Strategy { Oliver Wood}

Chapter Twenty Nine

Instead of wasting her break thinking about Oliver and her confused feelings for the boy, Melanie decided she was going to have a good time with her family and Andy. It consisted long days and nights of drinking eggnog, playing games, and going shopping with Daphne. For the time being, Melanie completely ignored any talk of any boy and enjoyed herself for the time they had off.

However, reality struck her when the three found themselves back at King's Cross Station with Christmas Break coming to an end.

She stood outside the Hogwarts Express besides Andy, staring at the train while Daphne said her goodbyes to Carter. Carter had an amazing Christmas, spoiled with hundreds of gifts and spoiled even further with his mother's cooking. He was returning to school a little heavier and a lot happier. When she kissed Carter on the forehead, Daphne wished him a good rest of the school year before turning to Melanie.

"Come here and give me a hug."

Melanie walked over and wrapped her arms tightly around her mother. 

"Now I want  you to listen to me, Mel. " Daphne began as she held her daughter. "You're young and you're beautiful, and right now you don't need to worry your head about boys. You're smart, focus on your studies. If it so happens that the right boy comes along whether it be Oliver, Ace or someone else,  then by all means give it go with a date, but don't center your entire life around it. There's so many things in life you should experience and you'll end up missing out on them if you spend all your time being boy crazy. Do you understand?"

"Yes Mum." Melanie smiled.

"Good. I love you, Mel."

"I love you too, Mum."

Daphne released her and pulled her honorary child Andy into a hug and wished her a good year.

"All of you have  fun!"

Melanie boarded the train behind Carter, who quickly disappeared upon getting on the train to find his friends to show off his new gifts.

She and Andy found a compartment and plopped down in the seats.

"So what are you going to do about your situation?" Andy asked her throwing her legs up onto the seat across from her.

"Nothing." Melanie shrugged. "I'm going to listen to my mum. She's right, the whole beginning of the school year, I've been so focused on Oliver and all this stuff, that I've really lost track of why I'm going to this school in the first place... I don't need to worrying my head about boys, I need to start worrying my head about O.W.Ls."

When Oliver saw Melanie arrive with the majority of students who had gone home for Christmas, he sent her a small wave as she sat down at the Ravenclaw table. His action seemed to confused her but she sent him a small smile and waved back at him.

"Look at you two...waving at each other." Todd grinned. "I hear wedding bells."

"Shut up, Todd."

"I'm just saying that now you can-"

Oliver shook his head before Todd could continue. "I'm done listening to your relationship advice, all it's done is make things worse."

'Oh don't throw the blame at me, my advice works, just as long as people use it properly."

"Well, I'm going to do things my way from now on and I'll see where that brings me, is that okay with you?"

Todd looked down to the table. 'Yeah, sure mate, whatever you say." he said in a tone quieter than usual but Oliver didn't seem to notice as he turned back to his meal.

Melanie eyed the blueberry pie that was sitting a little ways down from her on the table and debated whether to eat it or not.

"I see you looking at that pie." Andy teased her. "Do you know how much pie and sweets you ate over the course of the break?"

"Not enough apparently since that pie is looking mighty attractive right now."

"I swear you should just be in a relationship with pie." Andy sighed. "It meets all your needs."

"Welcome back, ladies!" a voice interrupted them. The two looked up to see Ace sitting down at the table with Brandon at his side. "Did you guys have a nice Christmas?"

"I wasn't called Andrew so yeah it was pretty great for me!" Andy smiled.

"Mel?"

"It was pretty fun watching Andy get her arse handed to her in wizard chess by Carter." she smiled.

"It was one time!"

'Oh it was so not one time!" Melanie laughed. "What about you Ace, how was your Christmas, get anything nice?'

"I got new shoes." he answered lifting up his legs over the bench of her to see.

"Very nice." she mused.

Once they returned to the Ravenclaw tower, Melanie and Andy headed upstairs to find Jenna resting in her bed already.

"We missed you at dinner." Melanie said.

"I'm still full from Christmas." Jenna told. "The sight of food makes me nauseous."

"Aww poor thing." Andy said sitting beside Jenna.

Melanie sat on her bed and watched the two.

"Okay," she said after a minute of observing the two, "I'm just going to be extremely blunt and ask you two...are you two together or not?"

Andy and Jenna looked at her wide eyed but Melanie didn't seemed phased.

'Is that a no or a yes?"

Andy rubbed her palms against shirt before looking up at her best friend.

"Look, it's not official or anything." Jenna answered suddenly. "We're just...trying to figure things out ourselves. Please don't say anything Melanie."

"I wasn't planning on it, but if you guys don't want people to know, you guys might want to make it less obvious." she smiled.

"You won't say anything to anyone?" Andy said.

"Andy, I don't talk to a lot of people as it is."

"Not even Ace? Or Brandon?" Jenna asked.

"No I won't tell them. It's not their business. It wasn't mine either but I've been wanting to know for awhile."

"How long have you suspected it?" Andy questioned.

"Since you guys seem to make plans at the same time when I ask either one of you to do something. I sorta suspected it then, but like I said, it's not my business, you guys do you while I'm still trying to figure out me."