Chapter 4

The gossip about Oliver and Amelia spread quickly through the castle, though Amelia couldn't understand why. She eventually just assumed that it was because Oliver Wood, Quidditch captain extraordinaire, had a girlfriend. She and Oliver acted much the same as they had before they started dating. They went running and he continued to offer her flying lessons; the only thing that had really changed was that now, after a run or flying lesson, they frequently snogged. Amelia started to really enjoy the snogging and Oliver kept assuring her that it was very good.

By the time the Halloween weekend arrived, they were both looking forward to the large party that would be thrown after hours in Gryffindor tower. "I love the feast, but I'd really like to get back to the commons, a nice cozy corner, and a bonny lass in my lap," Oliver joked at the feast.

"Will I have to beat her up so that I can take that position in your lap?" Amelia joked.

"I was rather hoping that you'd offer to be the bonny lass in my lap," he teased. "I mean, of course, if you're not otherwise engaged."

"I'm not busy, and I'll be happy to be the bonny lass in your lap," she promised.

"Well, now that's settled, we should head back to the tower so you can sit on my lap and I can snog you without interference from any professors," Oliver suggested. Amelia nodded and stood with Oliver, holding his hand. He led them through the Castle to Gryffindor tower, but their progress was stopped by a large group of students waiting on the stairway. Amelia tried to push her way through, using the excuse that she was a prefect, but there were too many people in the way. Finally, Percy pushed through the crowd and summoned Professor Dumbledore.

"Does anyone know what the hell is going on?" Fred asked.

"I thought that it was just someone who forgot the password," Amelia said, "but if Percy has sent for Professor Dumbledore it must be more serious." Almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Professor Dumbledore arrived and ordered everyone back to the Great Hall. He waved his wand and vanished the house tables; in their place, he produced purple sleeping bags. He ordered the prefects to meet at one end of the Great Hall and Amelia left Oliver, with a squeeze of his hand. When the prefects were let go, they were given instructions to take turns patrolling the hall while the teachers searched the castle.

Amelia returned to Oliver and her friends after getting her instructions. "I have to patrol for the next hour," she said. "I'll find you lot when I'm off duty. Save me a sleeping bag." She went to leave, but Oliver grabbed her and pulled her into a hug.

"Are you alright?" he whispered.

"Fine," she whispered back. "I'll be fine. I'll find you soon." She kissed his cheek and went back to her rounds. She joined a Hufflepuff prefect to complete their rounds.

"You're Wood's girlfriend," he said.

"Yeah," she answered. "You're the Hufflepuff captain? Diggory, right?"

"Yeah, Cedric," he answered. "How's the team shaping up this year?"

"I'm the wrong person to ask," Amelia said. "I don't play quidditch and Oliver and I don't discuss strategy."

"I'm just making conversation," Cedric promised. "I'm not trying to learn your secrets." Amelia was about to respond, but she noticed a few Slytherins getting into mischief, so she ordered them back to their house group and left. She and Cedric managed polite conversation for the rest of their rounds and when they were done, she returned to the Gryffindor corner.

She found Oliver in the middle with a sleeping bag for her. "Thanks," she said, sitting on the bag.

"No problem," Oliver promised. "How were your rounds?"

"I was paired with the Hufflepuff guy, Cedric," she answered. "It was fine."

"Diggory?" Oliver asked; she nodded. "Prat," Oliver muttered.

"He was polite and we didn't discuss your precious quidditch team," Amelia said with an eye roll.

"What was the eye roll for?" Oliver demanded.

"It's nothing, you're just over protective of your quidditch team," she scolded. "I don't play and I don't have access to your secrets, so it's unlikely that I'll share anything that will damage your team."

"Sorry," he muttered.

"It's late and we should get some sleep," she said. "I'm going to have to do rounds again in a few hours." Amelia climbed into her bag and curled up. She was almost asleep when she felt an arm around her. Her first instinct was to tense, but she realized it was Oliver's arm and she sank back into sleep.

Amelia was woken a few hours later by Percy shaking her shoulder. "It's time for your next set of rounds, Amelia," he said. "And it's probably best if a Professor doesn't catch you like that."

"We weren't doing anything wrong, Perce," Amelia protested in a whisper. "We were just sleeping."

"You don't have to sell me on that Amelia," Percy promised. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she said. "Who am I with this time?"

"You're paired with Diggory again," Percy answered. "You worked out well the last time and I didn't have to deal with any crap from either of you."

Amelia nodded and met up with the Hufflepuff boy by the main entrance. They wandered around the Great Hall, ensuring that no one was there who shouldn't be, but almost everyone was sleeping and the hour crept by. They found themselves sat by the main entrance with half an hour of their time left and not a lot to do. "I know you dated Paul Jenkins," Cedric said.

"I did, last year," Amelia replied. "I hope that doesn't damage your opinion of me."

