Oliver slept in until 8 a.m. the following morning, relieved for an off-day following the previous night's match. His shoulder was sore from a hard hit he'd taken from a Chaser during the match, and he decided to take it easy that day to recover.

As Oliver made himself a plate of eggs, he mulled over the match and certain points of improvement, but his thoughts quickly shifted to the personal details Katie had shared with him last night.

Oliver felt bad for having known Katie for a decade without being aware of her subpar home life. She had never spoken much of her parents, but Oliver had always assumed that meant they were just an average family.

Oliver thought about the times he had visited Katie when she was in St. Mungo's following the cursed necklace. He had never encountered any of her relatives, just her friends. Now, he realized how abnormal that was and felt guilty for not taking notice.

Did Angelina and George know about Katie's upbringing? Surely, Alicia knew – she was Katie's closest friend and roommate. What else didn't he know about Katie?

He knew she was incredibly smart with a snarky tongue. The incident with the necklace had changed her, leading her to become more daring and impulsive. Still, she had a good head on her shoulders and was a fiercely loyal friend. Most of all, Katie was kind and caring, though Oliver couldn't help but sense that she was afraid to show it. She also seemed to go on a lot of dates, but Oliver couldn't remember the last time she'd been in a serious relationship. She'd had a few boyfriends in the years he'd known her, but they never seemed to last more than a few months.

Now, her guarded approach made sense to Oliver. Her parents had essentially abandoned her, so it was no wonder she didn't get close to many people.

As Oliver continued to dwell on Katie's past, a tapping at his window grabbed his attention. Angelina's owl, Amethyst, was peering in at him and Oliver let the sandy brown bird inside.

Wood – we're all going out tonight for dinner and drinks. How's The Olive Branch sound? 7 p.m. It would be wise of you to pick up Katie on your way.

Cheers,

Angelina

Oliver scribbled a quick confirmation to Angelina before plating his eggs. As he ate, he couldn't help but wonder why Katie had agreed to their fake relationship. He knew she was incredibly ambitious, with dreams of running her department at the Ministry someday. Perhaps she really did want his recommendation when it came time for promotion, but she didn't really need it. She was doing well on her own.

Whatever her reasons, Oliver was grateful someone like Katie was willing to spend her spare time with him. Their friendship, though not extremely close, was important to him, and she was certainly someone he wanted in his life.

A few neighborhoods away, Alicia let out a triumphant "Whoop!" as she scrambled to Katie's room to show her the morning's Daily Prophet.

"Look!" Alicia squealed. "You're front page-famous!"

Katie caught the paper Alicia had tossed and blinked at the moving image of Oliver tossing his arm around her shoulder.

Oliver Wood, starting Keeper for Puddlemere United, celebrated the team's 270-60 victory over Wigtown with new flame Katie Bell last night. The pair was seen leaving Puddlemere Stadium with Angelina and George Weasley following the match. Sources tell The Daily Prophet that Bell and Wood met during their school years at Hogwarts and recently rekindled a romance. Bell, 22, works for the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Games and Sports. The Prophet is working to learn more.

"They finally figured it out," Katie mumbled. "I'm no longer the mysterious, unidentified woman. But we aren't rekindling a romance!"

"But you two look so cute together!" Alicia clapped.

Katie rolled her eyes dramatically. "You aren't going to act like this when we go out tonight, are you?"

"I have to," Alicia answered matter-of-factly. "Lee has the night off and is joining us. Unless you want him to find out about the charade, you and Wood are going to have to lay it on thick."

Katie was about to groan and chuck the paper at Alicia's head when she suddenly remembered the discussion she and Oliver had the previous night. They should be having fun with their little arrangement. It shouldn't be a burden to her; it should be an opportunity to experience the spotlight and take a break from dating men who weren't worth her time anyway.

"So, what should I wear? Help me put an outfit together in case The Prophet sneaks another picture of me tonight," Katie said.

Alicia's eyes widened as if Katie had just declared she and Oliver were getting married. "Really?" Alicia squealed.

"Only if you promise to stop squealing."

Hours later, Oliver found himself knocking on Katie and Alicia's door with 20 minutes until their dinner reservation.

"Wood!" Oliver was greeted at the door by Lee Jordan, who motioned him inside. "Long time, no see. Congrats on that win over Wigtown. I thought their rookie Beater would give you lads fits, but you made him look relatively unremarkable."

"Thanks," Oliver said, relieved to see Lee. "You didn't have to work tonight?"

"Nah, they're training some new folks and decided to give me the evening off," Lee answered. "But enough about work. Let's address the hippogriff in the room. You and Katie, eh?"

"Oh. Er, yeah," Oliver said stupidly. "Yeah, I guess so."

"What do you mean, you guess so?" Lee grinned. "Mate, no one's been able to bag Katie. I get that you're a professional athlete with women hurling themselves at you, but damn. You did good for yourself. I didn't know you fancied her."

"Oh, well I guess I didn't know it either," Oliver said, hoping he could improvise a convincing story. "I mean, I always thought she was fit, but I didn't think we'd ever be more than friends."

"I never envisioned you two as more than friends either, but hey, it makes sense," Lee said with a shrug.

"What makes sense?" Oliver and Lee turned to see Katie sauntering into the room.

"Oh, er, that final scoring play against Wigtown," Oliver said casually. "It made sense to fake out the left wing."

