Year 2
While your posture is straight, your toes clench and unclench from inside your shiny shoes as your mother picks at her cuticle. The air is chill, your ribe only being able to provide so much warmth against the biting breeze. Pearl chirps at you, demanding attention as you give her a soothing look as if to say ‘just wait’. You can’t help but look for a certain pair of brown eyes, but don’t manage to get very far as your father decides at that moment to walk up to you and your mother. With a quick nod on their part, you nod respectfully in return as you head for the train. As you wait for a girl to board, you glance back to see your parents have now left, a wicked grin forming on your face at the sight.
As you glide down the train, you have a bounce in your step as you feel as free as a kite. Summer was downright shoddy with the increase of mannerisms your parents felt they had to reinforce, the longing desire to go back to a place where you could be yourself weighing on you daily. Eyeing each compartment, you walk down the aisle before spotting short, cropped hair and curly red hair. Oliver looks to be in mid-discussion as his eyes flick over to yours, his mouth forming into a grin as he beckons you in immediately.
Sliding the compartment open, you greet Percy before sliding into the seat next to Oliver as he takes Pearl’s cage from your hands. Percy gives you a curt nod before continuing the tangent he was discussing before your arrival, a small pang of disappointment settling in your stomach. While you got to write Oliver over the summer and managed to convince your parents to visit him for dinner a few times, you had hoped to get caught up on his and his parent's life before arriving at Hogwarts. Trying to be polite, you avoid commenting on anything he says up until the door opens to reveal a girl with blond hair. “Hi, sorry, is Percy-?”
Percy nearly shoots up from his seat at the sight of her, excusing himself to Oliver and you before leaving the compartment. The second the door closes, Oliver sighs as he deflates into the seat. “ Unbelievable. He has not stopped talking about her for the entirety of this time. Nearly wanted to take myself out with’a bludger.” You laugh in response, before gently nudging his shoulder. “I’m sure that can be arranged.”
The only difference about him is hair looks recently shorn and he looks to be slightly taller, but as he smiles at you, all the feelings that you managed to contain over the summer (except for the dinners at the Wood house and letters sent from him that you definitely didn’t re-read repeatedly) nearly explode. He’s still your Oliver. As he goes over the practice he did over the summer and plans he has for potential strategies that you recall him mentioning over letter, you remind yourself that it’s only a crush.
Only just a crush.
~
“Bloody hell! Oliver, please tell me you see this, these black hats are hideous!” Nose scrunching in disgust, you whine as you slide the ugly pointy black hat over your head as he snickers into his hand. “I had to wear them last year, so’ only fair you do as well.”
Shooting a glare his way, you mimic his sentence with a high-pitched voice as he nudges you to the side playfully. As the new first years are being sorted, you take the time to carefully poke your wand into his side as he tries to maintain a neutral expression, face faltering several times when you manage to hit a sensitive spot. As the list of names nears the end, Percy pays rapt attention when you spot a tall, lanky boy with red hair. “Fred Weasley…Gryffindor !” You happily clap with the rest of the table as the boy joins the open seat next to you, giving you a wink before the next boy steps up. He’s identical to Fred, who is nearly leaning out of his seat while the hat is placed on the boy’s head.
“George Weasley…Gryffindor !”
Fred shoots up, George meeting him quickly as they both nudge into each other playfully. They join you on the bench as you give them a wide grin, matching their wicked energy. “Welcome to the right side, Weasleys!” Oliver nudges you from your side, you hiding a smile as you relay the words he said your first year as the twins begin to talk Percy’s ear off. When the food appears in front of you, your nose scrunches as you easily slide a meat pie onto Oliver’s plate which he accepts without thought. He continues talking to Charlie, who is nodding his head at each observation Oliver had made the year prior and strategy as though he’s taking it into deep consideration while Fred steals a loaf from your plate.
As George whacks his brother on the head as Fred defends his actions “I thought we were all sharing !” before Percy calls them both out, you smile down to your plate, fiddling with the steak on it with a light heart.
~
“Okay team, great work today, get some rest. Don’t forget to practice the techniques we worked on today, alright?”
Oliver’s body downright ached, but as tired and in pain as he was he had never felt more upbeat. His passion has always been Quidditch, sure, but being on the team with an important job is so vastly different. His chest swells with pride every time he thinks about it, all up till he has to trek up back to the dorms after a late night practice. His teammates aren’t very chatty right now, the only thing escaping their mouths are tired sighs and complaining about the essays they haven’t finished yet-
Oh, saints.
He ignores his aching feet as he rushes past the crew, down the halls and up to the portrait where Fat Lady jolts in surprise. “You’re quite lucky I’m awake at this moment. I-” Oliver cuts her off by spitting out the password, ignoring her outraged expression as he climbs through. He swerves around the couch, heading for the stairs before nearly tripping over a thick book. Letting out a swear, he spins to pick up the book before he finds you fast asleep on the common room couch.
Guilt washes over him as he takes in the scene, textbooks sprawled out across the table with two stacks of essays, one that looks to be in his faux-handwriting as he observes the wand still clutched in your hand. Kneeling down next to the couch, he carefully removes the wand from your hand as he lightly nudges your shoulder, calling your name gently.
