Chapter 17
Amelia woke to laughter and deeper voices than she was used to. It took her a moment to remember that she had fallen asleep in bed with Oliver and that they were in the boys' dormitories. She opened her eyes and noticed that the Weasley twins had opened the curtains and were laughing at her and Oliver. "Shut it, you lot, or I'll put you in detention," she warned.
"No you won't," George retorted. "Or, we'll tell Minnie where you spent the night last night."
"Bugger," Oliver groaned. "What time is it?"
"Nearly 11," Lee piped in from behind Fred. "You lot have missed breakfast."
"And I've over-stayed my welcome," Oliver finished.
Oliver got up and pulled Amelia out of bed. "Go and get a bag together for the week while I shower and get dressed." She nodded and trotted off to the girls' dormitory. In her dorm, Amelia put her presents from her friends into a bag, along with clothes and anything else she thought she might need for the rest of the week.
"What are you doing?" Kate asked.
"Packing," Amelia answered. Charity and Kate gave her a look and blocked the door. "Fine. Oliver and I fought, then sort of made up, last night. I fell asleep with him and woke up just now. And he invited me to stay with him in Puddlemere for the rest of the holidays. I'm going, if McGonagall will let me, for the rest of the holidays."
Kate and Charity squealed with delight and offered hugs, and some advice, before finally releasing Amelia to the common room. Oliver was waiting when she arrived. She took his out-stretched hand and followed him out of Gryffindor Tower and into the castle. They found Professor McGonagall, and Professor Dumbledore, in the Great Hall. They explained that they had been up very late and over-slept, which was why Oliver was still in the castle after noon. Then, Amelia asked permission to leave the campus for the rest of the holidays.
"Be sure to return before classes begin on January 2," Professor Dumbledore ordered. She promised to return on time and left with Oliver. Once they left the gates, Oliver grabbed her hand and apparated them to his parents' house in East Kilbride.
"Mum! Dad!" he called. "I'm home!"
"Happy Christmas, son," Edward answered. "We're in the den."
Oliver and Amelia wandered into the den, holding hands. "I was going to ask how the ball was, but I'm guessing it went well?" Jane teased.
"The ball was a bust, but after was rather…" Oliver started.
"Enlightening," Amelia finished. "Happy Christmas, Mr. and Mrs. Wood."
"Dear, call me Jane," Jane insisted. "Do your parents know you're not at school?"
"Not entirely," Amelia admitted.
"Mum, don't give her a hard time," Oliver begged. "We need this." Jane nodded and let Oliver and Amelia put their bags away before they opened presents. When they returned to the den, they opened presents and then had tea. After tea, Oliver and Amelia played chess while they listened to the wireless. After several hours, however, they went to bed.
"You alright?" Oliver asked after kissing Amelia good night.
"Yes," she replied. "I remember where everything is."
"They probably wouldn't mind if you were in with me," he suggested.
"I don't want to give them a reason to call my parents," she answered. "It's just for 1 night and then we're in your flat." Oliver nodded, kissed her forehead, and went to bed.
The next morning, Amelia woke early, but lounged in bed until Oliver came to get her. "I'm going for a run before we leave," he said.
"Can I come with you?"
"Of course. I'll just give you a few minutes to get dressed and meet you downstairs?" he offered.
"That would be great," she replied. She changed quickly into her favorite running outfit and brushed her teeth. Finally, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and bounded down the stairs to meet Oliver.
They set out into the chilly December air and ran for nearly an hour. Several times, they made a game and did sprint races. A few times, Amelia won and a few times, Oliver won. They returned to his parents' house after their run and Oliver forced Amelia into the shower first. "I don't want you to get sick, love," he said.
"What about you?" she countered.
"I'll be fine, but the longer we argue, the more likely it is that we'll both get sick," he reasoned. She sighed, but trotted up the stairs to shower and change into warm, dry clothes. While she showered, Oliver had breakfast with his mother, who teased him mercilessly about Amelia. He took it with a smile.