"Hmm, I still think you should've tried to draw the center Chaser offside," Katie mused with a shrug. "But clearly it all worked out in the end."

"Is this really what your relationship is like?" Lee laughed. "Debating quidditch tactics?"

Katie, remembering her vow to have fun, offered a coy shrug. Oliver, however, couldn't help but think that Katie was right.

"You do have a point," he pondered. "Drawing the center Chaser offside would have bought even more time for our Seeker." He was tugged from his quidditch musings as Katie slipped her arms around his torso. She flashed him a tiny wink and smiled at Lee.

"See," she teased. "Clearly I'm the true mastermind behind Puddlemere's success."

Lee shook his head. "You two are already something else," he chuckled. "I hope you don't discuss quidditch tactics in the bedroom."

Katie hoped her cheeks weren't turning red, but Oliver swept in to divert Lee's attention. "No, that's where we practice flying positions."

Katie snorted and Lee made a face. "I suppose I walked into that," he mumbled as he turned to peek down the hallway toward Alicia's bedroom.

"Oi! Alicia! Let's go!"

"Oi! Lee! Shut your trap!"

Oliver glanced at Katie, who shrugged. "I guess that's what we have to look forward to," she quipped.

The two couples joked and laughed their way amid a 20-minute walk to The Olive Branch, where George and Angelina were already waiting.

"You're late," Angelina pointed out as the group slid into the booth.

"Blame Alicia," Lee said.

Angelina directed her attention to Katie and rose an eyebrow. "Katie, you look rather nice tonight."

"Blame me!" Alicia said excitedly. "Katie let me do her makeup and pick out her outfit."

"Don't I look rather nice every night?" Katie demanded.

"Of course you do, love. I just meant that you look particularly nice tonight. It's as if you had a reason to dress up," Angelina said, batting her eyelashes innocently.

Katie rolled her eyes in return and started scanning the menu.

"You lovebirds looked awfully cute in The Prophet," George said in a tone that mirrored Angelina's.

"You need to stop reading The Prophet," Oliver said bluntly.

"But how else can I gaze at that handsome face of yours?"

Oliver chose to ignore George and pivoted his attention to Katie, who still had her nose in the menu.

"Are you coming to my match Thursday?" he asked her.

Katie looked up at him, slightly puzzled. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Just checking," Oliver said with a shrug. "I think the team is going out afterward, if the match doesn't go on too long. We're playing the Cannons, so it shouldn't. Do you want to come with us?"

"Will your teammates mind?"

"Nah, they always let their lasses tag along too."

"George and I are going," Angelina added.

Katie didn't know why she felt hesitant to hang out with Oliver's teammates. They all seemed nice enough, but it was intimidating to hang around pro athletes. Hanging around Oliver was different because she'd known him for years.

"Of course, Katie will go," Alicia interjected cheerily.

The entire table seemed to be looking at Katie, so she shrugged and managed her best to appear unbothered. "Okay, sure. I'll go."

"Brilliant. They'll be excited to meet you," Oliver said.

"You haven't met Oliver's teammates yet?" Lee asked, looking puzzled. "Haven't you two been dating for weeks now?"

"Do you want us to get married and pop out a few kids too?" Katie sneered. "Merlin, Lee, what if we're just taking things slow?"

"Fair enough," Lee chuckled. He rose to his feet to head to the bar to order a round of drinks and Angelina seized the opportunity to narrow her eyes at Katie and Oliver.

"You two aren't being very convincing," she hissed. "You look more like siblings than you do a couple."

Katie made a face. "Angie, we're doing fine. No one is expecting us to strip down and start going at it on the table here."

"I'd watch," George piped up.

Angelina ignored him and sighed dramatically. "Really, you two," she continued. "You're the Wizarding World's hot new couple. At least try to act like it."

"Oh, no way!" a voice shrieked. The group collectively jumped and turned toward the source. A pair of women, likely in their early 20s, was gaping at them. "It's really Oliver Wood!" a brunette squealed.

Angelina muttered something unsavory under her breath.

"Oliver, do you want to sit with us?" the other woman, who was blonde, asked. "We promise we don't bite."

"Er, no thank you," Oliver said as politely as possible. "I'm just enjoying dinner with my friends… and girlfriend."

"Oh! I didn't even see you there!" the brunette exclaimed as she smiled sweetly at Katie. "So it is true, you really do have a girlfriend."

"Indeed, he does," Katie said tersely. "So it looks like you two should probably get lost."

"That's all right, we don't mind sharing," the brunette giggled.

"Well I do mind," Katie snapped.

The blonde gasped. "So rude!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe Oliver Wood would date someone so nasty."

Katie hit her with the Melofors jinx. A loud pop echoed across the bar and the blonde screeched as her head became trapped inside a giant pumpkin.

The group roared with laughter and the brunette woman hurriedly steered her friend toward the entrance, only to cause another scene when the blonde's pumpkin head was too big to fit through the door.

"Brilliant, Katie, brilliant!" George declared, pretending to bow.

"Serves her right," Katie shrugged.

"Wow, Katie!" Lee exclaimed as he levitated a round of drinks on the table. "Now I know not to cross you… or flirt with Wood."

Katie shifted her gaze to Oliver, who was still gaping in astonishment. She lifted her cocktail class at him and smiled.

"Here's hoping the fangirls stay away now."