A/N: Sorry for the late update! As much as I want to post as quickly as possible, I just end up feeling more pressured when I'm flooded with comments and messages telling me to update right away. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate you guys wanting to read more of this story, but I'd rather post a chapter that I've taken the time to plan out and edit rather than a rushed one :') I also have other responsibilities, so I hope y'all understand why I'm not a fast updater 🤧
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this last chapter (although it hasn't been proofread yet)! :>
Jessica was now a hundred percent convinced that every year since Harry Potter entered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry led to some bizarre event. There was the whole Philosopher's Stone and Professor Quirrell fiasco during the boy's first year. After that, the Chamber of Secrets reopened, and Jessica herself had nearly been a victim of the basilisk that lived inside of it — thankfully, she had only gotten petrified and was revived without any issues. Then, over the past few months of the current school year, there were multiple break-ins of Sirius Black into the castle.
Now, just as their final exams had come to a close, Jessica was met with another round of news. First, Buckbeak the hippogriff managed to escape before he was supposed to be executed — of course, Malfoy was furious about that. The third year boy would not stop whining that justice had not been served. Second, Sirius Black had somehow been caught in the grounds, but he escaped as well. The Ministry wasn't pleased since the mass murderer had slipped through their fingers yet again. And finally, it was revealed that Professor Lupin was actually werewolf. It did not take long for him to make an official resignation from his post as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.
On the afternoon that all this information spread across the school, Jessica found herself sitting cross-legged on the grass next to Bethany and Alista in the Transfiguration Courtyard. All around them, they could hear whispers as both students and staff members discussed the recent turn of events.
"Why can't we just have one normal year?" Jessica wondered.
"And why couldn't we have a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who would actually stay and teach us?" Bethany complained. "Lupin was the best we've had by far. I can't believe he's leaving."
"I know. He's way better than Lockhart, even though I loved him, too," Alista said. Jessica and Bethany hid entertained glances at that, remembering how much Alista fancied Lockhart even if he was a mediocre teacher. "I can't believe everyone knows about Lupin's... condition already, though. Snape just told us Slytherins this morning."
"Why would Snape blab about that to your house in the first place? Does he not have friends to gossip with, so he turns to his students instead?" Jessica scoffed, making Bethany and Alista giggle under their breaths. "I bet he must have something against Lupin. Why else would he spill his secret?"
"That's highly likely. Maybe it's because Snape lost to him for the Defense post," Alista agreed.
"He loses it every year. He should just give up," Bethany deadpanned. "Either way, it's not like we can do anything. Whatever Snape's intentions were, it worked — Lupin won't be teaching us anymore."
The three girls sighed in unison, feeling quite down. They were sure they weren't the only ones upset about Lupin resigning, though. He had made such a big impact on students from all years — he was practically the perfect mix of being both a strict yet relatable professor. He took class seriously, but he never forgot to be kind and considerate to his students. He genuinely wanted everyone to learn, but he also made sure to throw in a few jokes here and there to make his lessons enjoyable. However, Jessica also knew deep inside that there were probably a number of students talking badly about him being werewolf as well — after all, it was still not widely accepted in the wizarding community. It was only a matter of time before the parents found out about it, and Hogwarts would receive a bunch of complaints for that. In hindsight, avoiding that was probably one of the main reasons why Lupin decided to leave so early.
"Why does he have to resign?" Jessica groaned again, still not over it. "Didn't he save Harry and Hermione last night when Sirius Black was around? At least, that's what I heard."
"We should ask them when we get back to the common room later," Bethany suggested.
"If it's true, then Lupin's really brave to have done that," said Alista. "He's such a great man, isn't he? If only he were a bit younger for me..."
Both Jessica and Bethany whacked the blonde for that comment.
"Don't you have enough boys our age to flirt with?"
"This isn't the time to have a crush on our ex-professor!"
"Come on, it's not like I'm wrong!" Alista laughed while dodging their attacks. "You have to admit that he's pretty good-looking, too."
