Contentment

Breakfast was exceptional that morning.  Coralina Sweltze loved to drink a nasty shot of greens every morning, and Madeline knew exactly where she'd gotten them from each morning. 

Switching the shot of greens with Polyjuice was as easy as breathing the night before, and now, Madeline sat with Eli and Oliver at the end of the table, watching with innocent eyes as the girl's face grew scales. She'd tweaked the potion just enough that it wouldn't last all hour, and had to suppress a laugh when Jake, who was sitting with Coralina, burst out laughing, shaking his head in disbelieve. 

Madeline suppressed a second laugh when she watched the girl conjure a mirror, and not two seconds after her scream of horror had filled the hall, she was shooting out of her seat, set on running, but not before her head turned accusingly at Madeline who looked innocently at her, raising her own shot of greens that she'd swiped from Coralina's stash last night. Madeline pointed the shot at the girl, mimicking the way Coralina had raised her wand at Eli.

Coralina fled the hall and Madeline turned towards a giggling Eli, winking. 

Madeline said that she was thought to always be the bigger person. She didn't say she always stayed true to that. 

'''

Madeline smiled at something Eli said to Ginny, freezing when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. Looking up from her lunch, Madeline breathed in, relaxing when Felix sat down on her left, eyes big and apologetic. Oliver had a free period after lunch and had cut it short to head to the pitch to practice new tactics, and Madeline was surprised that Felix wasn't there.

"How did last night go?" Felix asked her, picking at a strawberry on her plate.

"Wonderful. I got a nice hot shower and slept like a baby."

"Ollie that good in bed?" Felix whispered into her ear, and Madeline smiled at her plate, shaking her head.

"We only kissed last night."

"Shame."

"Yeah, hey, why aren't you on the field?"

Felix clicked his tongue, making her turn her head to see his face. "I'll head over in a tiny bit, I just wanted to talk to you. Care to take a walk with me?"

Madeline looked back at her plate longingly, grabbing the cucumber sandwich that was begging to be eaten and stood up. "I'll see you two in the library after classes end?" Madeline asked Ginny and Eli who both nodded. Eli needed help with a transfiguration assignment and Ginny just wanted to join since she didn't have anything else to do. Or so she claimed, but Madeline suspected that Ginny just liked to be around the two of them. 

She walked with Felix into the opening, breathing in fresh air. The weather was getting colder, and Madeline enjoyed being outside to catch the last warm days.

"What did you want to talk about?" Madeline asked Felix, nibbling on her sandwich and watched him swallow, hard.

"About last night."

"Felix-"

"No, I wanted to apologies. When Percy and I get into the, well..." He looked around sheepishly, and Madeline wondered if she'd ever seen him look this out of place. "When things turn sexual, we have a hard time keeping it tame, if you know what I mean." He finished, avoiding her eyes.

"It's okay."

"It was still inappropriate of either of us to offer. While we both like man, we've talked about what it would be like to be with a woman, you know? Just to see how it'd feel. We're not fools, Percy and me, we know that we'll never be able to truly be together, not unless we turn in our wands and go out to the muggle world."

Madeline frowned at her friend's sad tone, knowing full well that he was right. The Wizarding World didn't allow same sex marriages, and those who didn't like the opposite gender had to either still marry the other gender or turn in their wands. A lot of witches and wizards that were in Percy and Felix's shoes often forwent a marriage for as long as they could, hiding their true identity from everyone.

"Anyway, both of our families will expect us to marry, and Merlin, that's not what I'm trying to say." Madeline put a comforting hand on his shoulder, watching him with sad eyes, her heart feeling the weight of his burden. 

Felix fixed his eyes on her, a small smile playing on his lips. "It's not that either one of us see women as sexually unappealing, it's just that we prefer the company of men, you know? But, both of us like to try new things, and fuck, that isn't coming out right either."

"Felix, it's okay. You don't owe me an explanation."