"Be careful, Mum," he joked. "She could be your daughter-in-law one day." Jane gave him a look, but didn't say anything further. Amelia entered the kitchen, shortly after the comment and sent Oliver to get showered and changed.
"Thank you for the gift," Amelia said to Jane. Jane had bought Amelia a lovely jewelry box. "It was very thoughtful."
"You're most welcome, dear," Jane replied. "And thank you for the gifts. Edward especially loved the Gryffindor scarf. I think he's reliving his glory days of Hogwarts." Amelia smiled and sat quietly over her porridge.
"Is everything alright, dear?" Jane asked after several minutes of silence from Amelia and noticing the distant look in the young girl's eyes.
"I hope so," Amelia answered. She wouldn't have said anything further, but Jane insisted. "The distance has been a bit rough."
"I'm sorry to hear that, dear," Jane said. "What does Oliver think about it?" Jane was a little surprised given that Oliver had said he was considering marrying Amelia.
"It's tough for him, too," Amelia answered. "That's why I came home with him for the week. We need the time to us."
"Are you ready?" Oliver asked, startling Amelia.
"Yeah," she answered.
They grabbed their bags, held hands, and apparated to Oliver's flat in Puddlemere. When they arrived, seconds later, they stowed their bags in Oliver's bedroom. He turned to her and asked, "What would you like to do now?"
"What is there to do around here?"
"Usually, I'm at the stadium for practice, or reading. It's not exciting, but it's my life when you're not around," he said. "If you were at Hogwarts, what would you be doing now?"
"Probably watching the snow fall from my dormitory," she replied. "Kate and Charity would be off snogging their boyfriends and I'd be alone."
"You could snog your boyfriend," he offered, with a smirk. She smiled and sat on Oliver's bed next to him. He leaned over and kissed her. He laid them back on his bed and snaked his hand under her shirt to play with her breasts. He tugged her shirt up and pulled it over her head. He pulled his own shirt off and tossed both shirts across the room. He kissed at her neck and chest. He pulled off her trousers and, while she had reservations about sex, Amelia didn't stop Oliver when he pulled off his own trousers and tossed them aside. She didn't stop him when he drew his wand and cast a contraceptive charm, and she didn't stop him when he made love to her.
It wasn't until an hour later when she woke in Oliver's bed and he was snoring beside her that she fully regretted that she had slept with him in the first place. She wiggled out of his grasp and pulled on his discarded shirt, since it was the closest article of clothing to her; then she found her knickers and pulled them on. She went to the sitting room and sat in a chair by the window, watching a light snowfall.
Oliver woke not long after Amelia got up. He pulled on his trousers and went to the sitting room, finding her in the chair, staring out at the snow. "Something's broken, isn't it?" he asked, startling her.
"That's the second time you've startled me today," she accused.
"And you didn't answer my question," he countered.
"I don't know," she said. "I wish it wasn't." She brushed a tear off her cheek, and returned to staring out the window. Oliver took a seat on his sofa and put his head in his hands.
"Do you regret it?" he asked, voice choking with emotion.
"I don't regret a single moment I've spent with you, Oliver," she promised. She crossed over and sat with him on the sofa. She shivered, so he pulled a quilt off the back of the sofa and put it around her shoulders.
"What happens now?" he asked after a long silence.
"I don't know," she answered. "I could go back to Hogwarts if you want."
"Stay," he begged. "At least, stay for tonight. If you want, you can go back tomorrow, but I'd really like you to stay until New Year's." She nodded. He leaned back on the sofa and she curled up next to him.
"What do you suppose happened?" she asked.
"We grew apart," he replied, gently stroking her arm. "Neither of us wanted it to happen, but it did."
"It's been so awkward, hasn't it? The last few days?" she said, no longer trying to hide her tears.
"Yeah," he breathed. "I didn't want it to be." He no longer tried not to cry.