You snuggle deeper into the Gryffindor crested pillow under you, your now free hand slightly reaching out and clasping around his wrist. He frowns to himself, upset that he’s the reason you stayed up so late when he knows you’re used to going to bed early at the beginning of each year. Something about your parents making you sleep early, rise early. His thoughts break at the sight of your finger twitching around his wrist, his heart unexpectedly fluttering as his teammates exhaustedly clamber through the portraits frame.
“Ow! Bugger off, would you? Oh, oh…what’s this?” Oliver stands up, his wrist pulling from your hand as he gestures to your sleeping form. A sixth-year who shares one of the four beds in your dorm sighs, walking over before hoisting you up, Oliver’s eyebrows furrowing at her un-caringness for keeping you asleep. Everyone waves each other as they bid ‘goodnights’ as Oliver gathers your belongings, shoving them into your bag before glancing at the two essays. Flicking away a scribbled drawing that looks to be a map marked with points, he picks them both up and compares them before huffing in disbelief, setting them down.
Not only did you write a different essay that matched his tone and personality, but you had used a spell to make the font his own handwriting.
~
As you place a sausage onto Oliver’s plate, him wordlessly taking it without thought, Pearl squeaks at you as she flies next to you, dropping a letter in front of you. Scratching underneath her chin before passing her to Oliver, you begin to open the letter in mild confusion. Quickly removing the fold from your family’s crested wax stamp, you quickly scan the letter before thumping your head against the table whilst groaning, Oliver jumping next to you.
“That bad, huh?”
Sliding the letter over to him, you shove your plate away from you before covering your face in your hands. Oliver finishes the letter with a frown, tossing it onto the table at the same time the twins sit across from you with matching grins. “Well, if it isn’t our favorite matching duo, want to explain the long faces? Surely it isn’t the beans.” Over the course of the term the twins have undoubtedly become your favorite company, their personalities a delight to be around as well as their knack for constantly causing mischief. Not only did they willingly let you join in on the fun, you found that it made you feel even more rebellious as the increase in detentions wouldn't sit well with your parents. With each new rule break, it broke you more and more out of your shell and let you be who you truly wanted to be while also ensuring you became the opposite of what your parents wanted. You had gotten so close with them that they had even invited you over for the holidays, their mom happy they had what seemed like good influences for them and desperately wanted to meet you. While their presence usually brightened your sour moods in any occasion, it seemed that this time it couldn't be lifted as easily.
You wave your hand in the direction of the letter as Fred clears his throat, reading the letter aloud in an absurd feminine voice while Oliver squeezes your hand in reassurance. “Plans have been decidedly changed, while we understand you requested to stay at the school during the holidays, an important trip your father must attend requires all three of us and your absence is not permitted. Expect to be gone the entirety of the break.” George scoffs, snatching the letter from Fred in skepticism before his face turns into a sour grimace. “Word for word, it seems. Where did you get your Mum from? Gringotts? A simple ‘Love, Mum’ would’ve sufficed.”
“Sorry, boys, seems like I can’t visit any of you. Tell your families I send my apologies for the inconvenience.” George flicks your forehead, making you yelp as Fred wags his finger. “Not with that attitude, we’ll figure something out. Have some faith, will you? We could sneak you out behind the statue of dear old Greg and take you to The Burrow.” Oliver rolls his eyes, slinging your bag over his shoulder. “Sounds great, you two. Kidnapping, great way to go. Won’t even ask bout’ the statue.” Offering you his hand, you smile apologetically at the twins before explaining you have the first class of the day with Oliver. They gasp dramatically as you snicker before leaving, already dreading the loss of your three best friends while enthusiastically anticipating testing out the twin’s dungbombs when you return.
~
“Safety hazard! Why, I can’t believe you would endanger others for the sake of some- some, ill-wanted amusement! You’re lucky I don’t disembowl you where you stand for this!” The twins share a disbelieving yet amused look with you as Filch nearly shoves you into his office, him standing in front of his desk and some filing cabinets stationed against the wall. As Filch paces back and forth, George nudges you and Fred as the three of you spot bolded words reading “ Confiscated and Highly Dangerous”, before George decidedly reaches into his pocket.
“You know what? You’re right. We are very sorry, in fact, here’s the remainder of our lot.” Knowingly, you and Fred step away as George lets out an ‘oops!’, the remaining dungbomb setting off as Filch screams. Fred quickly whips open the cabinet as you nearly wretch, the stench of the smoke nearly bringing you to tears as Filch ushers the three of you out of the room. He spats out a few more threats, boasting about how lucky you are that he now needs to focus on clearing the odor from his room instead of assigning detention before pacing down the hallway.
Wiping your glossy eyes as the three of you inhale the fresh air in the now empty corridor, you look at Fred with a curious look. “For all of that? This better be good, Weasley.”
