Regulus Black the Potions Master

Chapter 23

Harry spent as much time as possible running away from Lockhart and anything else that involved the man, while at the same time preventing Ron and Hermione from discussing the man. He couldn't understand how a witch as intelligent as Mione could admire someone who was such an asshole that even Harry could tell.

But it's a strange world and Harry just wanted peace of mind. Quidditch practice began after the third week of September. Wood, the captain, and goalkeeper of the Gryffindor team, was more determined to win this year, to the point of spending ten whole minutes repeating words of encouragement and then flaying each of the players to the point where no one had any breath left at the end of practice.

On a Saturday in early October, Harry was happily in bed, enjoying a late night's sleep, when someone started banging on his bedroom door. Neville was the one who woke up and dragged himself out of bed to find out who was at the door.

"Wood?" the dark-haired boy asked, rubbing his eyes, "what?"

"Where's Potter?" Wood asked in a very excited voice for that time of day.

"Harry?" Neville, still confused, turned to enter the room "He's asleep."

"May I come in?"

Longbottom stepped aside to let the older boy pass. Outside the dormitory, he saw the twins crawling around as if they were still half asleep. They were both mumbling something that the brunette didn't understand.

"Potter," Oliver called from beside the little boy's bed.

Harry grumbled, opening his eyes briefly. Not that without glasses he could recognize who it was.

"Training time," Oliver said, "we've got the pitch for two hours."

"It's too early" Ron grumbled as he sat half awake in his bed.

"Wood, leave the kids alone," Percy called from the still-open door.

"It's not bedtime, it's training time," Wood replied to the older redhead.

"No, at most it's time for breakfast," Percy replied, "let them at least wake up."

Wood snorted and looked at Harry again as if the power of his gaze and thoughts could make the boy awake and ready in seconds.

"Seriously, Oliver," Percy's voice was more exasperated as he entered the room and tugged on the brunette's arm, dragging him out of the room.

As soon as he got his roommate through the door, he turned to Neville and spoke more quietly.

"Wake up Harry please, I won't be able to hold Wood off for long" With that the redhead left with the other boy, aware that he could only move the athlete by his own will and not by his strength.

"Wood's a maniac," Ron muttered when Harry finally started to get up.

"Tell me about it."

[...]

When he was awake, which took at least another five minutes after Oliver left his room, Harry got ready and went downstairs to have a hearty breakfast. At least that's what Percy Weasley convinced Wood to let him do, because sometimes the brunette even forgets to eat to concentrate on Quidditch

Once, at some point in their first year, the twins told Harry that the main reason Oliver Wood isn't always late for his classes or forgetting his homework or even fainting because he forgets to eat while concentrating on Quidditch is because Percy is constantly making him do all the other things that don't have to do with sport.

"I don't doubt that Oliver will become a great Quidditch player," Percy had once said, "he'll win the World Cup for sure, but he'll have to survive until then," the redhead had finished, shaking his head when Oliver had been distracted from his dinner to discuss tactics and moves, again.