Gone

We lay together in the grass outside of the Wood's house. It was a cloudy summer day. His arm was about my waist, his head on my shoulder.

I had been invited over to spend a week of summer holiday with Oliver, to meet his family. I wasn't surprised to find out that his father, brother, and sister were also Quidditch fanatics.

His mother was a sweet, slight woman with a caring smile, much like Mrs. Weasley. She was one of the nicest women I'd known. I liked her better than I did my own mother.

So there we were, lying in a meadow staring up at the sky. It was my last day at his house; my parents would be picking me up shortly. He was being very tender with me, something he dared not do when he was at Hogwarts. In fact, he never showed me any public displays of affection. That was fine with me. Oliver was nineteen, an adult with his own job, making his own money.

I was going-on seventeen, a little girl who had no idea of what to do with her life.

"Oliver..Oliver..." I whispered, trying to catch his attention. His eyes had been closed, as if he had been sleeping.

He opened his eyes, and scratched his head sleepily.

"Hmm...Katie."

I tousled his hair, and he in turn tugged on one of my braids.

"You look cute," I said.

He beamed, grinning in the way he rarely did.

We had gone to one of Oliver's games earlier that week. Puddlemere had soundly defeated the Cannons, 250-10. He had showed me off slipping his arm around my waist protectively.

"My Kate here is a bloody good Chaser..." he'd bragged to his fellow Reserves. "Met her when I played at Hogwarts. Helped win us the Cup, she did."

I liked most of his male team-mates. They were funny and loud and reminded me of Fred and George Weasley. Of course, I didn't really get on well with the girls; they thought that just because I was pretty that I was prissy. I did try to talk, but they talked down to me as if I was a little girl. So, I stayed close to Oliver.

Oliver stood up, brushed the grass off of his pants, and offered me his hand. I took it, and allowed him to pull me up. He slid his arm around my waist again.

We walked towards the Wood house, and stopped just before entering the doorway.

"Katie...I just wanted to tell you that I love you."

"Well, I love you too, Ollie-boy."

I flushed, and he leaned in to kiss me.

He slid his hand into his pocket, and took out a long black box.

"This is for you."

He handed it to me. I opened it. Inside, on a little silver chain, was a plain silver ring. I took it out of the box, and turned it over in my hand. It was engraved: Oliver + Katie.

I threw my arms around his neck.

"You like it?"

"I love it."

He fastened it around my neck, and opened the door. We walked inside, just as my Mum and Dad appeared by Floo in the fireplace. I hugged Oliver's parents, brother, and sister good-by, and kissed Oliver on the cheek. I left his house with my parents.

-----

I sat down next to Alicia and Angelina at breakfast. I poured myself a glass of milk, and slathered some marmalade on an English muffin.

An owl dropped an envelope onto my plate. It read: To Kathleen Bell. I opened it curiously. I rarely got mail, even from my parents. Occasionally there would be a letter from Oliver, or a card from my Gran, but that was it. And nobody called me Kathleen, unless the circumstance was dire..

I picked up the letter, expecting it to be from Gran. Angelina and Alicia looked over my shoulder eagerly. Being my best friends, they knew that I didn't get much mail,

I began to read. It was from my sister.

Dear Kathleen:

    I regret to be the person to tell you this. You know

how I do not like to be the bearer of bad news. To get

to the point, your boyfriend, that Oliver Wood, was

killed Tuesday in a Death Eater attack.

    I send my regrets, and Paul sends his love.

     Yours,

Susanne A. Bell-Pritchet

I could hardly believe what my sister had written.

Oliver Wood. My boyfriend, mentor, and best friend dead?

I fainted.