The Keeper and Kadid

8 - Hogsmeade

Strutting arm in arm with Cedric through the corridors of Hogwarts, Louise couldn't feel happier. In the past few weeks, the couple had gotten closer, whether it be studying late at night or sneaking out of school to see muggle movies.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful you look when your hair is in a bun?" Cedric inquired one day as he watched you signing a petition for Islamic rights.

Blushing, she replied, "I don't need more of an ego boost thank you very much. Why don't we go get some lunch, if I stay in this common room a second longer I'll die of boredom."

"If you insist dear."

Making their way to the great hall, a strong, muddy brown haired boy walked past, making eye contact with Louise. Even though there was no reason to feel it, she couldn't help but feel guilty holding cedric's hand, her boyfriend.

"Honestly Oliver if you give us another hard practice like that, I'll have to quit." George complained.

"Yeah it's a bloody Saturday and we're expected to find the snitch the way filch looks for the twins." Harry chimed in.

"Look guys I know it's hard and you'd rather be in your warm beds getting ready for hogsmeade tomorrow, but we have to be ready for next week's game against slytherin." Oliver yelled back, even more frustrated seeing Louise with Cedric.

"So what are you thinking of doing at hogsmeade today?" Oliver questioned Louise the Sunday of the trip to the neighboring town.

"Oh I don't know I've never been, I suppose I'll just look around, hopefully I won't get lost." Louise replied, taking a sip of water after a 4 mile run.

"Why'd you get lost? I would've thought diggory would take you all around that place." A confused Oliver asked. Even if he did like Louise and would've killed to be Cedric, he knew a how much Cedric cared about her so why wouldn't he make his girlfriend a top priority.

"Ok seriously what's with people calling everyone by their last name? I think I'll start calling you Wood from now on. Ced said that his friends wanted to take him to some store so I just told him to spend the day with them, it's no biggie." Louise sighed, knowing it was a biggie, because even though she had no reason to be, she felt jealous, knowing Hannah was going to be with Ced that day.

"Oh well that won't do at all. I declare that you must spend the day with be, no objections. And if I'm going to be called Wood, you'll need to be Kadid."

"Ugh I hate my last name. How about bamboo?" Louise laughed, thinking of other plants.

"It's actually kind of sweet, bamboo." Chuckled Oliver.

"Well I better get ready for our hogsmeade day, see you in a few hours, robin wood." Louise winked.

Watching her brown ponytail sway as she walked to the intimidating castle, Oliver had a good feeling about the forthcoming day.

"Would you like at you! Going to hogsmeade with the gryffindor quidditch captain!" Elena exclaimed.

"Seriously? What about you, I see the way you look at Sam." Louise smirked.

"Honestly it's no big deal they said they liked me and I liked them but a relationship would be hard right now." Elena frowned whilst explaining her relationship with the dark, brooding, slytherin who had been there since her first year. Being an immigrant from Haiti and being forced to change their name, and all of the things they went through to coming out as non binary, they always felt like he had to put walls up, especially towards girls. Yet something about Elena made an exception.

"Well I hope your day is fantastic with him." A happy Louise replied as the girls exited the common room.

As she walked to filch and the entrance of hogwarts, Cedric came running to Louise's side.

"Hey love, I just wanted to make sure you're ok with me hanging out with the boys today?" A concerned Cedric asked.

Even though Louise knew it wasn't just the boys, she nodded, "yeah I'm not a shrill overprotective girlfriend, have fun today!" And with that Cedric nearly skipped to the populars, leaving behind Louise to a gryffindor boy surrounded by others.

"Oh Louise! You look lovely! Or should I say bamboo." An escstatic oliver asked.

"You don't look too bad yourself. Hi I'm Louise, it's nice to meet you all." She answered to the 7 other brave hogwarts students looking at her.

"Got an American here don't we? I personally think his description of you didn't do any justice, you're much prettier than what he described you as. And he definitely described you in detail to us." An older gryffindor, looking Louise up and down as Oliver blushed at how his friend exposed him like that.

"Shall we get going then?" Oliver asked, putting his arm in Louise's, looking like they would be skipping to the wizard of oz.

"Hold on so you're telling me that you've never mounted a broomstick ever?" Oliver asked in utter disbelief. The whole day was, with no pun intended, magical. Once in the small town, the two had diverged from the group, going in and out of shops, laughing about anything and everything.

"No I guess not. Quidditch isn't a thing in the states and I just never joined the team here." Louise too felt a warm feeling within her, similar to butterflies. Talking with Oliver felt so easy, just as though it could flow like water.

"That'll have to be fixed very soon, bamboo. Can I tell you a secret?" Oliver sobered the giggles.

"Of course you can tell me anything." Louise assure Oliver, concerned about what he would say.

"I don't want to be a real quidditch player." Oliver let out.

Laughing at this statement, Louise replied, "well of course not if you don't want to. What do you want to be then?"

All his life, everyone whether it be his parents or friends would watch him, and say that he would be a quidditch player. But the studious Oliver had always loved the physics and prescision of the sport. "A physicist. I know it's weird but I think physics plays a huge role in the sport and it would be amazing to do the two things I love."

"Well I think that's a great idea. As long as you don't become the next Voldemort, I'm fine with whatever occupation that makes you happy." Louise smiled to Oliver, walking into the three broomsticks.

Hearing these words, the Scottish boy couldn't think of a time when he felt more happy. Never in his life had he been told he could do anything other than a quidditch player, but the beautiful, kind American girl told him just that.

Opening the door for herself, Oliver jokingly says, "Darlin I'm supposed to open the door for you, I'm not much of a gentleman but-" yet before he could continue he watched Louise's eyes wander to a clump of yellow in the back of the pub, and eventually to Cedric. Once Oliver followed her eyes, he saw a drunken looking 16 year old, laughing around with the others.

"Hey are you ok?" A concerned Oliver asked.

"Yeah I don't know it's weird to watch him drink like that. I don't like alcohol, it's stupid and I'll probably change my mind later, but I don't think I want to drink it." She sighed.

"I know how you feel, let's make a sober pact." Oliver reassured her, trying to cheer Louise up.

"Deal. Want to head back?" A sad Louise asked, not wanting to watch anymore of Cedric, but couldn't help but do exactly that.

"Yeah I don't know about you but I'm quite tired."

Once at the entrance of the hufflepuff common room, Louise turned to Oliver, hugging him. "Thank you for today, it was amazing." Then turning to the mermaid said, "I gave Oliver Wood over here the best nickname."