Lost and Found || Oliver Wood [2]

Chapter 7: Happenstance

The winds and snow that came about as December transitioned into January were bitterly cold. Practically everyone at Hogwarts — who should have been more than used to these yearly conditions — couldn't help but constantly complain about the weather and compete for the spot right next to the fireplaces every time they could.

When February rolled around, the cold became slightly more bearable. However, for Jessica, this was actually the least of both her worries and triumphs. For one, the academic workload had begun piling up again as the excitement from the Christmas break faded away. Second, she didn't get to spend Valentine's Day with Oliver — she even wanted to throw herself off of the Astronomy Tower for acting like a lovesick puppy who put too much expectations on such a holiday, but Alista and Bethany reassured her that it was more than normal that she wanted to spend that day with her boyfriend. But it didn't help that Jessica and Oliver's exchange of letters were becoming less frequent, even more so than they already were before the Yule Ball. Jessica had to constantly remind herself that it was fine because they were both busy, but she still wrote to Oliver whenever she could. She appreciated his letters as well, but she had to admit that she'd get disappointed at times when it felt like she was the one putting in more effort.

Stop it. Oliver has an actual career now, so of course he doesn't have as much time to write, Jessica told herself as she trudged down the halls of the castle. Bethany and Alista were on either side of her, but their voices were just drowned out by her own thoughts. She continued to remind herself that she was just overthinking and not used to seeing Oliver everyday like before. Besides, she had her own things on her plate to worry about: upcoming N.E.W.T.s, Apparition lessons, and her last few career counseling sessions with McGonagall.

Jessica shivered when a gust of wind blew past. Looking at her surroundings and seeing thickets of trees and the open skies, she quickly realized that she and her friends were already at the grounds. Well, them and the rest of the student bodies of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, since they all had the same agenda for that day. It was the 24th of February, which meant only one thing: the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament.

"Is the task really gonna be at the Black Lake?" Bethany said in contempt. "I bet it's gonna be insane!"

"The lake is quite peaceful, actually," Alista said. "You'd know if you had a common room as cool as the Slytherin's."

"Please, the lake is far from peaceful," Bethany retorted. "It holds the giant squid and a bunch of other creatures we might've not even learned about yet."

"Let's just focus on finding good seats, alright?" Jessica intervened. "That is, if it even matters."

"What do you mean?" asked Alista. "Of course good seats matter when watching this tournament."

"Well, what if the task takes place underwater?"

The three girls thought about it for a moment, eyes gazing at the lake before them. There were platforms and stands set up in the water, but other than that, nothing else could be seen from above the surface of the water. There was no other indication of what might happen in this task.

"That's a good point," Alista finally agreed.

They went on their way towards the Black Lake, seeing a bunch of boats docked by the shore while some were already crossing the waters. They also passed by Fred and George who, as expected, were taking bets again.

"Any bets?"

"Place your bets, place your bets! Come on, step up, mates. Don't be shy!"

"They're really milking this," Bethany said.

"I can't blame them, though. They do get a lot of money out of it," said Jessica, which her friends agreed with.

"Three lads —" George began.