Catch Me If You Can. Oliver Wood

Chapter Five.

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This one's for my uncle, he was always ready for a game of cards and i'll be expecting a game when we meet again.

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The water lapped around my waist as I ran my fingers through the plait in my hair, letting it fall in waves over my shoulders. The pull was getting stronger; go for a swim, see what's beneath the ripples, find the giant squid and poke it. Looking around there was no one in sight; it was a cool day and my year, at least, were probably busy doing a load of homework we'd been so kindly given.

I slipped off the Ravenclaw uniform and put them down with my shoes before wading deeper into the murky green waters of the lake and diving down, I transfigured my glasses into a pair of goggles, which helped but only a bit, the water was still filthy

When I came up for air I saw Oliver Wood scanning the shore line.

His coat was deceptive, I knew beneath it were muscles homed through hours of training and natural athleticism, his hair was blowing about in the light breeze. I don't remember if he normally as it as long as this, but I like it.

Whether he was looking for me I didn't know but as I started to get cold I needed to get out and into the dry clothes, which he was standing right in front of. His whole body relaxed when he spotted me at the shoreline dipped beneath the water away from the cold winds.

"It's too cold to be swimming especially in just your underwear." He smiled sadly at me as I swam towards him.

"If I had my costume on I'd be wearing about the same." I muttered frowning at him. "Could you pass me my robes please?"

He shut his eyes tight and held it away from him so I could get out of the water with modesty, I wrapped it firmly around myself and relished in the comforting warmth. He looked back at me and smiled before scooping down to pick up a few stones, I watched as he skimmed them across the lakes surface.

"I won't be playing against you again." I said after what felt like hours of silence, in which he had tossed only a few stones. "Flitwick took the captaincy off me and gave it too Korsakov who kicked me off the team."

He turned and looked at me and nodded, he knew already. A sigh ripped through my chest as the reality hit me, sure I'm smart and can always look into another career, but quidditch is a passion and it's been stolen from me.

"You ok?" he asked as he sat down beside me, I could have lied, but instead I shook my head. "Did it mean a lot to you?"

"You know my family?" I asked and he shook his head which made me smile, just a tad. "My dad, Charles Orme, keeper for the 1968 world cup my eldest brother Martin Orme, aka Martin Wilkins, Captain of the Chudley Canons and then there's -"

"John Wilkins?" he asked and I nodded sadly.

"Took my mother's surname, so they wouldn't be compared to Dad." I laughed bitterly, "When she died they drummed into me that I would be a chaser on the Holyhead Harpies, we all had our own position you see, and I got to be the chaser."

"So now what are you gonna do?" he asked looking down at me.

"Dunno marry a quidditch star and continue the family trade?" I joked feeling slightly better for having it off of my chest. "Pop kids out, two every twelve years so once they come here I won't be left alone."

He laughed and leant back on his hands, his arm resting against mine, the heat seeping into my body making me realise how cold I'd gotten, I resisted the shivers which would make him jump up and take me inside.

"Are you going to put your uniform on or just sit in your robes?" he asked eventually when my teeth refused to stop chattering. "I'll turn around and keep watch."

He stood 6ft away from me, facing the castle, I quickly removed the wet items, slipped into my uniform and then again into the robe feeling much warmer now. "Oliver." I called and he turned back to look at me.

"Wanna go for tea?" he asked and I smiled nodding.

--

The great hall was nearly empty as usual at weekends, we sat on the edge of the Gryffindor table as no one was on the Ravenclaw one, I couldn't help but watch the types of food she ate; salad, meats, potatoes, vegetables almost a bit of everything in reach. Her blonde hair was still wet and was curling around itself, the damp patches on her robes were nearly dried, she sat opposite me her eyes dropping as she sipped on a glass of pumpkin juice, she was tired.

"Tired?" I asked, she nodded without a word. "Me too a little bit."

"I'm so full." She said after a large yawn, "I can barely move."

"I'm not too bad; wanna piggy back to your common room?" I asked causing her eyes to light up, her bright green eyes.

My stomach wrapped itself into knots as she stood on the bench behind me, ready to wrap her arms around my neck. When she did, her chin rested easily on my shoulder so she could see where I was going too, I hooked her knees in my elbows and took off towards the moving stairs.

Despite her swim in the lake I could smell a gentle rosey scent which wafted across my nose as breezes ran through the ancient castles. It was nice, comforting, but I wasn't quite sure where it was coming from.

"Can you smell that?" I asked suppressing a smile.

"What?" she asked, her breathe tickling my ear.

"It smells like roses or something like that." I said looking round at her, our noses nearly touched before I snapped my head back to face the front.

That was too close, I was tempted in ways I wasn't sure I wanted to be.

"Well I've always thought my moisturiser had a rose after scent, it's meant to be lemon and it is at the start." She laughed hitching herself a little higher on my back, her skirt slipping from behind her knees, the skin on my elbow burned where it touched hers. "You don't have to carry me."

"I offered." I shrugged and she laughed lightly making my stomachs flip around and dance.

A few minutes later and we were finally standing outside the Ravenclaw common room after she got us lost with her bad directional skills.

"Next time I'll find my own way." I teased as she leant against the wall before me.

"I'm tired, I get things wrong a lot when I'm tired." she smiled softly, her eyes half shut.

"Will you be alright in there, I mean there are some people I'd like to smack and you're just a friend." I smirked and she smiled a little wider.

"I'll be fine, I only have to share a room with Lorna." she yawned. "Thanks for the lift Oliver; I doubt I'd have made it up here otherwise."

"Next time you can carry me." I teased again as she laughed turning to the portrait and answering a quick question before stepping through the hole, leaving me alone.

I could still feel her weight in my arms; I could still smell that moisturiser despite her being gone. I think I'm going mad.