Katie froze. The room seemed to tilt as she came to terms with Oliver's words and realized she'd been holding her breath.
She exhaled slowly to maintain her composure. She almost said, "What?" but managed to stop herself. She didn't want Oliver to have to repeat such a gutting phrase. He had barely managed the words the first time.
Once the reality of Oliver's words registered with Katie, she was across the room in a split second, her arms finding their way around Oliver just as his knees buckled in grief. They sank to the floor, Katie holding Oliver against her chest.
The room became quiet, the laughter and buzzing sounds of George's birthday party suddenly in the distant past. Katie decided to say nothing for the moment. She respected and understood Oliver too much to whisper empty phrases of comfort and reassurance. No words could change the situation, nor would they trick Oliver into feeling anything but anguish.
Instead, Katie held Oliver, allowing him to feel every emotion with validity. She had a million questions but focused on suppressing the lump in her throat.
The flat was still, Katie's wine untouched and forgotten as she patiently hugged Oliver. The room felt void of any air as Katie's stomach turned. She swallowed hard in an attempt to quash her own grief. Silent tears welled in her eyes for Oliver, for Mr. Wood, for the family that had treated her with such warmth.
"Oliver, what happened?" she finally asked.
"His heart," was all Oliver could manage before he broke down again.
Minutes passed until Oliver suddenly scrambled to his feet, startling Katie.
"I've got to get home to Glasgow," Oliver said determinedly.
"I'll come with you," Katie said as she stood.
"You don't have to do that."
"I'm coming with you." It wasn't an ask, but a statement.
Oliver didn't respond. Though he was in no state of mind to be thinking about anything but his family, the notion of Katie's presence brought him a sense of comfort.
Oliver hovered in the middle of the living room for a moment, as if he'd forgotten what he needed to do. He stood, his shoulders slumped, and for a moment Katie worried he'd pass out.
"Oliver?" she offered gently. "Do you want me to pack a bag for you?" She was met with a silent nod before she disappeared hurriedly down the hallway.
Once alone inside Oliver's bedroom, Katie let the tears fall quietly. She sniffled as she fought to keep herself together and scuffled around the room gathering items to toss into an overnight bag for Oliver. She worked quickly, but her mind wandered as she did so.
How did this happen so suddenly? Oliver had just seen his father a week ago. Would the Wood family be OK? Poor Mrs. Wood would be alone now. What about Oliver? How would he handle the loss of his father on top of the stress of the looming quidditch playoffs?
After throwing an armful of clothes and items into the bag, Katie zipped it up and carried it to the living room, where Oliver remained in the middle of the room, seemingly lost in thought.
"Let's go down to the alley and apparate from there," Katie said gently when he didn't seem to notice she had returned. Oliver responded with a silent nod and followed Katie outside, in-between a pair of buildings across from his flat. Once sure no one else was around, Katie gently took Oliver's arm, the bag of clothes in her other hand. She glanced up at him, but his gaze remained blank.
Without another word, Oliver apparated to Glasgow.
They landed in the middle of the Wood family living room, which felt much different to Katie than the last time she visited. There were no flames crackling from the fireplace and the smell of dinner cooking from the kitchen was vacant.
Instead, Mrs. Wood sat crying at the dining table as Gretchen stood over her, tears also streaming down her face. Oliver made a beeline to them and Katie watched as the family embraced.
"Oh, Oliver!" Mrs. Wood sobbed.
Katie lingered in silence, suddenly feeling guilty for coming along. It felt wrong to watch the Wood family share such an intimate moment of sorrow. It was a private scene not meant for outsiders, and Katie felt like an intruder.
It wasn't until Gretchen noticed her that Katie realized she'd been holding her breath again.
"Oh, Katie, you came." Despite the anguish, there was kindness in her voice.
Katie nodded silently, her voice stuck somewhere in the back of her throat as she pleaded with her brain to produce the right words. "I- I'm so sorry," she managed quietly. "I'm here to help any way that I can."
Gretchen waved her over and Katie quickly embraced her as Mrs. Wood sobbed. The tears finally came. Katie let herself cry as she hugged Gretchen, the kitchen echoing with the sounds of their sorrow.
Oliver remained quiet and Katie turned to look at him, her eyes questioning if he was OK, but his gaze remained vacant. She decided against asking how he was feeling under the assumption he was grieving in his own way. Instead, the four held each other into the early hours of the morning in an effort to keep from falling apart.
