Oliver tried not to dwell on his fight with Jessica. He already knew he was wrong for acting so rashly and just saying whatever nonsense he thought of in an attempt to defend himself.
But then, the morning of the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match inevitably arrived. Jessica and Oliver didn't acknowledge one another even as they ate breakfast with their team together, and they both hoped nobody noticed the strange atmosphere between them. Jessica chose to sit in between George and Angelina and across Harry just to be as far away from Oliver as possible. Oliver actually almost forgot they argued because he was in such a good mood that it was a sunny day with just a light breeze — the best weather possible for a good game.
"Perfect Quidditch conditions!" he said enthusiastically, piling scrambled eggs onto his teammates' plates. "Harry, buck up there, you need a decent breakfast."
Harry didn't feel like eating because he was too busy thinking about what happened the night before — he had returned from Quidditch practice to find that his room had been raided and was a complete mess, and that whoever had done it took Tom Riddle's diary from him. He kept on wondering who in the world was so desperate to get that diary of all things... But his team didn't know that, nor did they need to know that, so he stayed quiet as the others made conversation around him.
After Jessica finished her light yet satisfying meal, she realized she had forgotten her broomstick in her room — she must've still been distracted by her argument with Oliver that she didn't even think to bring it down. She stood up abruptly, causing some of the team to glance at her.
"Where are you going?" Oliver asked her, almost standing up himself. Katie and Angelina didn't miss this and giggled under their breaths.
Jessica cleared her throat and answered without looking at him.
"I left my broom in the dorm. I'll go grab it and meet you guys in the pitch."
"Well, hurry up, then," said George. "We need that second Nimbus 2000 in our match today!"
Jessica stepped out of the bench, ignoring Oliver's lingering gaze. It was obvious that he wanted to say something, but he decided against it. She strolled out of the Great Hall, nearly bumping into Hermione Granger as she did so.
"Sorry, Hawthorne!" the younger girl said.
"Where are you hurrying off to, Granger?" Jessica asked her curiously.
"Library!" And then she sped off without another word. Jessica shrugged, knowing all too well how it felt when you just needed to search for something in the library.
She took her sweet time walking to the Gryffindor Tower, knowing that she still had at least half an hour before the match started. Oliver just always wanted them at the locker rooms early so that he could give them a pep talk. It was quiet and empty in the halls seeing as half the school was sleeping in because it was the weekend and they weren't interested in watching Quidditch, while the other half was already down at the Great Hall to get ready for the game.
In the silence, her mind couldn't help but wander back to what happened the previous night. She was still angry at Oliver and wasn't speaking to him, but now that her head was a bit clearer, she wondered if she had overreacted too. Maybe Oliver's dislike for Slytherins blinded him during that argument? And perhaps he didn't mean to insult her? She wasn't sure if she was really thinking logically or she was just being too considerate with their friendship on the line. She didn't realize she had come to a stop and was staring at a stained glass window because she was so deep in her thoughts.
A slithering noise from somewhere behind her caused her to jump with a start. She turned around, her heart beating quickly, but she didn't see anything. With a sigh, she faced the window again. What am I doing getting distracted like this? she scolded herself. Merlin's beard, I have a match in minutes! She had to hurry and get her broomstick like she intended to as soon as possible so she could run down to the pitch with enough time to spare. Her worries could wait until later.
But Jessica's thoughts were cut off when she was met with the reflection of shocking, yellow eyes on the glass window she had been looking at. She felt her body tense up, and then she was out like a light.
★ ★ ★
There were only fifteen minutes left until the match began, and Jessica was nowhere in sight. Oliver bounced on his heels nervously, wondering where she was. How long did it take to get her broom from the dorm and run back to the Quidditch pitch? Also, did his teammates not have any sense of urgency? They were all chatting away inside the locker room, but a certain black haired girl was still not there and they didn't find it strange at all. There was also the fact that it was one of their last games of the year and they had to take this one seriously, but it seemed like they weren't worried at all. With an incomplete team, there was no way they could win.
When the clock continued to tick by and there was still no sign of her, Oliver informed Madam Hooch about their missing member. All the woman did was firmly instruct him to have someone look for her within the remaining ten minutes or else they'd have to use their reserve Chaser in the match. Oliver begrudgingly obliged and tasked some second year Gryffindors he found at the lower bleachers to search for her in the Gryffindor Tower. He then returned to the locker room and decided that he might as well give his usual pre-game speech to not waste time.
"Alright, listen up!" he said. His team gathered in front of him and sat on the benches, prepared to hear his speech. "First of all, Hawthorne's running late so I asked some Gryffindors to look for her."
"Why can't you go look for her?" George asked.
"Maybe they had a lovers quarrel," Fred snickered, making Oliver's face grow warm.
"Blimey, you might be right — he's blushing."
"No, we did not and I am not," Oliver said firmly, but it only made the twins snigger under their breaths. "Back to the point, and I'll make it quick: all we have to do is play our game. Hufflepuff doesn't stand a chance. We're stronger, quicker, and smarter."
"And not to mention, they're dead scared that Harry will petrify them if they fly anywhere near him," Fred grinned.
"Well, that too. Let's go, and keep an eye out for Hawthorne outside. And if she doesn't arrive... well, let's just hope that doesn't happen."
Fred, George, Angelina, Katie, and Harry stood up with their brooms in hand and followed Oliver out of the locker room. They talked to one another casually, unknowing of what exactly was about to come. Just as Oliver stepped out into the open air, the Gryffindor Head of House herself blocked their way.
"Professor McGonagall," Oliver greeted her.
"This match has been cancelled," was the first thing she said. Oliver nearly yelled in protest before he caught himself.
"You can't cancel Quidditch."