"He's also in his thirties, and you're only sixteen," Jessica reminded her. "Lupin's already leaving, so let's try not to throw him in Azkaban for possibly dating a minor, too."
"Alright, alright, I was just trying to lighten the mood!" Alista said, causing the other two girls to shake their heads in amusement.
"What do you think happened to Black after all of that, anyway?" Bethany asked.
"I did hear one rumor that he was somehow able to Disapparate," Jessica piped up. "But I can't figure out how because you can't do that inside of Hogwarts."
"Well, he is a mad man and a strong wizard — he must've found some way to do it."
Evidently, nobody at Hogwarts was truly aware of what went on that night except for Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Dumbledore. Nobody besides them knew that Sirius Black was innocent, that Peter Pettigrew was actually to blame for the Potters' terrible fate, and even that Buckbeak managed to cheat death thanks to some time-traveling teenagers.
★ ★ ★
On the last day of the term, the exam results came out. As expected, Jessica passed them with flying colors; she scored mostly O's and EE's. If she kept up with this performance, she could get the N.E.W.T.s she needed next year, which would be helpful for when she would eventually leave Hogwarts and pursue her career of choice. Oliver was able to score fairly well on his N.E.W.T.s as well. Although those were enough to get him hired in a variety of jobs, it was no surprise that the only path he had in mind after Hogwarts was in the direction of playing Quidditch professionally. Once the summer officially began, he would start sending his application forms and hopefully trying out for teams.
As for the entire Gryffindor House, the championship title was theirs for the third year in a row now, which was largely thanks to their winning the Quidditch Cup. Because of that, the Great Hall was adorned in scarlet and gold decorations for the end-of-year feast. It was no shock that the Gryffindor table was the noisiest that evening as they celebrated such a wonderful end to their school year. Oliver still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he was finally able to win the Quidditch Cup with the team that he led. He had been waiting for that moment since the day he was appointed captain, and now that he achieved it, it felt unreal. Jessica was also still over the moon about their victory, especially since it had taken her so many years to muster up the courage to play Quidditch for her House team at all.
Finally, the morning that the students were set to return to Platform 9 3/4 arrived. Everyone rushed around their dorms to do some last-minute packing, and the whole tower was buzzing as friends talked about the crazy year that passed and what they wanted to do in the summer.
Jessica descended the staircase of the girls dormitory with Bethany by her side after they double-checked that they were all packed and ready to go. The moment they set foot in the common room, someone called her attention.
"Hey, Hawthorne!"
Jessica halted in her steps and turned to find Carson Grey walking up to her.
"Oh, hey. What is it?"
"Have you seen Oliver? His trunk's not fully packed yet, but I have no idea where he is."
"The last time I saw him was at breakfast," Jessica replied.
"Well, he was with me upstairs just a couple of minutes ago, but he disappeared after I used the loo," Carson said to which Jessica frowned at. It wasn't like Oliver to suddenly disappear, regardless of the situation.
"I'll go look for him," she decided.
"Thanks," Carson beamed. "If you do find him, tell him he's a prick because I'm going to finish packing for him."
With that, Jessica left Bethany and Carson in the common room to search for Oliver. She had an inkling as to where he might be, but she made sure to pass by certain halls, passages, and courtyards just in case he was there. In the end, it turned out that he wasn't in any of those places, so she made her way to the Quidditch pitch.
The sun was shining and there was a mild breeze in the air as Jessica entered the pitch. It was a bit strange to see it so empty again after all the matches she'd played there wherein the bleachers were packed. The last time she saw it this way was probably in her fourth year, back when she would slip into the unbooked pitch to spend time away from the chaos inside the castle — back then, she wasn't even friends with Oliver yet. It was crazy to think about how much had changed since then.
It only took seconds before Jessica spotted the Scottish boy that occupied her thoughts. He was sitting on the lowest level of the bleachers, leaning back slightly as his eyes scanned the field idly.