Katie lay awake, the morning sunlight bleeding through the curtains. She hadn't slept, nor had Oliver, who had spent the early hours of the morning tossing and turning next to her. They didn't speak. Katie decided to let Oliver talk on his own terms.
Gretchen had given Mrs. Wood a sleeping potion before taking some herself shortly before 3 a.m. Katie felt exhausted, but her mind seemed to twist and tumble with concern.
By 8 a.m., Oliver finally seemed to doze off and Katie had a plan in mind on how she could help the Woods. She'd sent an owl to Alicia to explain why she wouldn't be home for a few days, and Alicia sent Katie some clothes and personal items.
Deciding to let Oliver sleep, Katie quietly changed clothes and let herself out of the Wood home.
The Woods had to make funeral arrangements that day, meaning they'd likely be too busy to concern themselves with meals. Katie walked to a grocery store, thankful for her familiarity with the muggle world. As she browsed the aisles, she scanned her brain for recipes she knew how to make with ease and confidence.
The store was quiet with just a few other early morning shoppers, and Katie was grateful there weren't many others around. She knew she looked terrible, her hair unbrushed and dark circles under her eyes. She also knew she may begin crying at any given moment. The mere thought of Mr. Wood resurrected a lump in her throat, but she was determined to be strong and helpful to the family.
Once Katie had gathered enough groceries for a few meals, she returned to the Wood home, where she found the family awake.
"Where've you been?" Oliver asked concernedly.
"I figured you all could use some help around the house," Katie said as she held up her shopping bags. "Figured I'd make good use of myself and do some cooking."
"You don't have to-"
"I want to," Katie cut him off. "Please."
The Woods spent the remainder of the day making funeral arrangements and reaching out to friends and relatives, so Katie busied herself in the kitchen. She wasn't sure the Woods would have much appetite given the state of things, so she started with a simple batch of muffins for breakfast.
For dinner, Katie made a puttanesca pasta recipe she had taught herself when she first moved in with Alicia. She was relieved when the family sat down to dinner, since she'd been unsure if they'd feel like eating. Mrs. Wood looked so tired and anguished, it caused a tight feeling in Katie's chest. But they enjoyed the meal and were appreciative for Katie, despite a lack of much conversation during the meal.
The next day, Katie repeated the routine, visiting the market early to buy ingredients. She also decided to help the Woods by tidying up the house, using a few spells she learned in Charms class to dust and sweep the floors before starting on dinner.
Oliver still didn't say much, something that Katie struggled with. She felt like she and Oliver had learned to open up to one another during the recent months, so his silence was frustrating, but she vowed to be respectful to his grieving process.
The night before the funeral, Katie found Oliver sitting in his room at the foot of bed, seemingly lost in thought.
"Hey," she said quietly.
Oliver looked up and offered her a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Hey."
"You okay?"
Oliver inhaled slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered. "I mean, as fine as I can be."
Katie nodded in understanding. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I don't know." Oliver motioned her to sit next to him and Katie obliged. "It's not that I don't want to talk about it, I think I'm just still processing it. I'm feeling better now than I did a few days ago, but the grief comes and goes. Sometimes I feel like everything's going to be all right, then I end up feeling like everything's unbearable again."
"I think that's the unfortunate pattern of grief," Katie said as she gently rested her head against Oliver's shoulder.
"I guess I haven't really had to grieve any losses since the Battle of Hogwarts."
"The grief process doesn't get easier, no matter how many times you go through it… especially a loss like this."
"I just… can't believe he's really gone."
Katie squeezed Oliver's hand. "I know," she said softly. "It's not fair. But he was so proud of you and he loved you so much."
"I just feel like I have so much left to accomplish, and I wish he could be here to see it all."
"He already knew you'd accomplish all of your dreams, Ol. He was your biggest fan."
"I just wish he'd be here to share that joy with me."
"I wish that for you, too. But I think seeing that you've turned into such a good person probably made him happier than everything else ever could," Katie noted.
Oliver turned to look at her, and for the first time in days, he offered a small smile. It was faint and his eyes still looked tired, but Katie knew it was there.
"When did you become so insightful?" he asked. Katie shrugged and Oliver draped an arm around her shoulders.
"Thank you for being here," he continued. "Really. I'm starting to feel like I'd be lost with you."
