked like a saint.
I was watching some fifth year fawn over him in the great hall when Fred sat down next to me.
"George has gone chasing some tail from Ravenclaw to Hogsmeade," I chuckled as he continued, "so how's about you and me go for a best friend date to get some ice cream and perhaps a walk around the shrieking shack?" as he proposed his shrieking shack idea, he used his index and forefinger to imitate someone walking around and proceeded to 'walk' his fingers up my arm and flick me in the ear.
I smiled at him, "Frederick M Weasley," I said, "That sounds delightful."
Fred titled his head a bit and looked at me, "What do you think my middle name is?" he asked.
"Moron?" I suggested, laughing at the look on Fred's face, "I'm kidding. Come on."
We followed the other students down the path to Hogsmeade. Fred didn't seem to mind that girls were pointing at us and whispering behind their hands.
"Fred," I whispered nervously, "They're talking about us."
Fred gave a jaunty laugh, "Well then," he linked my arm in his and kissed me on the cheek, "let's give them something to talk about!"
Our best friend date was going smashingly. Fortescue's ice creamery was amazing. A hundred flavours to choose from and about a hundred other toppings and sauces to add I was in heaven. Fred went with his 'usual'; bubble gum ripple with exploding candies and strawberry bubble syrup. Fred offered me some; it was the sweetest most sugary concoction I had ever tried… but it was amazing. The bubble gum ripple was chewy like bubble gum – you could even blow bubbles the size of Fred's head. The exploding candies were outstanding, about 50% more crackle than muggle candy 'Pop Rocks' and the bubble syrup was tingly on your tongue, as if eating a thick version of strawberry soda. I had had one spoonful and it was too much. I couldn't imagine how high Fred would be bouncing off the walls in a few hours.
I had chosen a more reserved flavour; vanilla custard ice cream with a sticky caramel syrup and miniature chocolate frogs. Little did I know that when the British Wizarding World used the word sticky, it actually meant 'glue your lips shut and coat your teeth with caramel' sticky.
"Do you want to walk around with your ice cream or…?" Fred asked me; effectively spitting bubble flavoured ice cream in my hair.
I tried to answer, but all I could manage was a strangled gurgle; the caramel sticking all over everything in my mouth. Fred laughed aloud, again spitting his concoction, this time on the ground and not me.
"It'll take about ten minutes for that to melt." Fred offered, "Seeing as you can't protest, I'm taking us on a walk."
I would have told him that he didn't need to drag me anywhere; I would have opted to walk anyway. We walked for a while until I saw a rundown shop on the corner. There was a large 'for sale' sign on the place.
"Jem!" Fred cried, having seen the block too, "Look at this!" he ran to the window, dragging me with him.
"It'd be perfect or your shop…" I mused. Fred pulled his sleeve down and rubbed some dust off the window, revealing the rest of the for sale sign.
"Twenty thousand Galleons?" Fred managed to strangle out, "George and I barely have five thousand saved!"
I patted him gently on the back and steered him away from the shop, "Looks like it's been on sale for ages Freddy, you never know your luck." A plan was forming in my mind; that evening, I sent a floo-network letter to my grandparents.
BREAK
A few days later, still with no contact with Oliver, the final match against Slytherin was drawing close. I was getting agitated and nervous about the game and the twins were noticing. I had shut myself down to everyone bar them, not talking, not eating and certainly not sleeping.
When the day of the match was upon us, I was almost in tears over anything. I awoke and as I was putting my hair up, my hair tie broke. I burst into tears. I was a mess. Usually I spoke to Oliver regarding my concerns over Quidditch. We would talk together. Not anymore.
At midday, we headed down to the pitch. Oliver gave his usual pep-talk, only this one had an added sombre tone to it.
"This is my last chance. Last chance." That didn't help. Knowing that Oliver had so much at stake, so much riding on this, saddened me. I couldn't imagine the stress he was going through. Rumour had it that there were scouts from the Chudley Cannons, the Holyhead Harpies and Puddlemere United in the crowd. I knew Oliver wouldn't be concerned about the Harpies considering it was the only female team in the European league but the Cannons and United must have had him scared.