"Feeling a bit nostalgic already, are we?" Jessica mused. Oliver sent her a small smile as she approached him.
"Yes, actually," he admitted while Jessica plopped down next to him. "It just feels like the year ended so quickly."
"Perhaps it's because you've already achieved what you've been dreaming of for the longest time. You know, winning the Quidditch Cup."
Oliver still felt like he was on top of the world whenever he thought about that. It had been his goal for so long, and he couldn't be any happier that he managed to accomplish it at last. Nevertheless, there was no denying that he was also starting to feel sentimental knowing that he wouldn't ever be playing in this field again as the Captain and Keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team.
"Did I ever tell you how I took a Bludger to my head and got knocked out there in my very first game?" said Oliver, pointing to the bottom of the rightmost hoop on one side of the pitch.
"You've mentioned it once or twice, but I still feel bad for your younger self whenever I hear that," Jessica winced. She pictured a little Oliver Wood just innocently trying to block the opponent's shots, only to get attacked by a speeding Bludger.
"It's fine. It's not like I really remember it anyway," Oliver said with a hint of humor. "I did wake up in the hospital wing a week later, so all I've got are the audience's version of the story."
"What is it with you and your fascination for Quidditch injuries?" Jessica shook her head, causing Oliver to chuckle. "I'm not prepared for when you start playing professionally. You'll practically be getting beaten up after every match."
"Are you that worried about me, lassie?" Oliver cooed, leaning dangerously close to her face.
"O-Of course I am," said Jessica, fighting off a blush at his proximity. "You never take your injuries seriously."
"The Healers will fix me up in seconds, anyway." Jessica narrowed her eyes at that, making Oliver raise his hands up in defense. "Just kidding."
"You better be. Oh, and I almost forgot — Carson told me to tell you that you're a prick."
"I'm sort of used to hearing that from him, but I suppose I should still ask why."
"You left in the middle of packing, so he's doing it for you right now."
"To be fair, I was planning on heading back in a while," Oliver tried.
"Sure," Jessica said disbelievingly, dragging out the word. "Come on, we should really go back to the Gryffindor tower, anyway. We have to take the carriages to the station soon."
"Alright," Oliver gave in. He and Jessica pushed themselves off of the bench, and then he made a move to interlock his hand with hers. The pair made their way down the row of seats and towards the exit in a comfortable silence, the only sounds coming from the chirping of birds above them and the rustling of leaves from the faint wind. But before they could fully step out of the pitch, Oliver tugged her hand, forcing her to stop walking.
"What's wrong?" Jessica asked in confusion.
"I just remembered something about Quidditch."
"I'd be concerned if your thoughts had nothing to do with Quidditch anymore."
"Not like that, lass," Oliver grumbled. Jessica let out an amused breath. "It's about the Quidditch World Cup. You know that it's happening this summer, right?"
"Of course. But what about it?"
"Would you, er, want to watch it with me?" he asked, suddenly feeling awkward. "My parents are massive fans, too, so they'll be reserving tickets any time now. Oh, but you might want to watch it with your parents, or even Charles, so I understand if you don't —"
"Oliver, I'd love to watch it with you," Jessica cut him off.
"Oh," Oliver heaved a sigh of relief. "Great. Brilliant."
"Did you really think I'd want to miss out on watching the World Cup with the most Quidditch-obsessed person I know?" Jessica teased to which Oliver huffed at like a little child. She looked at him fondly before kissing him on the cheek. Oliver tried to resist the smile that was fighting its way onto his face, but it was no use.
"I think you missed, lass," he said mischievously. Before Jessica could respond, he bent down to sneak a quick peck on her lips, causing butterflies to erupt in her stomach. "I guess I better tell my parents to add one more ticket to the list, then."
"I can't wait."
A/N: And that's the end of Finder's Keeper!! I'll post the sequel details here in a few days (not weeks, I promise HAHA) so watch out for that :>
Edit: The sequel has been posted! You can check the following posts for more details, or click on my profile to find it among my list of works.