They sat on the sofa for hours, finally falling asleep. When they woke, Oliver suggested getting something to eat. "I don't have food in the house, though," he said. "I'm going to have to take you out."
"Sure, but we should probably both put more clothes on," she teased, and he laughed. "It's true. You've got no shirt and I've got no trousers."
"Then we'll be very cold if we don't each put more clothes on," he joked. "Come on. Let's go." He jumped off the sofa, sending her tumbling to the floor, and causing him to laugh even harder. She tried to look angry, but eventually succumbed to laughter.
They managed to get dressed and Oliver took her hand and led her to the street. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"There's a decent pub around the corner," he answered. She nodded and followed him down the street and into the pub. They took a seat in a booth and each ordered fish and chips and a beer. They sat in silence while they waited. Once their food was delivered, they ate quickly. Oliver paid the bill and they left.
"Can we just take a walk?" Amelia asked as they neared Oliver's flat.
"Of course," Oliver answered. They wandered around for several minutes in nearly total silence.
"I'm scared, Ol," Amelia finally said.
"What are you scared of?" he asked.
"It's hard to explain," she answered. "I just… I don't know." They had stopped at a park near Oliver's flat and taken seats on benches (which Oliver had cleared with his wand). Oliver put his arm around Amelia's shoulder and pulled her to his side.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" She nodded.
"What if I'm not sure about being a healer?" she asked. "What if I'm bad at it or I just don't like it?"
"You don't have to be a healer," he said, plainly.
"Then what should I be? I have no idea what I want to do with my life," she cried. "I just wish I knew."
"This isn't like you," he reasoned. "What is really going on?"
"I know it's not like me but I don't know what's going on either," she answered. "Can we go back to yours now?" Oliver nodded, stood, and offered her a hand. Then, he helped her up and led her back to his flat.
"Sleeping arrangements," he said when they got inside. "You can have my bed and if you want, I'll take the sofa."
"I don't think I want to sleep alone tonight," she said, sadly. He nodded and they changed into pajamas and climbed into his bed. However, neither was able to sleep.
After an hour, Oliver whispered, "Are you awake?"
"Yeah," she answered. "I can't sleep. You?"
"Same," he replied. He rolled onto his side so that he was facing her and she mimicked his movements. "I don't want you to leave until the end of your break."
"Okay," she said. She had been hoping that he would say that because she knew that she would get back to school and be ignored by Kate and Charity as they pursued their boyfriends. She also knew that she wanted to spend as much time with Oliver as possible before their relationship ended.
"That was too easy," he accused. "What has you so upset?"
"It's nothing," she protested, but Oliver refused to let her off that easy and insisted that she spill. "It's just that I've been really lonely this year. Kate and Charity have boyfriends and they're always out snogging them or shagging them, leaving me alone most of the time. I think that's one of the reasons I've been so annoyed at the whole distance thing, because if you were there, I wouldn't be alone."
Oliver rubbed her arm gently. "I'm sorry I can't be there every day, love," he promised. "I really want to be and as much as the distance sucks and things seem broken right now, I don't want us to end. Please, while you're here, just give it some thought?"
"Sure," she promised. "But, I don't want you to miss out on having a life because of me. You should be out with your friends, flirting with girls who toss their knickers at you."
"I don't want to flirt with girls, especially not the ones who toss their knickers at me," he said, truthfully. "You're the only girl I want to flirt with." Amelia, in a moment of levity, took her pillow and smacked Oliver in the head. "Hey!" he shouted. "What was that?" She did it again. Then, he got in and smacked her with his pillow.
Their pillow fight soon turned to a wrestling match which ended when Oliver pinned Amelia to the bed. They were both breathing heavily and unsure of what to do. Oliver waited because he didn't want to make the first move. Amelia considered everything very quickly and realized that, in spite of everything, she really loved Oliver. "I love you," she whispered, caressing his face.
"I love you, too," he replied, still holding himself above her. She pulled his head down and kissed him. He didn't need encouragement to kiss back and they sunk into it.
