Romance and Quidditch | Oliver Wood

Chapter Six: The Fourth Meeting

 Oliver Wood was pacing back on forth on the platform of the local train station. Gustav's train would be coming in any moment now, and he didn't know what he was going to say when Gustav showed up.

 When Oliver received Gustav's letter asking if he could come visit, Oliver had originally thought about saying no. He had been nervous enough around the other man when they saw each other during that quidditch match; he couldn't have him coming around to his house, could he?

 But for some reason, something inside him made write back to Gustav to tell him that it would be a good time for him to come for a visit. And now the man was going to be there any minute.

 Oliver didn't know why he was so nervous about Gustav coming to see him. Oliver liked him, but there was something about seeing and talking to him that made him nervous. It wasn't that he had an intimidating presence, but...something else Oliver couldn't quite figure out. But whatever the reason, he was standing on the platform in the chilly spring weather, waiting for his guest to show up.

 Finally, after what felt like hours (but was really only half an hour), a train pulled up in the station, one that Gustav Olsson himself stepped out of.

 "Oliver!" He gave the Englishman a smile. "How are you, my friend? I am very glad to see you. Ah, I see you also have chilly springs, eh?"

 "Um...yeah." Oliver nodded. "Great to see you, too."

 "Oh, just a moment." Gustav grabbed his suitcase and said, "Here we are. Now, where are we going first?"

 "Um, home, I guess," Oliver answered. "My house, I mean. I have a spare room, so you can leave your suitcase there."

 "Ah. All right. Well, lead the way."

 The two men walked out of the train station and started down the road.

 "Where's your house?" Gustav asked, glancing around the town.

 "More on the outskirts, up that way. There are some fellow witches and wizards in town, but not everyone is. It's just easier for me to live on the edge."

 "Ah, the ideal English village," Gustav said, gazing around. "Not quite like Stockholm. My brother Tommy has an apartment there, so that's where I've been all this time."

 "Do you like the city?" Oliver asked.

 "Oh, yes, it's all right. But I also like the idea of living out in the country."

 The conversation lapsed into silence, and stayed that way until they got to Oliver's house.

 "It's more like a cottage, really," Oliver said, "Since it's pretty small. But it's comfortable."

 "Well. I think I like it." Gustav went through the front hall and looked into the living room and the kitchen. "It's a nice house, Oliver. Now, which room is the spare one?" He held up his suitcase. "I've got to get rid of this."

 "It's the one on the left. Do you want any tea? It really is cold today. And it'll be dinnertime soon."

 Gustav nodded. "I would like that very much."

 Oliver went to put the tea kettle on the stove as Gustav went up the stairs. Oliver knew how awkward he must have seemed, and he silently told himself to cut it out. There was no reason to be nervous around Gustav; he seemed like a pleasant enough man. What was wrong with him?

 Gustav came into the kitchen as Oliver was pouring the tea into cups.

 "I know you are going to ask if the spare bedroom is all right," Gustav asked, "So I will tell you that it is. You really do not need to fuss."

 "Oh. Um, here." Oliver handed one of the cups to him. "So, you said you live in an apartment in Stockholm? With your brother? What's that like?"

 "Oh, not so bad." Gustav sat down at the table with his cup. "Tommy's a writer. He writes a lot of mad adventure novels and horror stories. I was a little concerned about leaving him by himself, but I'm sure my mother will be checking up on him."

 "Oh. Well, you did say you had a mad family, didn't you?"

 "Oh, yes. I forgot I mentioned. Well, my siblings are all half-siblings; no one of us has the same two parents. But I suppose I had better start at the beginning with that.

 "My father married his first wife when they were both still very young, and they had Tommy together. But Tommy's mother died when he was a year old. I don't know the entire story, but I know it was a terrible accident. My father then married Birgitta Berg, my mother, because he wanted Tommy to have a mother. And Tommy does call her 'Mom', which I know she secretly loves to her him call her.

 "Anyway, my parents divorced when I was four and Tommy was eight because my mother discovered an affair my father was having. His secret girlfriend, Amelie, gave birth to a daughter, my sister Hannah, when I was five. Dad and Amelie never got married, though; the relationship didn't end well.

 "My mother remarried when I was ten, and my sister Alice was born when I was twelve. I guess I sort of took her under my wing, and she and I have always gotten along well. My stepfather and I get along well, too; he's a great guy, and he loves my mother."

 "What about your father?" Oliver asked.

 "Oh, he's still alive. He's on his third wife. She's the mother of my youngest sister, Annika. She's only two years younger than Alice."

 "So...there's five of you altogether."

 "Oh, yeah. I, Tommy, Hannah and Annika all have the same father, but Alice and I are the only ones who share a mother. But we all get along well enough, I'd say."

 Oliver nodded. "Well, you weren't kidding about complicated. My parents live down in Dover, and they've never had a relationship that complicated."

 "Then you're lucky. Now, please, let me help you with dinner. If I'm going to be your guest for a few days, I'd like to be helpful."