"I do though, I just don't want you to think that we're some kind of idiots, you know? And about Flint, I know that he's a vile bastard, but I don't think he'd do anything to expose us because he knows that I'll be just as quick to show the memory of him cornering me when we were twelve and forcefully kissing me."

Breathing in, Madeline wrapped her arms around his middle, and felt him relax into her hug, his arms pulling her into him in return. "I don't think you or Percy are idiots." Felix took a deep breath.

"That's good. That's really good. Percy was worried that we might have seemed like we were pushing you into a sexual activity you didn't want, and it got me paranoid, thinking about it."

Breaking the hug, Madeline smiled at him, offering him the last bite of her sandwich. Cucumber sandwiches were his favorite. "Anyway, we're good, right?"

Madeline nodded her head. "We are."

"Good, that's good. And hey, don't worry about Wood. Ollie is a slow learner when it comes to women, but he learns, and he talks about you nonstop when we're alone in our dorm."

This made Madeline chuckle, if only to hide the maddeningly spreading heat in her neck, that she was sure was visible on her cheeks now.

Oliver talked about her?

"Don't think I don't see the blush M." Felix told her, chuckling down at her. "Just don't tell him I said that." Madeline nodded her head. "And oh, also, nothing like this will ever happen, unless you walk in when we're, you know, yeah, just expect us to try to convince you to try a threesome with two gay men."

"I'll be sure not to then, lest I won't be able to resist." Felix smiled brightly at her, giving her head a peck before pushing her back to the entrance of the school.

"Arithmancy, right? Don't want to be late to Vector's class." He told her, and Madeline shook her head, before heading to class.

Percy was already waiting at their desk, his face unreadable as she took her seat, giving him a kind smile.

"If you're worried about yesterday, then there is no need. I wasn't upset, or mad, or weirded out, and Felix has already made a point to apologies." Madeline told him, and suppressed a chuckle when Percy's face softened, a smile playing on his lips.

"Oh, that's good. Really good. On Godrick, I swear that won't happen again, unless you walk in-"

"On your study session." Madeline whispered, cocking a brow. "I know." She told him gently, happy to see Percy smile genuinely at her.

"We're good then?"

"We've always been good, Percy." She matched his smile, and the two focused on the lesson. Professor Vector was a gentle woman outside of class, but she didn't allow her students to not pay attention while in her classroom.

After Arithmancy, Madeline made her way to the Owlery, set on sending a letter that she'd written a few days ago. It's been six weeks, and no one wrote to her save for once. And a short letter, at that. She had sent three other letters, aside from the first one, and never got a response to any of them.

Why, hello.

You all too busy to respond to my letters?

M

Madeline knew that she was being petty, but seriously? She didn't care. Not when three of her letters went unanswered.

Sending a school owl on its way, she spent an hour in the library with Eli and Ginny, and afterwards found herself walking to the Quidditch pitch, intent on just watching the team practice. And to see Oliver.

To her surprise, the whole team had their feet on the ground, all of them running laps around the field. Standing by the stands, Madeline grinned at Felix who passed her, asking her if she was here to watch them suffer or to drool over Oliver. Coralina glared at her, brows raised when she passed them, but didn't say anything.

When Oliver saw Madeline, he stopped by her, a slow smile growing on his face. "What brings you here, on this lovely day?" He sounded slightly out of breath, and Madeline couldn't help the heat that was taking over her body. He looked good.

Too good for someone who has just been running laps, and she cursed in her head when she felt her pulse picking up when Oliver took a step closer to her, brows raised. "Madeline, everything okay?"

"Oh, yes, yes, most definitely. I just thought I'd watch a practice, but I think this is better." She smacked herself mentally, cringing at her own words, but Oliver just ginned at her.

"You like to see sweaty people running around?" His tone was joking, and it made her swallow hard.

"Only you."

Madeline swore in her mind again, wondering what was wrong with her. Oliver was too close, and he looked bloody good with the little sweat beads collecting on his forehead and her mind took him to her dorm, wondering if he'd look like this while fuc-

 She shook her head, knowing exactly why her body felt on fire.

