I huffed, tossing the large book aside. I had done all the research I could to fill in the holes Lara and Toni had informed me of, and that was it. I simply could not focus on Tudor England anymore.

My mind had been buzzing for the past week at the news Bray was toiling away in Azkaban until her trial, and that she was now just as single as I was. Every insult she ever hurled at me after Clancy had left came back to my mind and I couldn't help to twist them so they were directed at her. It was satisfying, to say the least, but it also made my blood boil.

If Oliver was going to break up with her, why didn't he do it sooner? Not that I wanted him to be single, or anything...

Further, if Klaus' "reading between the lines" was at all accurate, why did he let Bray get away with treating me like rubbish? And he only broke up with her after she proved herself to be bloody mad? What was all that about then?

He probably only wanted to know that I was "okay" so his ruddy conscience would be clear. Not because he actually cared about me. There wasn't even a sliver of hope, not that I had been wanting one, that he still cared for me. What the hell was I thinking?

The more I thought about it, the more I hated myself. And then, the more I hated myself, the more I hated him for making me hate myself. And eventually, all that self-hatred morphed into hatred of him.

Needless to say, I had come to the conclusion that Oliver Wood was an intolerable git, and I couldn't believe I had wasted two years of my life dating him. I vowed I would never put myself through such torture again.

I collapsed back against the couch with a groan and stared blankly out the window. Or I at least tried to, however a thud in the kitchen distracted me.

Call it feminine curiosity or whatever, but I needed a diversion, and it seemed the mystery sound from the kitchen was perfect. So, I pulled myself from the couch and trudged through three rooms before walking through the kitchen's archway.

Sam Adams was perched on the back of a chair, his chest puffing rapidly. Another owl sat not far away, ruffling its feathers.

I finally looked down at the table.

Another day, another basket of fruit.

I grabbed a few apples before turning to go upstairs to settle myself in front of the large window in the study.

I pushed the window up and scanned the horizon for unsuspecting children. Sure, it was cloudy, windy, frigid, and snow had begun to fall, but you'd figure the little kiddos would be running around anyway. Especially with the snow.

More snow began to fall, creating a thin veil of white over the Dover landscape.

I sighed, about to give up, when I spotted a figure slowly walking down the path.

I grabbed a shiny red apple and chucked it as hard as I could. Sadly, it missed its intended target, who only stopped and looked at it in confusion for a moment.

Eh, it was worth a shot.

And that's when I realised it wasn't a child approaching the front door. It was a full-grown man.

I quickly stood, slamming the window shut and retreating back downstairs to the parlour.

Not long after there was a knock on the door.

I tried to ignore it. Maybe they thought the apple just fell from the sky.

More knocking.

Louder knocking.

I let out an exasperated cry, finally standing and pulling a thick blanket around my shoulders before sliding my socked feet along the wood floor.

I wrenched open the door, my voice oozing with annoyance, "Can I help-"

I stopped when it registered who stood in front of me.

"Uh," I said lamely.

"I had to see you," Oliver said desperately.

"Well, here I am," I said flippantly, stepping forward and pulling the door shut behind me, closing off any hope of an invitation inside.

He stared at the closed door momentarily before his dark brown eyes shot back to me, taking me in as I stood pathetically in flannel plaid jimjam bottoms tucked into woolen socks and an overly large pullover, all wrapped up in grey wool blanket.

"Is there any particular reason you had to see me?"

Wasn't I just being saucy and impertinent today.

He looked taken aback for a moment before recovering, "You got my letter?"

"Yes," I said slowly, pulling the blanket tighter around myself.

"Good," he said, nodding to himself.

"So, is that it then, or-" I started but he interrupted me.

"Rue, I was wrong. About everything. Keira was... she wasn't right for me, and I knew it all along, I just," he paused, frantically searching for the words, "she just filled this void, in a way, but, but not really."

"Since you left, I didn't know what to do. I was alone and worried and jealous, but that didn't change the way I felt about you, how I have always felt... It shouldn't have ended the way it did."

He chuckled, an odd sound given the frenzy of words falling from his mouth, "It really shouldn't have ended at all."

I could do little more than stare at him as he continued, stepping towards me.

"I didn't want to come to you this way, it was against my better judgment, Rue. Everyone told me not to, but I needed to tell you. I'm asking, no, begging you to end my agony," he said finally, so very close to me.

"I don't understand," I breathed.

"I love you."

My eyes widened.

"What?" I hissed.

"Willyoumarryme?"

I had barely understood what he said until it processed. My mind was reeling.

"Don't ask me that," I said darkly.

He reached forward, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"Marry me," he repeated, his eyes earnestly searching mine.

I shrugged his hands from me.

"No," I said finally.

He stared back at me, "What?"

"I said no," I firmly repeated. "How dare you ask that of me! You have proved yourself to be selfish and uncaring. Absolutely not."

"You don't mean-"

"These past two weeks have made me realise, Wood, that you are the last man in the world I could ever want to marry," my voice was tight.

"So that's your opinion of me," he whispered angrily, his face now inches from mine.

"Yes, yes it is," I shot back.

He stepped away from me and I let out a breath I wasn't even aware I had been holding.

"You are," he scathed, "the most insufferable woman on this earth."

"I know," I said haughtily, my disdain for him growing by the second as I put on an unaffected exterior.

"How could I ever have wanted to be with someone so pretentious, proud, and self-centered?" he said to himself, though I knew full well he intended for me to hear it, as he started to back away.

Suddenly, he moved towards me once again, his voice low. "Rue, do not toy with me. If you are doing this in spite, tell me so now. I apologise sincerely for any hurt I may have caused, but-"

"Stop," I whispered, the damage was already done. "I don't want to hear anymore."

I turned and let myself into the house, quickly slamming the door shut behind me.

I leaned against the wood, finally letting go of the blanket. Sliding down, I buried my face in my hands, listening to Oliver's footsteps as he walked away from the house.

I was so distracted by his footsteps, I hadn't even noticed those coming towards me.

Klaus squatted down next to me, "Rue?"

"How much did you hear?" I whispered.

"More than enough."

I let out a sob and threw my arms around my brother's neck, burying my face against his chest.

Why was life such a cruel joke?

Sorry for the shortness, but that's just the way it's got to be! Anyway, I started my Twelve Days of Christmas one shot collection- go check it out. In the mean time, you know that J.K. Rowling created Harry Potter and that which you don't recognize from it is my own creation. However, I did indeed use some Pride and Prejudice dialogue. Please do me the wonderful honor of leaving a review! Yours.