Life Down at the Quidditch Pitch

Chapter Nine

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Oliver pushed passed a group of offended looking people as soon as he heard Katie. When he found her, there was a broken glass in her hand and her other hand was covering her mouth. Her hand was bleeding from where the glass had cut her. The small explosion he'd heard was her breaking the glass in her hand, it had seemed so loud. Alicia and Angelina weren't with her, she was alone.

"Katie?" he asked. She looked at him, her eyes were so wide, it was scary. She turned her attention back to something else, the couch, where he'd seen Katie's father, if he deserved to be called that, sitting with, as Emma had called her, his hussy. She was shaking.

"You can't do that," Katie finally said, Oliver realized that she was talking to her father and not him. He needed to get that glass out of her hand. Blood was beginning to stain the carpet; if there hadn't been Muggles around he would have put a Charm on the carpet so that the blood would come out. The blood was coming out her hand, it was making him sick, and it needed to be stopped. "You can't take them! They don't even know you, you bastard."

Oliver tore his eyes from her hand and to her eyes. There was an anger, a hatred that she had never shown before, not even to him. She was still shaking, he wanted her to stop. No, he needed her to stop. She was about to explode, he knew it. He was the only who knew how far she could really be pushed; her father was pushing her past the point.

"Katie," Oliver said. She waved him away with her non bleeding hand. She wanted to settle this on her own, he knew that much.

"I can do whatever I want Kate, I'm their father," Sam Bell said snootily.

"You're the father who left just a little over a month after they were born, you left with that little wench, without a word," Katie spat acidly.

"Don't speak to me like that." Oliver glared at the man; he didn't deserve to be called a father. He thought of his own father, who was a kind and very loving man. The man before him was none of these things.

"I can speak to you however I want," Katie replied. "What are you going to do next? Try and pull me out of Hogwarts? Or am I too old to be bothered with?"

Oliver was confused to what she was talking about, but he needed to get her out of that house, as she was still bleeding. She was shaking harder than before, she was about to crack. She wasn't saying anything, and neither was her father. They were staring daggers at each other. The woman sitting next to him was wearing a fake smile. They were holding hands. Oliver looked at Katie again. He needed to get her out of there. She was his only concern as of now.

They were speaking again, but he wasn't listening, he just stood there feeling stupid. She was shaking more now, she was about to explode. He could feel the anger flowing off of her bodies in waves. Anger led to uncontrolled magic, just like the time she'd accidentally made the Quaffle explode after the loss to Ravenclaw his fifth year. They needed to get out of there.

He looked at her hand again. She was bleeding, more blood was pouring out of her hand, and how was it that she didn't notice? Didn't it hurt? She was shaking even harder now. She was about to scream, he knew it. She could only hold it in for so long. She'd been holding her rage, her sorrow, every bad emotion she'd had in the past week. She wasn't used to holding things in.

"Like I've said before, I'm their father Kate. I can do whatever I want." He was speaking again. He knew that it was then that they needed to leave. Before she could reply, he was dragging down the hallway and outside onto the patio. The crisp autumn air was cool, but he didn't feel it. She wasn't saying anything. She was looking down at her hand.

"That needs to be healed," he said softly. She looked up at him; her eyes were shining with tears from the moonlight. She looked so tired, so drained. He pulled her bleeding hand in his and with his other hand, pulled out his wand from his pocket. He muttered the Charm and her hand was instantly healed. There was just a jagged shiny scar from where the glass had cut her. "You could have really hurt yourself."

"He didn't even care," she said bitterly. She looked away out onto the open field where they'd played Quidditch just two days before. "He doesn't care."

"No he doesn't, he's a bastard," Oliver agreed. "He doesn't deserve a daughter like you." There was a piece of hair that had fallen out of her clip; he bushed it back from her face. She looked up at him again, their eyes locked. That moment right there, Oliver knew that he would do anything for this girl. He was in love with her.

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Once Oliver decided that he was in love with her, the next twenty four hours were murder on him. She was in so much anguish and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. He watched her shake when her father got near her, try not to cry during the funeral, and fake a smile when Alicia and Angelina tried to console her. He just wanted to wrap his arms around her but he couldn't. Beside there was the little fact that he was a teacher at her school, he was sure that there were rules against it.

Right now she was holed up inside her bedroom. Angelina, Alicia, and everyone had just left; he'd walked them down to the Floo network. He thought that Katie might have wanted to talk, but she didn't. She was in her room again and he was worried. She was too quiet. This flat was too damn quiet.

He was going to talk to her, whether she liked it or not, they were going to have a conversation. He was going to make her tell him how she was feeling. He got up off the futon, he was getting rather attached to it and he knew what to call it now.

"Katie?" he asked, tapping on her door. He could hear her in there; he just couldn't tell what she was doing. She wasn't answering. "Katie, open the bloody door." He said, sounding more annoyed than he actually was. He rubbed his hands on the front of his trousers. Why was he so nervous? I don't know Wood, he thought sarcastically. Maybe because you've decided that you're in love with her and your not sure how to act?

