Finder's Keeper || Oliver Wood [1]

Chapter 5: Hot Chocolate

As November flew by and they entered into December, Jessica was growing more and more excited for Christmas. She would be staying in the castle for the first few days like she usually did, head home on the twenty-third, then go back to Hogwarts in January. At times, she would have loved to stay home longer to be with her family, but she always enjoyed staying in the castle for a short part of the break because Christmas at Hogwarts was unlike any other. Glorious feasts, enchanted decorations, cold weather perfect for hot cocoa, and simply being in the castle and enjoying her stay there instead of worrying about academics everyday were just some of its perks.

"What are you doing for Christmas?" Oliver asked, unrolling his next roll of parchment.

Ever since the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Jessica noticed that Oliver seemed to be in the library more often. Their small talk turned into short conversations, and she was beginning to get used to the boy. It was weird, to say the least; he was a fifth year, the Gryffindor Quidditch Team Captain, the one who had accused her of being a spy, and he just didn't seem to be the type to stay still in a library for so long. Jessica supposed that because she had started offering him books to use for his homework, he had become more obligated to actually do them. This was, in fact, quite true. The library didn't seem as boring to Oliver as it used to, and though it seemed like he was using Jessica, it certainly was convenient and amusing whenever she had the perfect book recommendation for whatever homework he had to complete, which almost always happened to be due the next day.

"I'm staying in Hogwarts for the first few days," Jessica replied. "Then, I'm going home for Christmas itself."

"Why don't you just stay at home the whole break?"

"You wanna get rid of me that easily?"

"What? Come on, that's not what I mean, Hawthorne," Oliver said quickly. Jessica chuckled at his reaction.

"Well, to answer your question: I sometimes stay here for a few days because holidays in Hogwarts are just so... magical. Christmas back home is fun, too, but muggle ones aren't as fascinating."

"You're a muggle-born?"

She nodded. "Well, both my parents are muggle-borns."

"So the rest of your family doesn't know you're a witch?"

"Yes. Except for my cousin, Charles, and his parents, of course. He turned out to be a wizard, too."

"Wait, Charles Hawthorne, Chaser from Puddlemere United?" It felt like Oliver had been struck by lightning. "You're related to him?"

"Yeah," Jessica laughed. "I thought you knew. We do have the same last name."

"I'm not exactly the smartest wizard there is."

"I won't argue with that," she said with a hint of humor.

Oliver would have glared at her, but he was too starstruck at the fact that his new friend was related to a Quidditch player from his favorite team.