Romance and Quidditch | Oliver Wood

Prologue: The First Meeting

 1994

 Oliver Wood was excited to be able to watch the last game of the World Cup. It was Ireland vs. Bulgaria, and this was the game that was going to decide who would win the World Cup.

 By the time Oliver had helped his parents pitch their tent and they all walked to the stadium, it was hard to keep in his excitement. He wanted to be able to witness a game like this, and hope he would be playing in a stadium like this someday.

 He wound up sitting next to another boy, one who had to be at least two or three years younger than him. He sat staring ahead of him, a very focused look on his face. He was silent, and Oliver hadn't planned on saying anything to him, but after a few minutes, the boy said, "It's a very tense thing, isn't it?"

 Oliver glanced at the boy, and then looked around them, wondering if the boy had spoken to him.

 "Yes, I mean you," he said. "You've got the look of someone who's enthusiastic about quidditch. Very enthusiastic, yes."

 "I'm sorry, do we know each other?" Oliver asked. He was pretty sure he had never seen this boy before, and he certainly wasn't from anywhere nearby, judging by his accent.

 "No, I doubt we have met. This is my first time in the UK. Gustav Olsson, from Sweden."

 Oliver nodded. "Oliver Wood, from the UK. And yeah, I am pretty enthusiastic about quidditch. I just finished at Hogwarts back in June. I was keeper and team captain for my house's quidditch team, and I would really like to play keeper in the World Cup someday."

 "Really? I play quidditch myself. My cousin is on the Nordic Team, and he told me I make a good chaser."

 "Right. Erm, how old are you?"

 "I just turned fourteen. Why, how old are you?"

 "Eighteen. Just saying, you'll have to wait a while longer if you want to get into the World Cup."

 "And you won't?" Gustav sighed. "Well, who knows? Maybe we'll be against each other in the Cup one day."

 Oliver nodded. "Yeah. Hey, where are you from? You speak English pretty well."

 "Swedish. I've learned English. Thought it would be good to know. Oh, look, I think the game is starting."

 Both boys turned away from each other, and focused their attention on Ireland vs. Bulgaria.