Two weeks passed before Katie and Oliver received any attention as a "couple." They went on three more "dates" and found that pretending to be a couple wasn't as difficult as they'd feared. They mostly talked about quidditch, which made them both feel at ease.
Katie enjoyed Oliver's company, and Oliver seemed to be at ease with Katie's.
Despite the unrelenting stares she received from other women in public, Katie was growing more acclimated to the attention. The entire arrangement seemed less ludicrous to her, until match day arrived.
Katie was catching up on sleep on a cool Saturday morning when Alicia poked her head in.
"Katie!" she hissed. "Are you awake?"
"I am now," Katie grumbled. It was half past nine, typically a bit late for Katie to be sleeping, but she'd spent the previous evening out with Oliver and the pair had stayed out late for drinks at a pub.
"Look!" Alicia squealed, tossing The Daily Prophet at Katie. The paper landed on Katie's stomach and she grunted. "Page six."
Katie sighed and sat up to flip through the paper. When she reached page six, she blinked. There she was, leaving the pub with Oliver in a photo someone must have snapped from an alleyway.
"I really should get a haircut," Katie mumbled.
"Is that really your first thought?" Alicia chided. "Katie, you're in the paper with Oliver Wood!"
"I see that," Katie murmured as she read the photo cutline.
Oliver Wood, starting Keeper for Puddlemere United, was spotted leaving The Blackfriar with an unidentified woman Friday night. Sources say the two have been seen together on at least two other occasions. The Daily Prophet is working to learn more.
"Unidentified woman my arse," Katie pretended to grumble.
"They'll figure out your name soon enough. But aren't you excited?"
"Excited?" Katie tossed the paper toward the foot of her bed. "Alicia, need I remind you this relationship isn't real?"
"Still, you're being photographed with a pro quidditch player! You're practically famous!"
"A practically famous 'unidentified woman,'" Katie noted. She arched her back in a stretch as she mulled over what she wanted for breakfast. "Honestly, Alicia, it's no big deal. This is exactly what Oliver planned for."
"I think it's cute," Alicia replied with a shrug. "You two do look great together."
A knock from the front door stole Alicia's attention and she disappeared from the room to greet the visitor. Katie yawned and reached for a sweatshirt to pull on over her t-shirt. She didn't regret staying out late with Oliver, as she'd enjoyed their conversation at the pub the previous night, but she wondered if staying out for dinner and drinks was going to be the new normal for her. Sure, she stayed out late on plenty of occasions, particularly when she was meeting men, but the charade of her relationship with Oliver was a lot of work.
"There she is!" a voice sang from the doorway.
George Weasley moseyed his way into the room and threw himself onto Katie's bed.
"Oi! Angelina's going to hex us both," Katie shouted as George cozied under the covers.
"Only if I can't join," Angelina answered from the doorway. The tall, dark-skinned girl climbed onto the bed and grinned at her friend.
"What are you two doing here?" Katie whined.
"We heard you had a late night with a certain Keeper," Angelina said matter-of-factly.
"And?"
"And, we're patiently awaiting all the details." Angelina batted her eyelashes innocently.
"Don't be ridiculous, nothing happened," Katie said. "Just like nothing happened during our previous dates, and just like nothing will ever happen, because none of this is real."
"But you're Prophet-official now," George pointed out.
"The Prophet doesn't even know my name," Katie said with an eye roll.
"I bet they will after this evening's match," Angelina said gleefully. "You are still coming, right?"
"Of course."
"And now you get to sit in the box among the important people," George added.
Katie blinked. It hadn't dawned on her that now she'd be allowed to sit in the private box, reserved for the players' significant others and family at Puddlemere Stadium. She'd always sat in the stands among the other fans when attending matches, not that she minded.
"I didn't even think of that," Katie admitted. "George, now we can raise all kinds of hell together!"
"Don't you dare," Angelina warned. "Especially you," she continued, raising her eyebrows at Katie. "The fans and media are used to George's shenanigans, but you're Oliver Wood's new girlfriend."
"You can't really be embarrassed by me already," Katie said indignantly.
"Not at all. I just know how these things go. All eyes are going to be on you tonight, Katie. Everyone wants to know who Oliver's new girlfriend is," Angelina noted.
"What are you wearing?" Alicia's voice suddenly chimed in from the doorway.