Katie opened the door. She was rubbing her faces, she'd been crying, that he was sure. Her eyes were rimmed in red.

"What did you need?" she asked.

"I wanted to make sure that you were all right," he said, wanting nothing more than to hold her right now. She looked up at him, she was so vulnerable looking. She pushed a blonde lock behind her ear. She was wearing a jumper and jean trousers; he couldn't imagine her looking lovelier. She gave him a smile and then burst into tears. He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes, rubbing her back. He just wanted to make her feel better.

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"Did you give Katie her card?" Harry asked as soon as Alicia stepped into the tower. She smiled at Harry.

"Yes, I did," she replied.

"Is she okay? I mean, you know besides..." Harry babbled.

"She's fine Harry," Alicia replied, shaking her head at Harry's concern. He was a sweet kid. Too bad he was a sweet kid with a price on his head. "How was your weekend?"

"Not so good," Harry confided. "There was an attack in Kent last night."

"In Kent?" Alicia asked, confused. "We were in Kent last night."

"I know," Harry said. "I was worried, but it turns out that there wasn't a reason for me to worry." Alicia was confused. "It will be explained at the Prefects meeting; at least that's what Dumbledore told me anyway. He only explained it to me because I was confused."

"Harry you're babbling," Alicia laughed. Harry shook his head.

"I need to go to bed," he said. Alicia wished him a good night and he climbed up to the boys' dormitory. She shrugged and sat in the empty seat next to her boyfriend. Lee wrapped his arm around her and she snuggled up close to him. She was tired after the weekend.

"I've missed you pet," he said, wrapping a finger around the end of her hair.

"I've been right here," she said.

"You've just been busy, being a Prefect, Quidditch..." Lee began. "We don't get to do this very often."

"Mmm, and just think Angelina is off with Fred somewhere," she suggested.

"Is my pet suggesting that we go somewhere and snog?" Lee asked, kissing the top of her head.

"Possibly...since we haven't done enough snogging since school started..."

"Last one to your dormitory gets a kiss," Lee said. Alicia laughed, racing Lee up the steps. She pulled the band out of her hair and put it on the door knob, it was their code if there was a boy in the room. They'd done that since the year before when Angelina and Alicia had walked in on a very weird moment between George and Katie.

She closed the door behind her, raised her eyebrows, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss her boyfriend. He pulled her towards her bed.

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Katie looked over at Oliver. It was Sunday; they were walking back to Hogwarts from Hogsmeade. He looked over at her. There had been a change in him this weekend; for once they actually understood each other. He had let her cry last night, and not questioned her about it later. He had been so wonderful. There was something there that she'd never seen before.

"Thank you Oliver," she said, once they'd reached the Quidditch pitch, their entire walk had been silent, but it was comfortable silence.

He looked over at her again, like he was looking though the façade that she put up for so many other people. It was like he was staring at the scared little girl inside her, but it made her comfortable. She didn't have to keep up this tug of war with him anymore.

"You're welcome," he said. They were silent again until they reached Gryffindor tower; he had carried her trunk up for her. He cleared his throat; she looked up at him again. "If you want to talk ever, please feel free to come and talk to me. I won't mind."

She smiled at him, he smiled back. "I think I will, thanks." She placed her hand on his and squeezed it tightly. He didn't say anything to her as she gave the Fat Lady the password and entered the tower.

She was greeted by first and second years arguing about which was harder, Transfiguration or Charms, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger tucked in a corner, and Fred, George, and Lee looking over a parchment with Harry and Dean. They looked up and waved to her as she dragged her trunk up the steps.

She threw open the door to the dorm. Alicia was on her bed, reading a book, and Angelina going through her Quidditch notebook.

"Hello," Katie said, throwing her trunk at the foot of her bed.

"Katie!" Alicia and Angelina said at the same time. Alicia slammed her book shut and Angelina put down her notebook. Katie hung her cloak over the back of her chair, but not before she found a disturbing site. Someone's very lacy, very pink, and very not Katie, knickers were hanging off the edge of her chair.

"And who do these belong to?" Katie asked raising an eyebrow. Angelina laughed and Alicia got up and snatched them from her. "Did someone have a nice shag last night?"

"I knew it!" Angelina shrieked. "I knew you were shagging! You were in here for four bleeding hours! I had to sleep in the common room!"

"Now, now Alicia, what would Roger Davies say?" Katie put her hands on her hips and tried to do her best to imitate Roger's tone. "Now Alicia, shagging your boyfriend like mad, is that anyway for a Prefect to act? If those other bloody Gryffindors didn't act so immature, then there might actually be a proper Gryffindor Prefect. Hmrph."