Oliver raised a brow, looking her up and down before he leaned into her ear. "Give me twenty, and then I'm all yours."

Madeline nodded; not sure what part of her body was beating the loudest at his gentle voice pouring into her ear. Oliver placed a gentle kiss on her cheek before going back to running laps.

Finally finding the will to move her legs, Madeline sat down on one of the benches by the stands, forcing her eyes to not watch Oliver run around the pitch, swatting Felix on his shoulder when the other boy joined him, whispering something into Olivers ear.

Twenty minutes only felt this long to her during the summer, but Madeline pushed those thoughts away. There was nothing she could do to change the past, and she knew that her nana and her parents wouldn't want her focusing on the past.

"Thanks for ending our practice earlier." Felix told her in a teasing tone, before winking at her and making his way towards the castle.

Madeline wondered about the letter that she sent earlier, hopping that her friends wouldn't find it rued, while at the time, feeling upset that they made her feel like they didn't care enough to stay in contact. 

She was happy, by all means, that she had found friends here, but her friends back home had been with her since school. Some even since birth. And it felt like another part of her soul was being ripped open without hearing from them. 

"Hi." Madeline looked up at the approaching figure, smiling as Oliver took a seat next to her. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Fancy, I'm sure. Did you guys end practice earlier?" Madeline asked him, eyes big and innocent and apologetic. She didn't want to get in between his team.

Oliver shook his head, lacing their fingers together. "Maybe, but we'll be practicing for the rest of the week and into the next week before the game next Saturday."

"Are you nervous about the game?" Madeline asked him, leaning into his shoulder. Oliver radiated heat from his fingers and through his jumper and Madeline loved that.

"A bit. The Hufflepuff team is good, but it wouldn't be a good win if they weren't" Oliver told her, stroking his thumb over her knuckles. "Will you be there?"

"Of course, I will. And tell you what, if you win, I'll buy the whole team butterbeer the next day." She heard Oliver chuckle and felt him move to face her.

"And if we lose?" Madeline swallowed, feeling heat run through her body at the way he was looking at her.

"Then I'll give you a hot shower, and comfort you to the best of my abilities." She had meant it as a joke, to lighten the tension that was growing between them, but Oliver's eyes widened at that, his smile growing into a smirk.

"And where, do tell, will I be getting this hot shower?" His voice was low, and it was making her stomach act out.

"Why, in my dorm."

Oliver licked his lips, his eyes roaming her face before he brought his hand to her cheek, cupping it and Madeline felt overwhelmed with the heat that was seeping into her skin now. "Naked? Or will you have me standing there fully clothed, soaking in my own misery?" Oliver asked her, brushing his thumb against her bottom lip.

Madeline gave him a cocky smile, leaning into his hand. "I guess you'll just have to find out." Oliver licked his lips again, his eyes glued to hers before he leaned in and kissed her.

Madeline melted into the kiss, letting him pull her closer. Oliver was good at this. At making her forget her name with his tongue seeking hers out. His hands pulling her closer. And Madeline couldn't stop thinking about what Felix had said earlier. About Oliver talking about her.

Oliver pulled away, his face flushed, and stood up, pulling her to her feat. Madeline didn't say anything when he led her into the Gryffindor changing rooms. Didn't say anything when Oliver walked them both to a table, and helped her sit on the edge, standing between her legs.

Cupping both of her cheeks, Oliver leaned in, kissing her with more urgency, his mouth hot against hers, and Madeline put her hands around his neck, scooting closer to him and moaning when he moved one hand around her head, deepening the kiss.

Minutes passed before Oliver pulled away and Madeline felt hollow inside at the sudden loss of contact. Oliver smiled gently at her, taking in what seemed to be a calming breath before he took both of her hands in his, thumbs brushing her knuckles.