"Oh no," Katie groaned. "I am not getting all dolled for a quidditch match. That's ridiculous."
"It's not like you're playing in the match," Alicia argued. "Katie, Angie's right – everyone is going to be looking at you. You have to look the part."
"The part?"
"You're a quidditch girlfriend now," George said smartly. "You're practically royalty."
"Oh, come on," Katie snorted. "It's not that big a deal. No one's going to care if I wear my usual jeans and jersey."
"You aren't wearing that jersey," Angelina said firmly.
"What? Why not?" Katie demanded. She'd always worn a jersey with Angelina's last name and number on the back.
"Katie," Angelina sighed in exasperation. "As much as I love a hot little lass like yourself wearing my jersey, you're Wood's girlfriend now. You need to wear his jersey."
"But I don't have one-" Katie was cut off by Angelina's signature smirk.
"Accio handbag," Angelina declared. Her black purse came zipping through the door, narrowly missing Alicia's head. Angelina caught the bag and began rummaging through it before she brandished a ball of navy blue fabric. "Ta-da!"
Angelina unfolded the jersey and revealed the back, which displayed "WOOD" and the number 7.
"You didn't actually buy that, did you?" Katie asked with narrowed eyes.
"Of course not. I nicked it from Wood's locker. It's a real, game-worn jersey, not one of those cheap knock-offs," Angelina declared proudly.
"This is ridiculous," Katie sighed. "This jersey is too big anyway. In case you haven't noticed, Oliver's-"
"Hot and muscle-y?" Angelina cut in, eliciting a "Hey!" from George.
"Yes, Oliver has more muscle mass than me," Katie continued carefully. Of course, she thought Oliver was hot, but she knew acknowledging that would simply encourage her friends.
"Not to worry," Alicia said, scurrying forward to take the jersey. "I know a shrinking charm that will make this fit like a glove. Your curves will never look better."
Meanwhile, Oliver had also become the subject of chatter around the Puddlemere United locker room.
"Oi! Wood!" Kieran Winthrop, one of the team's Chasers, elbowed Oliver in the side as he rummaged through his locker for his knee guards. "Who's the new girl?"
"Huh?"
"The girl in the Prophet with you," Kieran continued. "Who is she? She's right fit. Where'd you find her?"
"Oh, er, that's Katie. I've known her since my Hogwarts days," Oliver answered. He hadn't told any of his teammates he was seeing Katie. He wanted them to know but he also hadn't been sure how to tell them, considering their relationship was a charade.
"Didn't know Hogwarts made 'em like that," Kieran grinned. "Nice work."
"Oh, er, yeah, she's great," Oliver said. It suddenly dawned on him that he needed to be a little more convincing than that. "I guess I always fancied her a bit and finally decided to make a move."
"Yes, well, don't keep any more of those fit Hogwarts girls to yourself, mate," Kieran said. "If you know any others, bring them around."
"Oliver Wood secures another spectacular save to preserve the Puddlemere lead!"
The crowd went wild and George let out a whoop while Katie clapped wildly. She had to admit, she was enjoying herself at the match. The private box was much nicer than the stands and it was helpful to have George's company. Alicia and Lee often had to work in the evenings, leaving Katie to attend matches alone.
The other players' wives, girlfriends and family members had welcomed Katie with kindness and sympathy, as some acknowledged the inevitable attention Katie would receive.
"Not bad, eh?" George said as play resumed.
"Not bad at all," Katie answered, reaching for a sip of her beer.
"Looks like you have fans, too." George motioned to a group of fans sitting in a section of the stands to the left of the box. Half of them were turned away from the action trying to catch a glimpse of Katie instead.
Katie rolled her eyes and fought to keep her focus on the match. She felt silly for allowing the other fans to make her feel self-conscious. After all, she was the one who had agreed to all of this to begin with. None of this was real, she reminded herself, and therefore she shouldn't care what strangers thought of her.
Puddlemere's Seeker dipped into a sudden dive, stealing Katie's attention from her anxious thoughts. The next thing she knew, George was tugging on her sleeve, ordering her to move as the Puddlemere crowd erupted.
"We've got to get down to the family area to wait for Angie and Wood," he explained as the Puddlemere crowd continued to cheer amid the victory. "If we don't go now, we'll be stuck in the crowd for a good hour." He turned slightly to glance downward at Katie. "Now the show really begins."