The funeral left Oliver feeling like he was trying to breathe underwater. His mother and sister couldn't stop crying, leaving him feeling like he needed to keep it together for their sake.
As guests lined up to share their condolences with the Woods, Katie hovered in the background until Oliver turned to catch her eye. Katie shot him a quizzical look and he motioned her over. They shared a glance and Oliver felt relieved by the sincerity in Katie's eyes. Without a word, he took her hand and gave it a squeeze, his silent way of asking her to stay by his side.
Katie did her best to smile politely as she was introduced to more of Oliver's relatives, though smiling felt like an excruciating task given the circumstances.
Finally, she was relieved to see some familiar faces as Alicia, Lee, George, Angelina and the rest of Oliver's teammates arrived. She also spotted Percy and Charlie Weasley, as well as a few of Oliver's roommates from Hogwarts.
"Katie," Alicia breathed as she pulled her friend into a hug. "How are you doing?"
"I'm okay," Katie said, though seeing her friends had hit her with a sudden bout of emotion. "It's just been a lot for everyone."
"How's Wood doing?" Angelina asked.
Katie sighed. "I think he's okay. He hasn't talked about it much. I think he's trying really hard to be strong for his mum and sister."
Angelina nodded, her eyes filled with concern. "I'm glad you're here with him. He's lucky to have you." There were no facetious implications behind her words; she was being sincere and Katie knew that. Regardless of her arrangement with Oliver, he needed a friend above all else.
Silent tears poured from Katie's eyes during the funeral ceremony, but she grit her teeth and maintained her composure. She stole sideways glances at Oliver, who sat stone-faced as he clutched her hand the entire time.
The family went straight home after the funeral tea. The day felt like an emotional gamut, full of sorrowful tears, fond memories and questions of uncertainty.
Gretchen and Mrs. Wood went straight to bed, with Oliver soon following. He and Katie had plans to return to London in the morning so that Oliver could resume training. Puddlemere United had a match in three days and Oliver had every intention of playing.
Katie almost suggested he take a few more days off and let one of the reserve Keepers step in for the match, but decided that quidditch would likely be a welcome distraction for Oliver. Quidditch was the closest thing to normalcy for him.
As the clock inched toward 1 a.m., Katie sighed and crept downstairs to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. She hoisted herself onto the counter to sit, her legs dangling over the edge.
She gazed quietly out the kitchen window, her thoughts lingering on the Wood family. Poor Mrs. Wood was struggling and Gretchen was barely holding herself together. Katie was relieved that the two wouldn't be alone after she and Oliver left, but worried for them. Life would be drastically different without Mr. Wood, and moving on still seemed out of reach.
The sound of footsteps creaking down the stairs pulled Katie from her thoughts and she watched as Oliver quietly entered the kitchen.
"Hey," she said softly.
"Hey."
Oliver crossed the room and stood next to Katie, his back leaning against the counter.
"You couldn't sleep either?" Katie asked. Oliver shook his head.
"I keep thinking about how I have to move on now," he said. "I just lost my dad and now I have to resume life without him."
Katie rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Moving on doesn't mean you're going to forget him," she offered. "You're always going to miss him, but carrying on with your life doesn't mean he'll no longer be a part of it."
"I guess I just don't know how to envision life without him, you know?" Oliver continued. "I always assumed he'd be a part of my future. I figured he'd be there to see how my career would play out. And I thought he'd be around to see me get married and start my own family and stuff. It hurts knowing he won't be there for any of that. Now, I just keep wondering what's next."
"He already knew your future's going to be amazing, Ol," Katie said. "You've already been so successful and you're just getting started. And you're such a good person, I'm sure he knew you'll meet someone lovely and have an incredible life with them."
Oliver pondered Katie's words in silence. Moonlight poured in through the window, illuminating specks of dust that floated in the air.
"Thank you for being here," Oliver finally said, turning to face Katie. "Really, I mean it. You've been such a big help these past few days. Mum and Gretchen appreciate it, too. It means a lot."
"Don't mention it."
"Really, though. Having you here has made this week a lot more bearable."
The kitchen fell still again as Oliver leaned in to kiss Katie softly. It was the first time they'd kissed in private, free from the charade for their friends and family, and without the prying eyes of fans or cameras.
Katie squeezed Oliver's hand before she slid off the counter to her feet to hug him around the waist.
"Feeling a bit better now?" she asked. Oliver nodded. "Good, now let's go get some sleep."