(A/N A friendly reminder for anyone who didn't read the authors note: First, don't worry, I typically don't read authors notes either ;). Second, in celebration of this book reaching its first year anniversary, I'm hosting a one shot competition. Enter through PM or tag, details can be found in the previous A/N part. Thanks! Also, I've extended the date, just so you guys know.)
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On the day of Oliver Wood's graduation, Katie rejoiced. She danced through the halls, no longer scared of punishment. Summer started immediately afterwards, and the teachers could do nothing to scare her from celebrating. No detentions, no points taken away, no extra assignments. And best of all, no Wood. She never thought this day would come. After all the snide comments, dismal waves, and plain heart-crushing rejections, he was finally gone. Out of her way. Next year, after a summer of intense training and practice, she would be a Gryffindor Chaser. She knew this was her year, her tea leaves even agreed.
"Excited for summer?" Her best friend asked quietly from beside her. Katie was too happy to eat her last meal at Hogwarts. All she wanted to do with her food was throw it in Oliver's face, a hardly worthy punishment for all the years he blocked her from becoming Chaser.
"I'm more excited for what comes afterwards," She said, looking across the table and sending a smug look at Oliver, who was celebrating his final day at Hogwarts. He rolled his eyes and whispered something to Harry Potter beside him. Katie swore to herself, she knew Oliver would do anything to keep her from becoming Chaser, even if it meant planting information in Harry's head.
"Quidditch tryouts?" Her friend asked knowingly, sighing. "You've been obsessed with being Chaser for years."
"No I haven't!" Katie said defensively. "I got better scores on the exams than you, so who needs to get their priorities straight?"
She scoffed. "We both still failed!"
"I still got a higher score," She said and stuck her tongue out.
"It hardly counts," She said and stood up with a sigh. "I'll see you one the train, yeah?"
"Yeah," Katie said, saying a quick goodbye to her friend. The train didn't leave until noon, and she still had a few hours to kill. She didn't plan on spending that time packing, even though she had tons of that to do.
As soon as the seat beside her was empty, an all too familiar voice came beside her and lazily sat on the bench. Katie cringed at the Scottish accent, then smiled when a second, British voice came awkwardly from behind the first. She looked up from her empty plate to Oliver and Harry, greeting Harry with a smile and not even bothering to greet Oliver.
"I bet you're gonna miss me, huh Katie?" Oliver said, not bothering to notice Harry awkwardly trying to find a space to sit.
She moved to the side to make room for Harry, putting herself closer to Oliver and regretting the decision instantly. Harry looked grateful, and still slightly out of place.
"How about it Katie?" Oliver asked again, insisting on not leaving her alone.
"I'm gonna miss your invalidated hatred towards me most."
"Oh I don't hate you Kat," He smiled at the nickname. "I just think you're rubbish at Quidditch."
"No, you think my father's Quidditch skills are rubbish. Just because he lost your dad some game doesn't mean I will."
"No, you certainly won't. They're not my games to lose anymore, they're Potter's." He gestured to Harry, who smiled sheepishly, then departed from the table.
Katie enjoyed the extra space to sit, but not the extra thickness in the air that remained. Both she and Harry were obviously uncomfortable, and she couldn't think of anything to do about it. She had to be friendly to him, or else risk the opening for her to become Chaser.
"Quidditch is pretty important to Wood," Harry said.
Katie nodded. He seemed to be leading somewhere, but she wasn't quite sure where. "I probably would be too, if he actually let me bloody play."
"I don't think Quidditch is supposed to have too much blood."
She smiled slightly as his attempt at what seemed like not quite a pun, to which his smile also increased.
"Tell you what," He said, turning to face her with his entire body, feeling strangely more confident. "I'll see you at tryouts and then we'll see if you actually have skill, or if it's all talk."
Katie laughed and nodded. "I've got both," She said as he walked off to join Ron and Hermione further down the table. Both of whom she could see were asking questions about her, based on their hurried glances and Harry's blushing cheeks.
Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one to notice Harry's growing crush. And unlike her, they didn't take it well. She didn't see them though, her eyes too busied by taking unnoticed glances of the trio of students across the table.
Katie left the great hall in a hurry, too nervous to finish her breakfast, and instead headed out to the Quidditch Pitch, the last hour she'd get on the Hogwarts grounds before summer. She grabbed her broom from the locker room and put her gear on, gear that had never been used in an actual game. Nothing was stopping her today, nothing but herself, and the stranger on the far side of the pitch.
"There isn't any practice today, the year's ending," She said as politely as she could.
"Then why are you out here?" The boy asked inquisitively. She recognized him instantly as the Ravenclaw keeper. A guy she never quite liked. For a Ravenclaw he was rather close minded, sticking to tradition in ever instance possible.
"Just a bit of extra practice," She said, leaned against her broom and trying to slowly excuse herself. If she managed to step back far enough, he'd leave her alone, at least that's what she hoped.
"You'll definitely need it."
She scoffed, leaning towards him. There was no departing now that he'd gotten her riled up. "I can still take you."
"Prove it," He said menacingly, towering over her in height, but definitely not in attitude.
"We'll see in the first game, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw."
"That's if you even get on the team," He laughed.