After several minutes of heated snogging, Oliver pulled back. "Perhaps we should stop," he suggested.
"Why should we stop?" she protested.
"After this afternoon, I'm not sure we should go any further," he answered, truthfully. She mulled it over and silently agreed that stopping was probably for the best. She snuggled into Oliver and went to sleep.
The next day Amelia woke alone, but found Oliver in the kitchen. "I'm trying to make you breakfast," he said. She laughed because he had flour in his hair and batter on his nose. "What's so funny?"
"You've got flour in your hair and batter on your nose," she giggled. "It's really quite fetching." He made to wipe it off, but Amelia stepped in and kissed the batter off his nose. "So, about this breakfast," she said, swiping the bowl from Oliver's hand. "It looks as though you could use some help."
Amelia took the bowl and spoon from Oliver and set to finishing breakfast. She noticed that it appeared as though Oliver had gone shopping very early. "Did you go to market this morning?" she asked.
"Yeah," Oliver answered. "I didn't have any food in the house worth eating, so I got up early and snuck out. Then, I was getting ready to cook when you got up."
"Have you ever made pancakes before?" she teased.
"Yes," he answered, smugly. She swatted at him with a spatula while she poured the batter into a skillet.
"Were you successful?"
"No," he admitted. "The last time I made pancakes was a total disaster, but in all fairness, I was only 7."
She laughed and said, "What did your parents do?"
"They took away my broom rights for a day, but since it was for mum's birthday, they weren't too hard on me," he promised.
After breakfast, Amelia showered and changed into clothes and then insisted that Oliver take her to London for a bit. "We spent most of yesterday holed up in here. I think we should do something fun." Oliver agreed and they went and spent most of the day in London. They returned after dinner and snuggled on the sofa for several hours before going to bed.
The rest of the days were spent in much the same fashion. On New Year's Eve, Amelia and Oliver went to the pub for a party, where they met some of Oliver's teammates. He introduced Amelia to everyone as his "love."
"She's pretty, Oliver," said Summer Staunton, one of the Puddlemere reserve chasers.
"I've noticed," Oliver replied. Amelia snuggled into Oliver's side, feeling terribly shy around his entire team. Eventually, she warmed up to them and learned that they were all really cool. In fact, she was sure that if she knew some of them, Summer in particular, when they were at Hogwarts, they would have been friends.
There were drinks, and a band playing. Amelia was even able to get Oliver to dance with her. At midnight, Oliver turned to Amelia and kissed her soundly. "Happy New Year, babe," he whispered when they broke apart.
"Can we go home now?" she asked. "It's just that since it's my last night, I want it to be special."
"Let's go," Oliver said. They bade goodbye to the rest of the crowd that had gathered and left the bar. In the alley, Oliver apparated them directly to his flat.
Once they were alone, Amelia kissed Oliver soundly and tugged on his shirt. He paused, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, now shut up and kiss me," she ordered. Oliver laughed, but complied; she finished removing his shirt and he pulled hers over her head. They were tossed somewhere in the hallway as they stumbled towards Oliver's bedroom. Their shoes and pants soon followed, again being tossed in the hallway as they continued their journey to the bedroom.
An hour later, Amelia and Oliver were spent and sweaty, curled up in his bed. "I'm going to miss you tomorrow," he said sadly, kissing her shoulder.
"Me too," she replied. "But, the good news is that it's your off season and we will have a Hogsmeade weekend in 2 weeks. Then, there'll be the Valentine's weekend in February, and in April, I'll be here for the entire break. I'm not even bothering with the train. I'll just apparate from Hogsmeade."
"You're very smart," he teased.
"I know," she said. "The hat considered placing me in Ravenclaw."
"I'm glad it sent you to Gryffindor," he mused. "Otherwise, we might never have met."
Amelia smiled in the darkness, but snuggled closer to Oliver and sighed contentedly. She felt Oliver's smirk against her shoulder. "Love you," she whispered.
"Love you, too," he replied.