"If I'm being honest, I think Jenkins is a total ass," Cedric promised. "He seems to think that the world owes him for something."

"Thanks," Amelia said quietly.

"How are you liking N.E.W.T. level classes?" he asked.

"They're alright, I guess. Potions is a pain in the arse, but Transfiguration, Herbology and Charms are good and I really love Defense," she answered. "What about you? What are you taking?"

"I'm in Potions, and I think I'm in your Transfiguration class," he answered. "You sit at the front, right?"

"Yeah," she answered. "I guess I didn't realize you were in that class. What else do you take with me?"

"Herbology," he said, with a chuckle. "I sometimes wonder why I took that class to N.E.W.T. level."

"At least it's not Divination," she joked. "I tried that for 3 years and wanted to throw Professor Trelawney out the window by the end. Luckily, I failed the O.W.L. miserably."

"How can you fail that class?"

"Easy, you describe the tester as what you see in the crystal ball during the exam," she said. Cedric laughed, loudly enough that a nearby student complained. "Sorry," she said. "We'll keep it down."

"So, have you picked a topic for the Herbology project?" he asked after a few minutes of silence and a few head nods.

"I haven't," she said. "I'm a bit stumped. What about you?"

"No, and there's nothing I can think of just yet," he replied.

A look at the clock showed them that their hour had finally ended. "Thanks, Cedric. It's been pleasant."

"Cheers, Amelia, and likewise," he replied.

Amelia returned to the Gryffindor area just as people were starting to wake. "Did you sleep well?" she asked Kate and Charity, plopping in between them.

"It was alright," Kate answered. "How were your rounds?"

"Not bad," Amelia said. "I got paired with that Hufflepuff bloke, Diggory. He's a decent bloke."

"Did he try to learn our quidditch secrets?" Charity asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"No, we kept it professional," Amelia promised. "He didn't even ask about personal things. We just talked about classes."

Oliver snuck up behind Amelia and grabbed her, eliciting a screech. "You are such an ass," she teased.

"Sorry, love, but I couldn't wait to wish you good morning," Oliver replied. "So, good morning."

"Good morning," Amelia answered.

Professor Dumbledore interrupted any other conversation that could have occurred between Oliver and Amelia when he returned to the Great Hall. He vanished all of the sleeping bags and returned the house tables to their normal places. Most students stuck around and had breakfast before returning to their dormitories. Amelia and Oliver were not an exception to that, opting to eat before doing anything else. "How were rounds?" Oliver asked when they were seated.

"They were fine," Amelia answered. "Percy kept me paired with Cedric since we worked out so well earlier."

"How was that?" Oliver asked, with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oliver, he was very pleasant," she promised. "He only asked about course work and my friends. We didn't discuss quidditch. Cedric's a decent bloke and he won't try to cheat to win. He's not a Slytherin."

"Thanks," Oliver replied, somewhat reassured. He knew that Cedric was one of the few people in the school that would never try to cheat to win a match. He also knew that he was probably trustworthy around Amelia, since there were rumors that he was dating another Hufflepuff girl in his year.

After breakfast, Oliver and Amelia joined their friends in returning to Gryffindor tower. When they arrived, Amelia went to leave, but Oliver pulled her aside. "What are your plans for the rest of the day?" he asked.

"I was going to shower and brush my teeth since I'm fairly sure I'm disgusting," she started. "Then, I had plans to do homework for a while. I've got a Potions essay due tomorrow that I have to finish."

"Fair enough," he replied. "But, when you're done, come down here and sit with me?"

"You're a silly sod," she teased. "Of course." And she did as promised. She went and got showered and changed. Then, she finished her Potions essay and even got a head start on the Transfiguration homework that was due that week. After finishing homework, she was hungry. She met Oliver in the common room and they went to the Great Hall for lunch together.

The next weekend, Gryffindor played Hufflepuff in the first Quidditch match of the season. Oliver became very stressed during the week, which led to Amelia ignoring him for a day until he apologized for snapping at her. On the day of the game, Amelia joined Kate and Charity in donning red and gold before heading down to the Quidditch pitch. She stole a moment with Oliver before the game started. "Good luck," she said, kissing his cheek.

"Cheers, love, and try to stay warm," he suggested.

"I'll try, but it's not looking good. After the game, you'll have to warm me up," she teased. She gave him another quick kiss and headed into the cold to join her friends. When the game ended in Hufflepuff victory, Amelia could see the sagging in Oliver's shoulders from the stands. She sent her friends back to Gryffindor tower while she waited for Oliver. He went into the changing rooms and did not emerge for over an hour. So, Amelia went in looking for him.

"Oliver?" she called. "Are you still in here?" There was no answer, so Amelia went further into the room. She noticed the door to an office slightly ajar; when she reached it, she pushed it open and found Oliver slumped over on his desk, playing with a miniature pitch and muttering to himself.