"You are so beautiful." Oliver told her, looking suddenly unsure of what he wanted to say as he took in a nervous breath, his eyes bearing into hers. "I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I feel like I've known you for longer than the last six weeks. If that makes sense." Madeline nodded, her mind racing with thoughts.

Maybe he didn't want this. Whatever they were doing. Maybe he just saw her as a friend that he wanted to explore things with. A fling. 

"I know it's probably too fast, but..." Oliver broke off, swallowing hard and the thoughts from earlier disappeared from Madeline's mind. His words didn't sound like he just wanted to be friends, and she held her breath, waiting for him to say more. "Would you be my girlfriend?"

Oliver sounded like he was holding his breath as well, his eyes searching her face for anything to let him know that he didn't make a mistake. He didn't want to assume anything, but he couldn't help himself. She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, and everything about her captivated him. That spark in her eyes when she was talking about something that she clearly loved, something that she was so passionate about. The way she stood up for people, and the gentleness that surrounded her when she was surrounded by people that she thought of as friends. If Oliver was being honest, the moment he had seen her on the platform, and later on the train, he knew that he was a goner.

Oliver Wood wanted her, in every possible way, and if that made him sound mad, then so be it. He was alright with that.

"I don't know how to take the silence." Oliver told her after what felt like minutes had passed between them, feeling like he had to fight for each breath that he took. He'd never asked anyone this, never even considered himself as the type to have a girlfriend while in school, but fuck it, he never wanted to be with anyone like he did with her.

Madeline still didn't say anything, instead pulling her hands out of his. Oliver's heart stopped beating for a moment when she stood up, a smile brightening the room in an instance as she pushed him slightly towards the table, and Oliver sat on top, watching her step between his legs.

"Only under one condition, Wood." She told him, her voice serious as she pulled his arms around her waist and Oliver didn't have to be shown twice. He tightened his hold on her waist and pulled her to him. 

"Anything."

Madeline leaned in, her own eyes searching his. It was a game that they were both good at. Searching each other's eyes for the truth, even only after knowing each other for a short while. 

"I want us to be honest with each other, always. No matter what the truth is, no matter if it might hurt, or feel uncomfortable, I just want honesty if we date."

Oliver smiled, deciding in this moment that there was nothing more appealing than a commanding woman. Especially if that commanding woman was her.

"Always." Oliver told her, and brushed his lips across hers, feeling her shiver in his arms before she pulled away to look at him.

"A girlfriend." She whispered, her whole face lighting up.  "You know, I never thought I'd even like Hogwarts, and now I can't imagine a place that I'd want to be besides here, with you." Madeline told him, and brought her lips to his, letting him pull her fully to his body, engulfing her in heat.

Oliver grinned like an idiot when they pulled away, kissing her cheek. "You are so beautiful." Oliver whispered to her, after tasting her lips again. And she was.

They stayed like that for what felt like hours, Oliver sitting on the edge of the table, holding her in his arms as he kissed her. He didn't think he'd ever get enough of her. 

Deciding they should head to dinner, Madeline stopped him by the doors, face growing serious. "Coralina's face this morning? That was me." Oliver cocked a brow at her, fighting the smile that wanted to grow on his face. He knew.

Or rather, he guessed that Madeline had something to do with it when he caught her giving Eli a suggestive smile during breakfast. He knew Lina had deserved it, even if he still felt bad to see someone who he'd been friends with since he was eleven, get a taste of her own medicine. 

Madeline cocked her head, unsure of what to make of the silence. "I'm sorry if that upsets you. But I did say I wanted honesty and I thought I'd start with that." 

Oliver chuckled then, bringing her in closer to him. 

"I'm not upset." He purred against her lips, his hands digging into her sides. He could feel deep down that he was going to thoroughly enjoy her company for as long as she'd let him. 

"No?" Oliver shook his head, pecking her lips. 

"No love. I'm impressed." He didn't miss the way her eyes light up at that before she pulled him in for a hot kiss.