Strategy { Oliver Wood}

Chapter Seven

"Don't call me that!" Oliver whispered harshly at Melanie through gritted teeth.

"Call you what? Wood? I'm sorry, but did you forget that Wood is your last name?"

"You know what I'm talking about!"

"I'm afraid I don't. I was simply wishing greeting you this morning. Thus, Mornin' Wood."

"Stop saying that!"

"So don't wish you a good morning, Wood?"

"Stop it."

"Can't even wish a person good morning without them getting all worked up anymore, what kind of world are we living in?"

"You knew exactly what you were doing!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. You're beginning to sound quite paranoid."

Oliver was turning red in the face as Melanie did her best to control her laughter.

"My, my, we are grumpy this morning. What's wrong? Didn't get enough sleep last night?"

"No, I slept quite fine considering I was far away from you," Oliver said.

"Ooooh, I think that stung a bit, Ollie," she said placing her hand over her heart.

"Don't call me, Ollie."

"Then what am I supposed to call you? You don't like any of the names for you and some of them are pure brilliance."

"Not even close. You don't have to call me anything because you don't have to talk to me. I don't want to talk to you."

"Then why did you sit next to me?" she countered.

"I didn't have a choice."

"Oh pish posh, you certainly did. There are always choices, you were just too lazy. There's plenty of space on the floor and if you were really that desperate to get away from me, I am more than certain that you could get Todd to switch places with you. Think for once, Wood. For shame, and you call yourself a quidditch captain."

"That has nothing to do with anything!" Oliver glared at her.

"It has something to do with everything."

"What?"

"Exactly."

She watched as his frustration peaked and instead of arguing with her, he faced forward and ignored her.

Melanie glanced over at Andy who made a heart using her hands at her.

"She is the most infuriating person I have ever come to know! She's horrible!" Oliver said to Todd after they left Charms class.

"Yet, you always allow the girl to get under your skin," Todd said smoothing back his black hair. "Honestly, Oliver, after all this time, I'm beginning to think you enjoy arguing with Melanie."

"I certainly do not!" Oliver said. "All she's ever done is bother me."

"Well, you're the one who started it," Todd admitted.

Oliver stopped in the corridor and stared at his friend.

Todd turned around and looked at him. "Oh for Merlin's sake, come on Oliver, it's true and you know it."

"I did not start this!"

"You did too!"

"I was playing the game and she called me a bludger brain idiot! How is that me starting it?"

"You mean to tell me, you didn't say anything to her while you were up in the air? Not a single word."

Oliver remained silent.

"That's what I thought. You're just as guilty because you say things to her while you're both out on the pitch. You know what you both need to do right?"

"What's that?"

"Just snog already and get it over with-"

"Todd!" Oliver had the look of ultimate betrayal on his face.

"I'm sorry, mate. But it had to be said. It's obvious you like her as much as she likes you."

"That is not true!"

"Sure."

"It's not!"

Andy was on her bed, hanging off the end upside with a book in hand reading upside down.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" she read out loud.

Melanie glanced over from her bed.

"Because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat and it is never put with the wrong end in front," Melanie answered.

Andy grinned and set the book down on the floor.

"You read that book at the beginning of the year, every year," Melanie said glancing down at the copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

"That's because it's a brilliant book. There's no other book that compares to it in my opinion."

"That's because you've gone mad."

Andy quickly stood up on her bed in a theatrical pose.

"But I don't want to go among mad people!" Andy cried as she portrayed Alice.

"Oh, you can't help that," Melanie told her filling in for the Cheshire Cat, "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."

"How do you know I'm mad?"

"You must be or you wouldn't have come here."

The girls laughed among themselves as Andy fell back onto her bed.

"This year is already off to a good start. I can't wait to see how the rest of it plays out."