Edge of Reality // Oliver Wood

✧˖* 4 *˖✧

"C'mon Lizzie! Throw that damn ball through the hoopy-thing!" Dani's encouraging words fill my ears as I'm racing towards the other side of the field. I laugh internally at her phrase. She really does her best, but honestly, she doesn't understand Quidditch at all. She's a Ravenclaw after all, so sports aren't really her thing. I'm not saying all Ravenclaws are bad at sports, just Dani especially... Writing and reading about astrology, on the other hand, now that's what she's good at.

Oliver floats in front of the three goals, ready to catch anything I throw at him. He doesn't look worried in the slightest but I'm not sure it's because he actually believes I won't make it, or because he's trying to intimidate me.

The wind rushes through my hair as I get closer and closer to the goals. Just when I'm about to shoot the Quaffle through the hoop on the right of Gryffindors keeper, that damn Ron Weasley crashes into me. The Quaffle tumbles out of my hands and Ron speeds off with it. I, on the other hand, am too busy hanging on to my broom to go after him and win my Quaffle back.

When I'm finally sitting upright again, I lock eyes with Oliver. A smirk spreads across his face, mocking me for what had just happened. I turn around and fly back to the other side of the field, going after the Quaffle so I can score and rub it in his face.

It's been a while since a match got me this aggravated. The match against Slytherin from two weeks ago maybe. They kept cheating and hurting people on our team to the point we couldn't properly play anymore. But nobody said anything about it, so we had to push through. Sadly we didn't win against them, but how could we when the opposing team plays that dirty?

I shake the thoughts from my mind and focus back on the game again. Both Cedric and Harry are high up in the sky, frantically looking for the Snitch. A Bludger rushes past me and heads straight for Eleanor Branstone, but she smacks it away with ease, firing it right at Ginny Weasley who has the Quaffle tucked underneath her arm.

I can already envision what's going to happen and I speed off towards the redhead. The Bludger hits the end of her broom and she immediately starts to spin around. I catch the ball with ease and by the time Ginny crashes into the gravel, I aim for one of the goals behind Oliver.

               "AND GRIFFIN SCORES!" Commentator Lee Jordan shouts. The Hufflepuff crowd cheers loudly as Lee continues, "Maybe it's not too late for Hufflepuff to make their comeback! Although they'll have to score a lot more or find the Golden Snitch. Will Diggory be up for it?"

When our eyes meet, there's a vindictive look in Oliver's eyes. I'm glad he isn't a Beater, because he looks like he could shoot a Bludger at me at any given moment. Hufflepuff is far behind anyway, so the chance that we'll actually win is slim, but seeing Oliver this angry because of ten points amuses me and is honestly a victory in itself.

I rush off quickly, afraid Oliver might actually try something. I meet eyes with Zacharias and he flies over to me. He speaks in a hushed tone when he explains our strategy, "Right now, Ron Weasley has the Quaffle. When he passes the ball to Angelina or Ginny, we go for the Parkin's Pincer."

I don't say anything in response, I just nod and fly away, keeping my gaze on Ron. Angelina receives the Quaffle from him and in a mere second, Cadwallader and Zacharias have her sandwiched between them. I speed towards the three and crash directly into Angelina, who drops the Quaffle from the impact. Cadwallader ducks and catches the Quaffle with ease.

Just when he's about to throw the Quaffle and score us another ten points, Lee Jordan begins to yell throughout the stadium, "Harry Potter has spotted the Snitch! He's going after it. He's reaching out! Cedric Diggory is following closely behind. He'll have to speed up or Hufflepuff will lose to Gryffindor."

Cadwallader doesn't get distracted and manages to score, but nobody is paying attention to it. Harry is so close to grabbing the Snitch, the match is basically over. Cedric flies fast and he manages to close in on Gryffindor's Seeker, but to no avail; Harry's hand encloses around the tiny, golden ball securing Gryffindor's win.

The Hufflepuff team descends with disgruntled looks on their faces as the red part of the tribune starts to cheer loudly. I pat my teammates on the back and tell them they did a good job, but honestly, everybody knows I'm lying. We sucked today.

"I was so close!" Cedric says frustratedly.

"You did your best. At least it was a fun game," Hannah smiles, "Now, I'm hungry. Let's go eat!"

The team cheers and I smile at them. That's what I love so much about this team. It doesn't matter if we win or lose, as long as we had a good time playing the game. Of course, winning is a big bonus, but in the end, it's not really the goal for any of us.

We move towards the opposing team to congratulate them on their win. The twins both have a grin on their faces that reaches from ear to ear. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Dani making her way towards us. She calls George's name and when he turns around to greet her, she compliments him with a kiss on the cheek. George's face lights up as soon as her lips touch his skin and he smiles smugly at her. I can't wait for those two to get official.

I shake everybody's hand with a smile on my face and an earnest congratulation. By the time I've reached Oliver, I've run out of things to say. So I just smile at him while he takes my hand in his. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot my team heading for the castle to fill their stomachs with delicious foods. I focus back on the boy in front of me and observe him cautiously as our hands move up and down, but there's not one hint of anger left on his face. All I can see is pure joy.

He smiles a toothy grin as he starts to speak, "Well played, Griffin. Sorry you didn't win."

I laugh lightly at his words, "You're not sorry at all! You're beaming now that you've won!" I say back jokingly.

"You're right. I don't feel an ounce of compassion," Oliver tries to keep a straight face as he speaks, but mid-sentence he breaks out in another laugh. His laughter is quite enjoyable, to be honest, something I wouldn't mind hearing more of.

His brown eyes shine bright and if I look closely enough, I can spot tiny specks of gold in them. His cheeks have a rosy tint to them from the excitement from before and he breathes heavily. It's crazy how much a win in a Quidditch match can change up his attitude. "I'd have thought you'd be angrier with me," he utters.

               "I'm not a sore loser, Wood. It was a fun game, your team played really well," I compliment his Captain skills.

"Thank you," he says, earnestness laced in his voice. He's actually pretty nice when he's happy. Just then it dawns upon me that this is the first time I've ever had a decent conversation with him. Have we really never talked to each other in a friendly manner before? That can't be, right?

Oliver starts to speak again, but I'm too lost in thought to understand what he's talking about. Standing in front of me is a completely different person, not the Oliver Wood I've known all these years.

Suddenly two tall, lanky redheads pop up behind Oliver out of nowhere. They each grab him by the shoulder and pull him back slightly. Fred smiles at me devilishly, making me nervous. Why is he looking at me like that?

At exactly the same time, Fred and George start to speak in unison, "Sorry Griffin! We have to steal this handsome fella from you to celebrate!"

Before I even get the chance to answer them, they start to pull Oliver with them. "Have fun!" I yell after the three boys. Oliver shoots me another smile before fully turning around and walking away. I turn around too, but for some reason, that damn smile won't leave my mind.