"Silence, Wood. I want you to go find Miss Faye from your house and Miss Greene from Slytherin. The rest of your teammates will go to Gryffindor Tower now."
"But Professor —"
"No questions asked. Do as I say, and I expect you and the two ladies to be at the hospital wing right after you fetch them," McGonagall said with a tone of finality before facing Harry. "Potter, you and I will find Mr. Weasley. There's something you all have to see."
Sensing the seriousness in McGonagall's voice, the rest of the team didn't dare question her orders. They quietly filed out of the room and made their way out of the stadium at the same time the audience was being told to leave as well. Oliver hurried to the stands where most of the Gryffindors were gathered, looking for a redhead girl. His eyes scanned the crowd multiple times until he finally found Bethany, who luckily sneaked Alista in with her to sit in the crowd of Gryffindors.
"Hey, Faye! Greene!" Oliver called, running up into the stands. The two girls looked around confusedly until they spotted the Scottish boy making his way to them.
"Wood," Bethany said. "What's wrong?"
"McGonagall asked me to look for you two."
"Really?"
"Wait, me too?" Alista questioned, finding it odd that Gryffindor's Head of House was asking for her, a Slytherin, at all. Oliver nodded in reply.
"Yeah. She wants the three of us to go to the hospital wing right now," he said.
"Oh, alright, then," Bethany said slowly. Despite their confusion, she and Alista went down anyway to follow Oliver out onto the field. "Is Jessica on her way back to the common room already?"
"She didn't even show up to the locker rooms yet," said Oliver. "She went back to the dorm right after breakfast because she forgot her broom there."
"Wait, if the three of us have to go to the hospital wing, and Jessica isn't here right now, you don't think..." Alista trailed off. Bethany caught on to what she was trying to say and her eyes widened.
"No, she couldn't have been attacked," Bethany denied. "Right, Wood?"
Oliver gulped, only realizing then that it was a possibility. It could have happened... there was still a monster on a loose and she was a muggle-born after all, not to mention the fact that she was walking alone in a mostly empty castle.
"But... would it really happen in broad daylight?" Oliver said anxiously. Was the monster that ruthless that it didn't care anymore if it was caught attacking students in the morning?
Oliver, Bethany, and Alista didn't talk anymore all the way to the hospital wing. They walked quicker than usual, all three of them close to running at that point. They weaved through the sea of students crowding the staircases as they all returned to their respective common rooms, wanting to get to their destination as fast as possible.
By the time they got to the hospital wing, Professor McGonagall was already there with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. It seemed like she had just finished explaining something to them because she quickly made her way to the large doors before the older students could enter.
"This will be a bit of a shock. There has been another attack... a triple attack, this time," she said gently before leading them inside the infirmary. The moment they entered, they spotted a line of students frozen like statues on the beds — the newest additions being Hermione Granger, Penelope Clearwater, and Jessica Hawthorne.
Bethany and Alista gasped out loud while all Oliver could do was stare at Jessica's unmoving figure speechlessly. Her eyes were glassy and wide, and her mouth was partly open. Both her arms were slightly raised as if she was going to clap her hands to her mouth in surprise.
"She was found beside the marble staircase whereas Granger and Clearwater were outside the library together," McGonagall told them gravely. They stared at their friend wordlessly, all of them feeling a mixture of emotions — fear, worry, and frustration to name a few.
Oliver felt horrible. He couldn't believe that in the last real conversation they had, he implied that she was being used by someone else... of all things he could have told her before getting attacked, it just had to be something so insulting and far-fetched. Maybe if they hadn't fought, he would've been able to walk with her back to the Gryffindor Tower and this wouldn't have happened at all. She was only petrified, though, so it wasn't the end of the world — but it certainly felt like it for Oliver.
"I will escort you all back to your common rooms," McGonagall said after a heavy pause, eyeing each of them. "I need to address the students in any case, as will all Heads of Houses."
★ ★ ★
"All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities."
The Gryffindors inside the common room listened attentively to Professor McGonagall as she enumerated the newly imposed rules. With the influx of attacks, precautions had to be taken at once or else they would have to close the school. McGonagall rolled the parchment back up with pursed lips.
"I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed," she said in a shaky voice that was so unlike her. It was a far cry from the sharp and stern voice she always used in class. "It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward."
When nobody said a word, she climbed out of the portrait hole. As soon as she was out, the Gryffindors began talking to over one another instantly.
"That's three Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, one Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff," Lee Jordan said, counting on his fingers. "Haven't any of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? The Heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin — why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?"
Lee's loud and determined voice boomed throughout the room, so much that everyone had managed to catch what he was saying. They made sounds of agreement and some even applauded his idea. However, Percy Weasley and Oliver Wood, both of who were sitting behind Lee, didn't make a sound. Carson Grey, a fellow sixth year boy, stood beside his two roommates awkwardly; he wasn't quite sure how to comfort them.
"Percy's in shock," George was telling Harry quietly. "That Ravenclaw girl — Penelope Clearwater — she's a prefect, and so is Jessica, you see. I don't think he thought the monster would dare attack two prefects."
"Don't forget that Percy fancies Clearwater," Fred added in a low voice.
"We could say the same thing for Oliver and Jessica," George whispered, nudging his brother. The two of them looked over their shoulders to glance at Oliver, who was still staring into space. They thought he would agree with Lee Jordan when he said to single out the Slytherins, but he didn't seem to have heard him earlier, or maybe he just didn't care. They at least expected him to react to the news of Quidditch trainings and games being postponed, but he didn't do that, either.
"He looks stunned, Georgie," Fred said almost worriedly. The only time they had seen Oliver act out-of-character was when they'd lose a match because his reactions to those always varied. He would either lash out or withdraw from everyone. But this wasn't a mere game — someone he cared deeply about had just been petrified by a monster, and he wasn't sure how to process all that.