Before I knew it, an hour had passed and Oliver had called a timeout. The score was 20-0 to us. Oliver was playing fantastically, not letting a single goal through. Katie and I had managed a goal each and we were on the ground, waiting half-time instructions from Oliver.
"Bell, Spinnet," of course he hadn't mentioned me, "we need to score a few more times before Potter goes for the snitch. We need to lead by fifty points or more to win the cup this year. Weasleys, any chance you get to knock about the Slytherin chasers would be great. Potter, keep diving like you have been. Make him think you've seen it and then pull up, maybe you can injure Malfoy."
The whistle blew and the game was back on. Thirty minutes later, the Slytherin keeper was getting sloppy we had scored two goals against them. 50-0. Katie was circling our goal and the Slytherin Keeper, Alicia was covering the middle ground and I was close to Slytherin's goal and Oliver.
Diving through the sky, I was desperate to get the quaffle. I spied one of the Slytherin chasers zoom up to our goal post. Oliver was surrounded by the remaining two chasers and one of the beaters, all clearly sent there to distract him. He couldn't see a thing. The Slytherin with the quaffle was getting closer to Oliver's left side hoop.
"Obi!" I yelled, "Left wing!"
He looked at me in shock, it was the first time I had spoken to him in a month and a half.
"LEFT! WING!" I yelled, again, "DIVE DAMN IT!" I watched as the chaser got closer to the hoop, "DIVE NOW!"
He did as I said, just as the Slytherin tossed the ball to the hoop. The crowd roared; Oliver had saved the goal. He had slid over on his broom and was now upside down, but he had saved it. Oliver smiled at me; the butterflies that I hadn't felt for a month were back. I flew up to where he was upside down and holding the quaffle as he tossed it to me.
"Thanks love," Oliver said as I zoomed past him to the other end of the field. Love?
Before I reached the middle where Alicia was keenly flying towards me to take the ball I spotted it. Draco Malfoy was eagerly chasing Harry... and the snitch. Malfoy's arms were longer than Harry's. He was going to get the snitch. I pretended to lose my grip on the quaffle and watched as the quaffle hit Malfoy straight on the head. The whistle blew. Oh God. I was going to get a penalty. The crowd was screaming; too many people to be just the Slytherins. I looked over to Madam Hooch who was smiling… and looking at Harry.
Not me. My eyes flicked to Harry. He was holding the quaffle. We'd won. I flew as fast as I could to the ground and dismounted only to have Fred and George envelop me in a hug. As I let go of Fred and George, a rough hand grabbed my shoulder and turned me around.
"Congratulations Oliver, you played incredibly well a—" I was cut off as he crashed his lips on mine. The kiss was short, but I could see the longing in his face when he moved back and I'm sure he could feel the longing in mine, "Oliver, I don't…"
"I'm sorry!" he yelled over the crowd, "I shouldn't have said what I said to you."
Everyone was celebrating and I dragged him off to a quieter spot on the pitch, "Don't apologise if it was true."
"It wasn't…" Oliver said softly, "It wasn't even close to true. Jem I love you. I've loved you since I told you at Christmas. All that talk about not wanting to get serious because you're leaving was… was stupid. I adore you Jem, forgive me?"
"Love, Oliver?" I asked, "We're both too young to be throwing that word around." I was smiling and so was he.
"Well then," Oliver said, his sly smile back, "Jemima Gorman, I am very much in adoration of you."
I chuckled, "Oliver, I think I'm very much in adoration of you too."
A few of the girls that had whispered about Fred and I in Hogsmeade were watching us as we talked and looked at me in disgust as Oliver linked his fingers in mine and we re-joined the celebration. Soon, we were being dragged into the middle of the crowd. All of the team were hoisted on people's shoulders and taken back to Gryffindor tower for the party.