Finder's Keeper || Oliver Wood [1]

Chapter 23: You Can't Cancel Quidditch

Oliver tried not to dwell on his fight with Jessica. He already knew he was wrong for acting so rashly and just saying whatever nonsense he thought of in an attempt to defend himself.

But then, the morning of the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match inevitably arrived. Jessica and Oliver didn't acknowledge one another even as they ate breakfast with their team together, and they both hoped nobody noticed the strange atmosphere between them. Jessica chose to sit in between George and Angelina and across Harry just to be as far away from Oliver as possible. Oliver actually almost forgot they argued because he was in such a good mood that it was a sunny day with just a light breeze — the best weather possible for a good game.

"Perfect Quidditch conditions!" he said enthusiastically, piling scrambled eggs onto his teammates' plates. "Harry, buck up there, you need a decent breakfast."

Harry didn't feel like eating because he was too busy thinking about what happened the night before — he had returned from Quidditch practice to find that his room had been raided and was a complete mess, and that whoever had done it took Tom Riddle's diary from him. He kept on wondering who in the world was so desperate to get that diary of all things... But his team didn't know that, nor did they need to know that, so he stayed quiet as the others made conversation around him.

After Jessica finished her light yet satisfying meal, she realized she had forgotten her broomstick in her room — she must've still been distracted by her argument with Oliver that she didn't even think to bring it down. She stood up abruptly, causing some of the team to glance at her.

"Where are you going?" Oliver asked her, almost standing up himself. Katie and Angelina didn't miss this and giggled under their breaths.

Jessica cleared her throat and answered without looking at him.

"I left my broom in the dorm. I'll go grab it and meet you guys in the pitch."

"Well, hurry up, then," said George. "We need that second Nimbus 2000 in our match today!"

Jessica stepped out of the bench, ignoring Oliver's lingering gaze. It was obvious that he wanted to say something, but he decided against it. She strolled out of the Great Hall, nearly bumping into Hermione Granger as she did so.

"Sorry, Hawthorne!" the younger girl said.

"Where are you hurrying off to, Granger?" Jessica asked her curiously.

"Library!" And then she sped off without another word. Jessica shrugged, knowing all too well how it felt when you just needed to search for something in the library.

She took her sweet time walking to the Gryffindor Tower, knowing that she still had at least half an hour before the match started. Oliver just always wanted them at the locker rooms early so that he could give them a pep talk. It was quiet and empty in the halls seeing as half the school was sleeping in because it was the weekend and they weren't interested in watching Quidditch, while the other half was already down at the Great Hall to get ready for the game.

In the silence, her mind couldn't help but wander back to what happened the previous night. She was still angry at Oliver and wasn't speaking to him, but now that her head was a bit clearer, she wondered if she had overreacted too. Maybe Oliver's dislike for Slytherins blinded him during that argument? And perhaps he didn't mean to insult her? She wasn't sure if she was really thinking logically or she was just being too considerate with their friendship on the line. She didn't realize she had come to a stop and was staring at a stained glass window because she was so deep in her thoughts.

A slithering noise from somewhere behind her caused her to jump with a start. She turned around, her heart beating quickly, but she didn't see anything. With a sigh, she faced the window again. What am I doing getting distracted like this? she scolded herself. Merlin's beard, I have a match in minutes! She had to hurry and get her broomstick like she intended to as soon as possible so she could run down to the pitch with enough time to spare. Her worries could wait until later.