"Oliver," she said. "What are you doing?"

Oliver jumped when he heard her, startled. "You scared me, love," he scolded. "And I'm just reliving the horror of that game. Harry could have died."

"You know your team is upstairs, thinking that you're upset over losing," she said.

"I am, but what's worse is that a teammate was injured and could have been killed," he replied. "It would have been my fault."

"It wouldn't have been your fault," she promised. "It was the dementors. They prey on your worst memories and Harry has some really bad memories, even if they are fairly deep. You shouldn't beat yourself up. Now, come on. Let's go commiserate with the rest of your team."

"How did I get this lucky?" he asked. She gave him a quizzical look. "If this had happened last year, before I knew you, I would have spent the entire night and most of tomorrow wallowing in self pity in there. You made it all better, ducky."

"I highly doubt that, but thank you for the compliment," she said. "Now, let's go back to the common room and you can snog me until you're sure you're all better."

"Wouldn't it be better to snog here, where there aren't so many people?"

"That is a better idea," she answered. He closed the short distance between them and kissed her, softly. She kissed back, running her hands through his hair. He grasped her waist and lifted her up; she wrapped her legs around his waist. He backed them up so that she was against a wall without breaking the kiss. They kept kissing for as long as they dared, but finally, Amelia broke the kiss.

"Sorry, but we should really get back before we're caught out of bounds," she said, breathing rather heavily.

"Sure," he choked. "But perhaps you should comb your hair before we leave. You look as though you've been thoroughly snogged."

"I have been thoroughly snogged, and you should comb your hair too," she said, blushing. Oliver promised that she had nothing to blush about and produced a comb. They both combed through their hair before returning to Gryffindor tower.

When they entered, Fred and George were waiting. "And what took you so long after the game, Cap'n?" Fred teased.

"Was there an extra practice that we're not aware of?" George added.

"Bugger off, Weasleys," Oliver ordered. "We weren't doing anything." The twins were going to keep pestering Oliver until they saw the look Amelia was giving them. They decided to let them be as neither wanted a detention from her. The atmosphere, aside from the twins, in the Gryffindor common room was rather subdued. A victory would have meant a victory party, but with a loss, people were feeling less festive. So, Amelia and Oliver sat in a corner of the room and ignored the sympathetic looks everyone was sending at Oliver.

"You know, it's still mathematically possible for Gryffindor to win the cup," Amelia pointed out when Oliver started sulking again. He gave her a look, so she added, "You'll have to beat both Ravenclaw and Slytherin, and they'll each have to beat Hufflepuff, but it's possible."

Oliver looked at her, stunned, but did not speak. He found that he was rather speechless for a second. Then, he shook his head and kissed her, hard. She was shocked at first, but quickly recovered and kissed him back. They only stopped when they realized the entire house was chanting. Blushing, Amelia hid her head in Oliver's chest and he made a rude gesture at everyone. Kate and Charity smirked at the Weasley twins from across the room.

It was after midnight when Percy shooed almost everyone out of the common room. Oliver and Amelia had taken up residence on the sofa in front of the fire and she was snoozing against his chest. "Love, you've got to wake up," he said quietly.

"I don't want to," she mumbled.

"You should go to bed," he suggested. "It's late and you're sleeping and while I'm quite comfortable with our current arrangements, I don't think Professor McGonagall would approve."

"Mmmm," she whined. Finally, Oliver was able to wake her enough to get her to go to bed. She gave him a scathing look before ascending the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

The next morning, Amelia met Oliver at breakfast and he was brooding over his porridge. "Really, Ol, I told you last night you can still win the cup," she teased; Oliver didn't respond. He kept poring over a letter that he was holding and Amelia was going to say something further, but decided against it. Instead, she ate quickly and followed Oliver out of the Great Hall, catching him in the hallway.

"Oliver!" she called. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," he answered. "Sorry. I just got a letter from my parents."

"What did they have to say that has given you fits of the sullens?" she joked.

"They like to try to talk me out of playing quidditch," he replied. Amelia took his hand and led him out onto the grounds for a walk. "They don't seem to get that I'll be miserable doing anything else. That, and they want to meet you since I now have a girlfriend."

"You told them about me?"

"Of course," he said. "I tell them about everything that matters and you matter quite a lot to me." Amelia smiled and blushed slightly.

"Thanks," she answered. "I don't think anyone I've dated has ever said that about me. Now, what will we do about your parents?"

"Well, as much as they don't like the idea of me playing professional quidditch, they're at least supportive of whatever I choose to do," he started. "As for them meeting you, I thought perhaps you could come for part of the Christmas holiday."

"I'll write my parents and ask permission, but I'm not sure they'll let me go to Scotland to see a boy," she said. "They're rather over-protective." After walking around the grounds, they returned to Gryffindor tower where Amelia worked on writing a letter to her parents.