"Oh I'm a shoe-in, unlike you," He watched warily, and she smirked happily. "You had to use your daddy's money and power, cause you'll never have any respect on your own." She spat on the ground and left.
She had to get on the team now, it was the only way she'd get a chance to score a goal on the git and finally gain satisfaction. She couldn't sleep until that day came. It was becoming close in her reach. Summer was spent with few hours a night with her eyes closed, the rest out above the grassy backyard of any friend willing to tolerate her. he barely scraped a position as Chaser, which was enough of a victory that she could sleep. But only for a week, until the night before the game. The first game of the season, the first actual game of her life, and the first chance she'd get to knock that Ravenclaw git off of his broom. Metaphorically or physically, either would work. If everything was perfect, she'd get both, but things were hardly ever perfect. She just needed to prove him wrong, but it wasn't just him. It wasn't just the Ravenclaw Keeper whispering doubts into her ear, it was Oliver Wood and her parents and every other person she talked to. Except for Harry Potter. He was willing to let her try, let her hone her skill and prove herself. Though she doubted she needed to do any proving to him. He always saw the best in people before they could even speak, she just had to make sure she didn't change that. Once he'd made up his mind on you, that was it, and Katie just had to make sure that when he made up his mind it was a good decision.
The night before the game she didn't sleep a wink, but that wasn't going to affect her performance. Pounds of sugar from the kitchen and adrenaline from night flying across the courtyard were the only things keeping her awake, but it was working wondrously. The cold air of the morning sent a waking chill down her spine as she stood at attention in front of her captain, who had become oddly attractive over the summer. She tried to push that away from her mind during the game though, instead focusing on the Ravenclaw Keeper cockily waving and smiling at her. She badly wanted to hex him, but that was a foul and then she couldn't get revenge. Revenge was sweet, but the patience needed for it was bitter.
Katie held the Quaffle tightly under her arm, and she could feel her skin tingle and it grew numb and her blood was cut off by the sheer pressure she used to hold the ball. It all took a backseat to the shocked look of the tall Ravenclaw boy that she tunneled towards. She paused for merely a second to steady herself and throw the ball into the goal, but it was enough for his voice to reach her over the wind.
"Nice ass, I can see why Potter put you on the team!" The crowd behind him laughed, but only for a second under the intense pressure that even kept the opposing Chasers still on their brooms, and even Harry stopped looking for the Snitch for a moment.
"Oh come on," He taunted. "No one in their right mind would put you on even a child's team. It's only cause he fancies you."
Katie was done. She hurled the Quaffle with all her might, an almost magic enhanced throw. But she was far too angry to even think of using magic. It flew through the air with a whistle and her face grew red with embarrassment and anger. She hadn't even been looking. The Quaffle was barreling straight towards him, straight into his waiting hands.
The Pitch was filled with cheers and the gasps of aghast Professors. She looked up shamefully, only to join them in cheering. He had caught the Quaffle against his chest, taking the brunt of the impact in the center of his body and immediately regretting it. He tumbled backward, falling through the hoop with the ball and being caught by a fellow teammate.
Gryffindor won by default, but it was a win nonetheless. Katie's first game and her first victory in the same glorious moment. But it didn't count, it didn't seem worth it. It seemed like a total sham. Oliver hadn't let her on the team for years, and now she was finally here, and it didn't seem worth it anymore. It didn't have the same meaning to try again, especially if she had only gotten on because Harry fancied her. Even the revelation that he might like her back seemed like a sham. Nothing had turned out right today, not even her revenge. Nothing was left but the comforting cushions of the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room, quietly watching the fire as she listened to the celebration around her.
"You don't seem to be enjoying yourself," Harry said, jostling Katie from her calm spot. He seemed unhappy, almost uncomfortable. "You're the one that won the game for us!"
"Yeah," She said, agreeing but having nothing more to add.
"Is this about what he said up there?" Harry said, fiddling with his callused fingers.
She desperately wanted to say no, to have it not be true. To blame it on fatigue or the spiked drink. To end this conversation and move on with her life, to win more games and enjoy the few years she had left in Hogwarts. That was impossible now, it was all ruined and there was only one way she could fix it. "I'm not sure," She said finally, not quite ready to accept it, even if that was the only way to move forward.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in odd directions. She bit back a laugh, and had to hold her hands down to avoid fixing it herself. "I was afraid of that," He said.
"Me too," She said, laughing to herself, then letting it awkwardly die out when he didn't join.
"I don't know what happens next."
"Me too," She said again, holding back the urge to laugh again at herself.
"I'm captain, people will assume the worst."
"I wouldn't want that git to be right," Katie finally laughed, and Harry did too, but not for nearly as long.
"He kinda is."
"On what? The fancying, the you picking me only because you fancy me, or my nice ass?" She laughed heartily, and he joined for just as long, including a few people eavesdropping from afar. Katie shot a look at Fred and George, finding their laughter too perfectly timed. Those two were never up to any good. They stopped laughing, a few lingering snickers before they whispered among themselves.
"Two of the three are correct," He said smirking, and sent a look at Fred and George too, who were giving him a thumbs up.
"Which two?" She asked, hoping for the best.
"You'll have to find out," Harry said mischievously, standing up and joining the celebration, sending looks back at her until she finally joined him again.