The Keeper and Kadid

9 - The Party

"I truly think that's the easiest practice since October we've had." Exclaimed Fred after an easy quidditch practice.

And right the red haired clone was, for it seemed the whole week leading up to the slytherin game, instead of torcherous practices, the Scottish captain let up, joy radiating from him. That whole week Louise and Oliver had joked around, eating breakfast and lunch at each other's house tables, and most importantly the feelings Oliver felt towards Louise becoming stronger each day.

"Who're you betting on for the game tomorrow Bambi?" Oliver questioned Louise on a sunny Thursday, two days before the game.

"Well Sam is on the slytherin team so I feel obliged to root for them. But I guess the gryffindors are good enough for me to cheer on." Louise joked.

"I'd like to think that you'd choose a lion over a snake." Oliver smiled, but on the inside he was dying, the nerves of the game eating up at him. Just before he was going to say something about Louise's love of fish and chips, Cedric came up, pulling her away.

"See you later oak wood!" She shouted back.

"Well hello there m'lady." Cedric beamed to Louise.

"Don't you look happy. Shall we take a stroll?" Louise asked.

"Well I was actually coming to ask my amazing girlfriend to accompany me to a party. It's a ritual really just for the start of the quidditch season. I'm not really asking, you're obliged to come." Cedric stated.

"Ugh what is with these people and quidditch? Well when you put it like that, I guess I don't have a choice. Pick me up at 7?" Louise asked.

"Certainly, look I have some of transfiguration work to catch up on, I'll see you later." Cedric pecked Louise's lips, running away. Despite the excitement she should feel about the upcoming party, Louise couldn't help but forget that as she kissed her boyfriend, the smell of fire whisky on his lips was very distinct.

"Were parties even a thing in America?" Elena asked as she was applying eyeliner to her grey colored eyes.

"Of course! Yet I have a feeling this will be different." Louise replied while she put gold earrings on herself.

"In what way?" Elena questioned.

"For starters, anyone could come and when they wanted. But here it's all about house segregation." Louise sighed, she hated the housing system. If the house system reminded her of anything, it was the way muggle gangs acted in America. Between the color, tension, and arguments that broke out, there wasn't much of a difference.

"I guess but no one really cares about that, anyone who wants just has to try harder."

"Will Sam be attending?" Louise asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Hard to say." Was all Elena said, exiting the dorm.

"Hey Ollie, going to the party tonight?" Kendra Higgs, a fellow gryffindor asked Oliver as he was walking off the quidditch pitch.

"I haven't decided yet, sorry ken." Oliver wasn't clueless. Girls had chased after him, some caught his eye some didn't. But even since Louise and the conversation they had about his future, he suddenly didn't want a girlfriend.

"Blimey Oliver just because you don't want to see Louise with Cedric doesn't mean the rest of us can't go!" Geogre bellowed to Oliver when he announced that no one on the quidditch team could go.

"That is not it. I just think that we should be in tip top shape for the game in two days!" Retorted Oliver.

"So what if we lose! Just live a bloody life and get over your obsession with the sport!" An angry George said, storming out.

As the hours passed by, Oliver's head couldn't help but wander . What if something happens to her? What if she secretly wanted me there? What if I was an arse to George? So letting these questions and the curiosity get the best of him, he ventured to the common room closest to the kitchens.

Walking in, all around the common room were plastic cups filled with what smelled stronger than pumpkin juice. But it seemed everyone was having the time of their lives, until Oliver managed to find Louise, fake smiling around all of cedric's friends. You'd think he'd notice if his girlfriend doesn't want to be there. Oliver thought, admiring the soft features of her face.

Once Louise saw Oliver, her eyes lit up, "Hey Oliver! I didn't think you'd make it!"

"Oh well some studies say that letting loose the day before a big game helps with nerves. You look amazing by the way." Oliver said, looking up and down at the yellow jumpsuit with a white cardigan that Louise fashioned.

"Thanks! I would get you a drink but Ced and I are so close to beating these two ravenclaws in beer pong, I can't miss a second." Louise said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh well you certainly can't miss that, have fun Bambi." Oliver chuckled walking to the red haired twins in an attempt to apologize.

"Hey babe look I just scored us an extra point, take that Cho!" A happy Cedric yelled to Louise as she made her way to the boy. Being around him, it felt right, simple, easy. To fully explain the relationship she felt with Cedric, it would be as though the two were a suburban couple who were highschool sweethearts, without many aspirations. And yes, Louise does have aspirations, but part of her wishes that Cedric did too, besides winning beer pong and laughing with friends. To top it all off, when Louise was with Oliver, the two could talk endlessly about the physics involved in quidditch or world issues, without feeling guilty for boring the gryffindor.

"Hey cheer up mate, sorry we were so hard on you." Fred apologized, suspecting the feelings Oliver had for Louise.

"It's all good. Hey what happened with cedric's last girlfriend?" Oliver mumbled, asking Angelina, the gossip of hogwarts.

"Well I think he was with Hannah Abbott, but then she hooked up with a raven claw, but to me it seems like he forgives her." Eyeing her way to Cedric, laughing with his ex while Louise was talking with a slytherin a few feet away. Despite the horrible feeling Oliver had of seeing her so miserable and yearning to go to bed, Oliver felt obligated to stay there, making sure she was alright.

Once the clock struck 11 o clock, George walked over to Oliver saying, "look man you're tired, get some rest, we'll take care of her."

"Thanks mate." A sad Oliver replied. Making an already bored Louise even more bored seeing her best friend exit the common room.

"I'm going to head up, goodnight Ced." Louise said, trudging up the stairs.

"Ok goodnight darling!" A drunken Cedric bellowed, with a fire whiskey in hand.

But Louise didn't go to bed, she chased after Oliver as he trudged back to his dorm.

"Ollie how dare you leave without saying goodbye!" She called out from behind him.

"It's called a Scottish exit, and by the looks of it you just did one too." He smiled when he turned to see her radiating joy in the hallway.

"That's a pretty useful party trick. Want to grab a bagel, i'm starved." Louise pouted.

"To absorb the alcohol? As long as you don't put a whopping amount of cream cheese on mine."

In the dim lights of the kitchen, Louise sadly watched the house elves work themselves to death cleaning up the dishes. For the next hour, the two talked about Louise's next project and the big game for Oliver.

"Let me walk you up to your dorm, you're clearly exhausted." Oliver said when he watched the sleepy girl yawn.

"Wish I could but Elena has company."

"Come with me."

And when they reached the cozy Gryffindor common room with a fire crackling, Oliver went to ask Angelina to share a bed but not soon enough because Louise curled up and fell asleep on the plush red couch. When Oliver saw this, he covered her with a blanket saying, "Goodnight darlin"