Opening the door to your dorm, you poke your head around before finding your sixth-year dormmates gone. Beckoning the twins forward, you enchant the door to lock as Fred pulls out a large piece of folded parchment. The three of you stare as Fred opens it, it revealing nothing. “Well, this is a load of rubbish. What’d you nag this one for, dimwit?” Fred goes to whack George with it as George pulls him into a chokehold as you rub your temples, eyes closed. “I solemnly swear you both will be the death of me sometimes.”
Opening your eyes, you blink confusedly as they are now both staring at the map, before you notice the parchment is now flickering. “Say that again- again! What was it? Solemnly?” George asks, nearly shaking the parchment as it briefly flickers. “Um, um, I solemnly…swear?” Gasping as it flickers brighter than before, you stutter as you brainstorm. “Okay, so, it activates upon a certain phrase that starts with ‘I solemnly swear’, but what’s the rest?”
As you attempt a few more phrases, the most you get is a few flickers but nothing more. Deciding to take a break with some food, you shove the parchment into your bag before dejectedly walking down to the wide oak table. As you approach your usual spots, Oliver spots you with his face lighting before noticing your looks. “Oh no, what happened this time, lass? Filch again?”
The twins send you a look, and you realize they want this to be kept hushed. “Yeah, something like that.” Oliver shakes his head as he eats a scoop of mashed potatoes, before pointing the spoon at the twins while you open your bag. “I swear it, you two are always up to no good, terrible influences ya’ are.” Gasping out loud, three heads whip to you as you snap your bag shut, eyes wide with shock. “I realized, uh, I forgot something! In the common room! Can you two help me find it?” Quickly shoving your plate to Oliver who gapes at you incredulously, the twins share a look before the realization of the implication dawns on them. “Yes! The thing!” “Yes, I remember said thing! Let’s go!”
The three of you nearly speed down to the hallway, before you stop in your tracks as you swipe your knuckles against Oliver’s cheek, gathering missed mashed potato before catching up to the twins. Oliver's eyebrows furrow, his hand reaching up to touch his cheek as Percy huffs while Charlie amusedly sighs.
Sprinting to your still-empty dorm room, you yank open your bag and pull out the parchment which now reveals red text across the front. The twins stare incredulously, George placing a hand over his heart in awe as you scan over the words.
“Mauraders map, huh?”
~
Watching Oliver scribble his ideas for next year’s Quidditch season, you wince as you move a leg from its spot on his lap, pinpricks indicating it fell asleep. Pulling your other leg away, you get up as you shift from one leg to the other as Oliver hums from his spot on the common room’s couch. “Something the matter?” When he doesn’t get an answer, he puts his quill and parchment down as he takes in your antsy form. “Lassie?”
An idea pops into your head as you turn to face him, a wicked glint in your eyes that has him intrigued. “Ollie, how willing are you to break a rule tonight?” He sighs, raising an eyebrow as he crosses his arms in response. “Depends, how many detentions will it cost me?” You know he’s being sarcastic, but you’re tugging on his wrist as you pull him from the couch. “I know how important Quidditch is to you, I won’t get you caught. I promise. Do you trust me?” He inhales sharply, before grabbing his sweater from the couch as he slips it on. “Always.”
Pulling him through the portrait as Fat Lady shoots you a vicious glare that has you snickering, you lead him through the corridors and outside of Hogwarts. He looks utterly lost, making you hold a hand out behind you for him to grab if he likes- which he does instantly. Squeezing it, you lead him through the grass and to the Quidditch pitch, the sun lowering by the second making the Quidditch loops glimmer through the darkening pink sky. Pulling out your wand, you call out ‘Accio two brooms’ before shoving your wand into your shorts.
Oliver is entirely lost at this point, squinting at the ever-lowering sun before giving you his full attention. “Alright, what’s the plan here?” As two brooms are pulled into your hands, you toss one at him before smiling wide. “We’ve got twenty minutes to curfew, let’s make the most of it!” Urging him with a hand, he stares at you while slowly climbing his broom with practiced ease. “Lass, haven’t you never-?” Shrugging, you swing one leg over as you grip the broom tightly, wincing as you slightly wobble. “Other than Madame Hooch’s class? Not once.” His face blanches, hit leg already moving to get off the broom before you push a leg forward. “C’mon, Muffin! Teach me something!” He laughs weakly, pushing himself forward as he falls into speed with you. The wind is slightly chilled now, but you’ve never felt so free. Leaning forward on the broom more, you tilt slightly and you’re zooming past Oliver who grins, speeding to match you.
“Come on, Ollie! Catch me if you can!”
You’re both nearly caught when you're twenty minutes past curfew, but the smile on your face and the messy hair has Oliver feeling a sense of pride he’s never felt before. You only almost fell once, but caught yourself and fell back into speed, laughing at Oliver’s pale face. It felt natural to you and just maybe he could convince you to try out for the team next year. As you pull him into a brick column, Oliver covering his mouth as you try to hold in your own laughter as Filch walks past you, his chest flutters with something he can’t yet place. He doesn’t need to ask why you pulled him to the pitch, he knows how your family treats you and the fears you have going back to their rules and cruelty.
He only can hope that you feel the opposite when you’re with him.