Finder's Keeper || Oliver Wood [1]

Chapter 24: Turmoil

The attack on Jessica Hawthorne, Hermione Granger, and Penelope Clearwater had shaken everyone at Hogwarts to their core. They couldn't believe three students had been petrified at the same time. The castle didn't feel as safe anymore, nor was it as fun. The rules were much stricter — students were being escorted to and from classes, there was an earlier curfew, and clubs and team practices and games had gotten postponed indefinitely.

Bethany Faye and Alista Greene felt like they had lost a puzzle piece as the days went by. They had been best friends with Jessica since they first entered Hogwarts, and though the two of them were close as well, it just felt as if the whole dynamic of their friendship had been thrown off now that their trio had temporarily become a pair. On most days, they either spent it bickering like cats and dogs or complaining that they missed Jessica.

Oliver Wood wasn't doing any better. He felt terrible about what happened to Jessica. He knew it wasn't his fault per se, but he always wondered if things would've happened differently if he didn't pick a fight with her. He was positive that if they hadn't argued, he would've walked back to the Gryffindor Tower with her. But that didn't happen, and now she was as still as a statue and missing out on a large chunk of her fifth year. Not having Quidditch to take Oliver's mind off of things made it even worse. The sport was the one thing that both excited and calmed him down, and he couldn't even have that to keep him sane because of all the restrictions that were put up to keep the rest of the student body safe from whatever monster was hiding underneath the school.

For the first week after Jessica's petrification, Oliver, Bethany, and Alista visited her at the hospital wing daily. It was strange seeing her look so frozen while her face showed a shocked expression. However, they soon had to accept that there really wasn't going to be any improvement in her state until Professor Sprout's mandrakes were fully grown.

"She really isn't going to change any time soon," Bethany sighed sadly after Madam Pomfrey made a side comment about how they were there every single day.

"You're right," Alista admitted. "I suppose we can still visit her once in a while... but until the mandrakes are grown, there's nothing we can do by sitting around here everyday."

Oliver wanted to protest and say that of course he knew that she wasn't going to show any signs of improvement just like that. But that didn't stop him from wanting to see her and just keep her company, even if she wasn't aware of it. However, Oliver didn't want to sound stupid, nor did he want Bethany and Alista to realize that perhaps he did care for Jessica a bit more than friends would — not that he would ever say that out loud.

"We have Charms in a while, Wood, so we have to get going," Bethany told him, already picking up her bag. "Are you coming?"

Oliver had Transfiguration as well, but there was no harm in spending a few more minutes there.

"I'll head out in a while," he replied. Bethany and Alista sent Jessica one last look before making their way out of the hospital wing, leaving Oliver alone by the girl's side. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. What am I even doing? he wondered. Is it creepy that I'm just waiting around here for nothing? It's not like she can even hear me if I talk to her.