"Very nice, very nice," Angelina said clapping her hands together. Alicia still looked embarrassed, but she made up for it by throwing a pillow and hitting Katie in the head. Katie didn't throw it back; she just sat down in her chair and realized how good it was to be back.

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Oliver sat at his desk nearly two weeks later. It was Friday, and tomorrow would be the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff match up. He needed to calm his nerves so he could be fair. But how was he possibly going to be fair when Katie was out there playing? He missed her so much he could barely stand it. Curse Dumbledore for sending him with her. Curse himself for falling for her.

He had spent the last two weeks watching her from afar. Yes, he felt a bit on the creepy side, but he couldn't help it. Her wall was back up, he knew that. She looked at everyone without seeing them; he watched her joke with Alicia and Angelina, and Fred. She didn't seem the same, or maybe he wasn't seeing her the same.

"Arg," he said, banging his head against the desk. This wasn't fair. Then he realized that there was wet ink on the parchment that he'd just laid his head against. "Bloody hell."

There was a knock on his door, causing him to jump.

"Yes?" he asked, hoping that it was no one important, since he did have ink on his head.

"Oliver its Katie..."

"Come in," he said, he jumped to sit back down in his chair, but by doing so he tripped and fell onto his desk, splashing ink everywhere and onto his khaki jumper. "Shit."

The door creaked open and he looked over to see Katie looking at him, trying not to laugh. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Er, yes," Oliver said, standing up.

"You have ink all over you," she said. "Here let me fix you." She pulled out her wand and muttered the Charm, making the ink disappear instantly. She sat down in the chair across from his; he fidgeted, playing with a piece of paper on his desk.

"Are you doing all right?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Better than I thought I'd be. My father is still trying to get the twins, but Grandmum has pretty much decided that only over her dead body will they go with him." She was nodding, looking around at the Quidditch posters all over his office. "But everyone's been great, haven't had to think about anything but homework."

He smiled. "That's good. So why are you actually here?" Not that you mind Wood, he thought.

"I just didn't feel like being around the happy couples," she said looking up at him. "They're all off snogging somewhere, prematch rituals, you know."

"Actually no, usually I just lay in bed awake," Oliver explained. He thought that the Slytherins were the only ones who did that, but he could have quite possibly been wrong.

"Oh," Katie replied, looking down at the floor.

"Are you ready for the match tomorrow? I hear Hufflepuff has a new Seeker, Hannah Abbott."

Katie shrugged. "They're Chasers aren't much too look at and neither is the Seeker. We should have no problems, providing that Dementors don't show up, no one enchants a Bludger, and Harry doesn't face You-Know-Who between now and then." Katie was smiling. Oliver smiled back. "Do you want to scrimmage? Just you and I? I know we're not supposed to be out alone without a teacher and since you are one...I just felt like flying right now."

"Sure," he replied. "I'd love to." You'd love to do more than that, his inner voice told him. Shut up, he replied.

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Katie looped around Oliver who was attempting to catch her. They were playing sort of a flying tag game, and very good fun it was. She laughed. "You'll have to try better than that to catch a Gryffindor Chaser."

"This is like trying to catch the bloody Snitch," Oliver said, flying towards her.

"If you would have known that, maybe you wouldn't have given Harry such a hard time," Katie teased, flying around the goalpost.

"I'll get you for that Kate."

"So I'm Kate now, think you're a member of my family?"

"Ah, it's caught on. Little Katie Bell's real name."

"Shut your mouth Oliver Wood," Katie teased. She flew under him, making him switch directions. She flew closer to the ground. She looked behind her, Oliver was gaining ground. She sped up; Oliver would eventually catch her, which she was sure of. She flew even closer to the ground, barely ten feet up. She felt him reach out to touch her but she changed directions, he apparently did too, but he was leaning too far forward, he tumbled off his broom, hitting hers. She fell of hers and rolled onto the soft grass of the Quidditch Pitch landing next to Oliver. She giggled, and he began laughing with her.

"The brooms didn't go too far, did they?" she asked, looking around.

"No, they stopped over there." He pointed to their left.

She looked over to her right and noticed how close Oliver was to her. She turned to her side and their faces were mere inches apart. He looked so happy tonight, since they'd come back from London, he'd looked so pained, like something was bothering him. She wasn't sure that anyone else had noticed but she had and she worried about him. That's why she suggested them flying around tonight. Flying always made him look happy.

"Are you feeling better now?" she asked, propping herself up on her elbow.

"What are you talking about? I've not been ill," he replied.

"No, you've just looked lost."

"And you've looked far away."

She nodded. "I don't feel comfortable telling them what I've told you, and I'm not sure why. Up until about three weeks ago, I was sure I hated you."

He pushed a stray strand of hair from her face and looked down at the grass shyly. "Maybe it's because you're more comfortable with me." He was playing with blades of grass, twiddling them between his fingers. He took a deep breath, like he was about to say something, but he never did. For some reason, she wasn't sure, Katie felt disappointed.