Finder's Keeper || Oliver Wood [1]

Chapter 31: Brand New

"You really thought this through, didn't you?" Jessica teased him as they made their way into Hogsmeade.

"Oh, shut it," Oliver grumbled in embarrassment, tugging Jessica along to walk with him.

As Oliver suggested, their first activity was to head to the Three Broomsticks for a light lunch and some drinks. Their conversation started off with their classes, which were becoming increasingly difficult for both of them since they were at the N.E.W.T. level already. It somehow transitioned to childhood stories, and though Jessica also grew up with magic, she found that being raised by muggle-borns was still drastically different from a pureblood upbringing. Oliver's life involved magic in every way possible, whereas Jessica's still consisted largely of muggle customs and traditions in general.

Of course, they finished off their meal with two cold mugs of Butterbeer with whipped cream on top. It left them full and contented, so after a few minutes of arguing between who would pay (Oliver ended up paying, so Jessica insisted that she'd pay next time), they made their way back out into the village.

"I told Carson and Percy about us dating, by the way," Oliver said, clearing his throat at how new the phrase sounded to him. Jessica's heart fluttered as he said those words, and she mentally cursed herself for getting so worked up over something so small.

"What did they say?"

"They both congratulated me for finally having the guts to ask you out," he scoffed at the memory, remembering how much Carson had made fun of him. "Oh, and Percy finally told us that he's dating Clearwater as well."

"I should've known — they do always stay behind together during prefect meetings," said Jessica thoughtfully. "How long have they been going out?"

"Believe it or not, they've been going out since the summer. He's been keeping it a secret because he doesn't want Fred and George to find out."

"That makes sense. They'd probably pick on the poor boy."

"'Probably'? Of course they will," Oliver chuckled as they strolled down the road. "That's why I made a deal with him — I won't tell the twins about him and Clearwater as long as he doesn't tell them about us yet."

"Good thinking," Jessica mused. "They'd never let this news die down."

"Exactly. They'll bring it up every second."

"Beth and Alista will probably act the same way," Jessica said. "I just know that once I tell them, they'll say that they've been expecting it the entire time."

"They have? Since when?" Oliver said curiously.

"To be honest, they've been talking about it since we first became friends," Jessica answered sheepishly. She recalled all the times Alista made dirty jokes about Oliver and how Bethany would keep pushing her to date him (even back when she didn't like him that way yet) since it was apparently the perfect time for some romance. "Even when Higgs was — well, in the picture — they'd say that he was nice, but you'd still be a better fit for me."

"But I am, right?"

"Sure, you are," she agreed just to please him. Oliver smiled to himself in satisfaction.

"Hey, do you still have the Snitch I gave you last year?"

The image of the miniature Golden Snitch hidden in Jessica's trunk flashed in her mind at his sudden question. Of course she had kept it — it was too memorable not to. At first, it was just to humor her because of the words engraved on it, which she had even used to pick on Oliver that day they played Quidditch in outside her house. But after slowly realizing how she really felt about him, she found the small present too special to just leave it lying around somewhere.