The Keeper

Chapter 22

This chapter's songs are Shame by Bastille, Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits and Slide by Jake Bugg.

I had this idea for a chapter where I changed point of view to either Sasha or Oliver (or maybe a different character, I'm not entirely sure yet). I think it would be interesting to see different interpretations of scenes and see into the characters' minds. Leave a comment to let me know what you think!

Please vote and comment <3

*

At breakfast, Oliver had instructed me to go to the courtyard at break. He said he would be waiting there for me. I had told Sasha, who promptly marched me to the courtyard the second we were dismissed.

"If he asks you to marry him, say yes," she said, clapping me on the back. "Unless he doesn't want to be your planner. Then say no."

"I will," I replied with a smile.

Taking a deep breath, I started to walk over to the corner, where a certain boy was already sitting. Every step I took increased the anxiety building up inside of me. I had assumed he only wanted to spend break together like we did in the past. But then, as usual, more menacing thoughts wandered into my mind. What if he had bad news?

I reminded myself of Sasha's trademark words of wisdom and just breathed. As always, I immediately felt calmer. At this point, Oliver had noticed me and smiled warmly. I took another deep breath before sitting next to him.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi."

Neither of us spoke. Uncomfortable, I bit my lip.

Oliver cleared his throat. "So you're probably wondering why I wanted you to come here," he began. I felt my stomach clench. "I just wanted to ask you a question somewhere a bit less crowded. Eavesdropping seems to be a common thing here."

"It is."

"I just wanted to know if we could spend the next Hogsmeade trip together."

Thank God. A huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

"It's next weekend, I think, and I really enjoyed my time with you yesterday and I-" Oliver continued.

I lifted my hand to interrupt his rambling. When did he suddenly become so cute?  "That sounds wonderful, Oliver," I said, meeting his dark eyes.

Beaming, he started to say something before his gaze drifted to the side. His mouth was frozen and slightly open. He swallowed and told me to look. Nerves steadily building up, I turned to see what, or who, had distracted Oliver. I had a strong inkling that it was one of the eavesdroppers he had mentioned earlier.

And it was. To be more specific, it was Albert and three girls whose faces rang a bell. Then it hit me: they were the three who first approached me after Oliver and I platonically went to Madam Puddifoot's. As she did during our encounter, the leader of the trio had her blonde hair tied in a messy bun. The four of them were talking excitedly, throwing the occasional glance in our direction.

"Say the word and I will go over and break their legs," I muttered.

"While I would really, really like to see that happen," Oliver said, "that's probably not the best way to handle things. You've dealt with them before, right?"

"During first period with Albert," I said bitterly. "And those three girls came up to me after our first trip to Madam Puddifoot's."

He sighed. "Then it's my turn."

He stood up, but I grabbed his elbow to prevent him from going. I looked at the four. They weren't talking as feverishly as they were previously. Instead, they seemed to be more interested in what Oliver was planning.

"As appealing as confrontation sounds," I began, dragging him back into sitting down, "it probably is better if we leave them alone. Rumours are going to fly whatever we do."

Defeated, Oliver nodded. I let go of his elbow. But I could tell he wasn't finished.

*

And I was right. At dinner, Albert and the three girls were seated barely a metre away from Oliver and by the frantic movement of their mouths, I guessed they were gossiping...again. In fact, I was certain that the amount of people who knew about Oliver and I had tripled since this morning.

It was only a few minutes into the meal before I watched, helpless, as Oliver stood up forcefully. I gripped Sasha's knee. She immediately followed my gaze. I squeezed her knee harder.

My eyes were glued to Oliver who strode to the four, his eyes narrowed. The chatter died when he approached them. I was too far away to hear what he was saying or attempt to read his lips, but the look on his face told me enough. He was only there for a few seconds before returning to his seat. Albert and the girls were silent.

The second I finished my food, I hurried over to where Oliver was. I really hoped he hadn't done anything too bad.

"Oliver," I said as I waited behind him. He looked up at me. "Can we talk?"

He followed me until we were just outside the doors to the Great Hall. I leant against the cold, stone wall. Oliver stood in front of me, his arms crossed. His expression was gentle.

"What happened?" I asked simply.

He smiled a little and I found myself soften. "They were saying...bad things."

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought as much. Even so, I'm going to need you to expand a little. Bad things doesn't justify you confronting them in the middle of eating. You looked angry." I noticed his jaw tighten. "Tell me, Oliver. Please."

Sighing, he uncrossed his arms and took my hand. I didn't say anything as he pulled me around the corner where less students would be. My stomach fell - was what they were saying really that bad?

"I'll tell you," he said. But he paused, so I urged him to continue. "They were talking about you."