Cedric wasn't kidding when he said the boot would spin them.
Ollie immediately felt like she was on an old carnival ride, spinning and spinning with no end in sight. She closed her eyes, trying to calm her breathing so she wouldn't make herself sick.
"Let go!"
Her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears Olive didn't quite process the message.
"Ollie!"
Cedric grabbed Olive's arm and pulled it off the boot. Immediately she started falling- and not a graceful fall.
Landing roughly on the dry ground, Ollie let out a huff of surprise. Everyone was sprawled around her, stunned, having fallen the same way she did.
Well, except for Mr. Weasley, her Uncle Amos, and Cedric.
The Ravenclaw sat up, brushing the dirt off her jeans and pulling bits of grass from her curls. She looked to her cousin, who just stood there with an amused look on his face.
"Really wish I had a camera right about now." He offered her a hand, "Come on, get up, Ollie."
She took his hand, pulling herself to her feet. It took Olive a minute to adjust, and to get over the fact that she had fallen out of the sky and didn't get a scratch on her. Then, she noticed that they were in a completely different location than before.
Hundreds of tents covered the whole valley, surrounding an enormous stadium decorated with the two teams that would be playing later on. People grouped by family, or clustered by those sporting red or green, or simply didn't care.
"Wow." She said, "Big crowd."
"People travel from all over the world to see this game." Mr. Weasley butted in, "It's the event of the year!"
After staring at the sea of tents before them for a moment or two, Ollie realized that the rest of the group was moving on. Adjusting her backpack, she hurried along, tugging on her collar to make sure it covered up her scars.
"Our tent is just a little further. We're down the block from the Weasleys' tents." Cedric explained, "I believe we're sitting close by at the game as well."
Olive nodded like she was paying close attention to what Cedric said, but she was only half listening. She was too busy getting used to how loud everything was. With improved hearing, she could hear just about everything within a few blocks.
For example, she could hear the bacon crackling over a fire at a tent just around the corner. She could hear a vender selling some type of magic binoculars that could help catch all the action during the game. Kids were playing on toy brooms in a little clearing at the center of the sea of tents.
Nervously she tugged on her collar, brows furrowed with this new revelation. She never really noticed how well her hearing had gotten because she'd basically been inside her flat all summer. Now that Ollie was in a huge crowd with lots of different noises for her ears to pick up... she definitely noticed a huge difference.
"You alright there?"
A hand waved in front of her face. Olive snapped out of her stupor and focused back on following the group. However, she quickly realized that she had fallen behind.
Fred and George stood on either side of her, both giving her identical smirks as they waved their hands in front of her face.
"Where'd everyone go?"
"Off to the tents. We turned around and saw you about a few meters back just standing here." Fred explained.
"Oh." Ollie said, "Sorry."
They began walking again, following the distant crowd containing a wave of ginger hair. With her senses being so, well, sensitive, she was trying to focus on what was right in front of her. Fred, George, getting to the tents.
She was also trying to ignore the baby crying some ways behind them.
"Who takes a baby to a Quidditch game?" Olive muttered to herself, tucking a straw piece of black hair behind an ear, "It's annoying."
George sent her a look, "What baby?"
Olive quirked a brow, "You don't hear it?"
The twins exchanged a look. George shook his head.
"No?"
"You feeling alright, Olls?"
The Ravenclaw just sighed, shaking her head with a small smile.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting used to some things I guess." Olive turned her head at the sharp noise of glass breaking, "I haven't been in a crowd since the whole accident thing... didn't realize how loud everything is."
They walked in silence as the boys processed what she had just said. Olive saw Cedric standing outside of their tent, waving for the girl to go join him.
"Wait-"
"You've got super hearing?"
The girl shrugged, "I wouldn't call it that."
Olive started walking in the direction of her cousin, just about a dozen tents over.
"Hold on, Olive-"
She just waved at the two, turning her head to send them a wink.
"See you at the game, boys!"
Ollie spent the rest of the day with Cedric. Amos had to run a few errands for the Ministry around the camp grounds, so the two of them were alone for the afternoon.
After unpacking a few supplies and cooking a quick lunch, (they made peanut butter sandwiches and snacked on some crisps) Ollie and Cedric walked around the camp ground. Per the girl's request, they stuck to the outskirts to give her ears a rest.
They caught up on some things over the summer. For example, Cedric was still talking to Cho, and had met her for breakfast at Diagon Alley a few times.
Ollie also shared about her quiet summer. She left out the minor detail that she and Missy were harboring a fugitive in their flat, and that their old professor who had attacked her was also staying with them. Olive figured she'd leave it at some of the new symptoms she discovered she had, like her hearing, boldness, and taste for steak just on the rarer side.
As the sun grew close to the horizon, they headed back to their tent.
"So who do you think is going to win?" Olive asked. She fiddled with the sleeves of her green Ireland Quidditch jumper Cedric had lent to her. She was sitting on her bunk, bare feet dangling off the side.
"What team is on your shirt?" Cedric asked simply.
"Ireland?"
"Exactly."
Olive laid back on the bunk with a chuckle, "You're obsessed, Diggory!"
"Obsessed with the best, Ollie!"
There was a pause. Olive say back up and shook her head at her cousin.
"That was terrible."
Just then Amos stuck his head in the tent, his face painted white and green. He was dressed like a leprechaun, with the shoes and everything. With their tickets in his hand, he enthusiastically waved for them to join him.
"Better start heading to our seats. Quite the climb we have!"
Olive quickly slid on her shoes, tying her curls up into a ponytail. It was stuffy in the sea of tents. Olive knew it would probably be the same in the stands, and she didn't want to be too hot.
Cedric tugged on her sleeve, "Are we just going to ignore that?" He nodded towards his father as they exited the tent, who was attempting to do the Irish jig to some nearby music.
Face flushed with a grin, the sixteen year old shook her head.
"Yeah. I think so." She tugged on her cousin's arm, "Come on, Ced, or we'll be late!"