The Keeper and Kadid

7 - Preperations

Every morning when Louise wakes up, it feel like Groundhog Da, but she wasn't complaint one bit. Alarm goes off, change into baggy clothes, put on shoes, tie hair, but the routine is all worth it for the running. But today, Louise felt excited at the prospect of running with someone, and especially not being alone. Create a cross country team. Louise thought to herself as she jogged with water bottle in hand to the quidditch stadium.

"Ok so I usually do 4-5 miles but we'll just see how we feel 2 miles in, does that sound alright?" Louise asked Oliver on the fall October morning.

"Yes but what are miles?" A confused Oliver asked.

"Oh whoops it's just an American thing, I'll tell you when we can take a break."

Not used to being bossed around, Oliver follow the long honey brown hair, bouncing as Louise ran. The real reason Oliver signed up for what others considered torture, was that it was all for quidditch. Guilt was the feeling he had woken to that morning, knowing that he's making the enemy, a hufflepuff, make him better at quidditch in order to prepare for the upcoming match.

After what seemed like an eternity, Louise and Oliver decided to stop at a bench, underneath a tree shedding the summer leaves.

"It's very beautiful, it compares to nothing in California or Massachusetts."

Out of breath, Oliver replied, "yeah you should see the Scottish fields. Every summer I come home to my mother baking the most delicious pie and pumpkin juice. And then after devouring all of that, I go to play quidditch with my brother and cousins while my sister and friends play tea party on the ground."

"That sounds like it came out of a story book rather than real life." Louise answered, yearning for such a happy family scene like that.

"Don't tell anyone this, but when I think of my patronus memory, it's of that, not winning a game. Sometimes I think everyone just thinks all I'm good at is quidditch."

"That's actually really sweet. I don't think such a thing, I mean you could do anything you want, life isn't just quidditch."

At this statement, Oliver felt like what Louise said couldn't possibly be true. He's played ever since he could walk, his future is to be a quidditch star, and now he's being told he can be something else? Sure, his patronus memory is of that story book memory, but it could be hard having so much pressure of what to do.

"Let's keep running, I feel my lungs already getting stronger."

Coming back to the common room, Cedric was there in his tie and everything, ready to speak to Louise.

"I am here to formally apologize. I know absolutely nothing of Americans and it was wrong of me to make such an assumption. With the upcoming season and everything, my mind hasn't functioned properly. And for that, I'd like to make it up to you. You, me, and the black lake at lunch?" Cedric apologized as he kissed Louise's hand making her feel like a queen.

"It's ok I mean it's not like I've never made an assumption of British people before. Ok I'll see you then." So Louise skipped up the girls dormitory, picking out the best makeup for the date with a certain pretty boy.

"You did all this for me." Louise asked, staring in shock at the picnic in front of her. Before her was all of her favorite delicacies. Diet coke was in the can the way she loved it, scones were steaming, and pizza was piping hot, it was heaven.

"Well of course, a pretty girl like you deserves even more than this." Cedric replied, beaming.

All of the lunch hour, both talked about classes, louise's activism, America, London, and all of the above.

Laughing over the length of dumbledore's beard, Cedric said in a more serious tone, "look Louise, I'll be straight forward. I know how everyone warns about dating someone from your house, but I feel we could be different. And I really like you and I've honestly tried to ignore it, but I can't and I just hope you feel the same way."

"Awww Ced, I like you a lot too. And I mean who cares about the warning signs, we don't have to be like those other couples."

"Well great then, this makes us a couple right?"

"Of course."

"Well then that means you have to wear my extra jersey for the gryffindor game in two weeks." Cedric cheekily said.

"I can't wait."

So for the rest of that hour, the two sat closer together, holding hands. As Louise walked to her dormitory, the joy within her was astronomical, for she felt that hogwarts really is a home for her.

"I just don't understand the need to prank anyone who gets on your nerves." Oliver asked the twins as they ran into their dorm, huffing from running from Filch.

"And I don't see how the two things that keep you entertained are quidditch and school." One of the twins argued.

Surprisingly, Oliver was pretty average in classes, despite the athletic meat head stereotype.

"Whatever I'm going to the library to finish up all this homework."

But little did Oliver know that the girl who'd forced him to run 5 miles earlier that morning was there, doing homework too.

"Is this seat taken?"

"Why no it isn't, and you are?" Louise giggled.

"All this bloody work is making me exhausted. Did you decide on the best part of your day?" Both of them had agreed that it would be fun if they did a day review, yet with all the work required of a sixth year, it was shortened to best part of the day.

"Well running with you was really fun. But then Cedric took me on a picnic at lunch which was super sweet. However, I got the number of signatures I needed for a project so I'd have to say that."

Trying to stay cool and shrug off Cedric, Oliver replied, "well seems like a good day to me. For me it's got to be the score I got on an essay."

"Look at you smartie." Louise joked.

Oliver blushed and said, "I better get to bed, I have to adapt to this new running routine."

"Oh I'd walk with you to your common room, but since detention with Snape I've been behind in work, goodnight Oliver."

"Goodnight Louise." He waved.

Feeling hopeless that the girl Oliver had learned to like over the past few weeks, Oliver went to sleep that night, yearning to destroy the Hufflepuff team on the quidditch pitch.