Strategy { Oliver Wood}

Chapter Seventeen

Unlike Brandon's diagnoses of a dislocated shoulder, Melanie's arm was actually broken is several different spots, meaning Madam Pomfrey was going to have to mend the bones. Andy and Ace stood by as Melanie normally the toughest of the group, could not handle the pain that she felt in her arm and ended up passing out from the pain.

"That bludger got her really good," Ace frowned. "This is my fault."

"How is this your fault?"

"I saw how distracted she was, I should have ended practice earlier. It's just as dangerous to have a distracted player out on the pitch than to have an inexperienced player out there."

"It's not your fault, Ace. Melanie insisted that she was fine."

"Yeah but you and I both know that she wasn't. All 'cause of that stupid git."

They heard a throat clear behind them and the two Ravenclaws turned around to see Oliver standing before them with an uneasy look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Andy asked him.

"I um..I came to see Melanie. I heard what happened...well sorta...I just wanted to make sure she was okay."

"Well, she isn't," Ace told him.

"What happened?" Oliver asked nearing the area.

"She got hit with a bludger during practice and fell off her broom. Broke her arm in several places, Madam Pomfrey is healing it up now. Sorry, I guess this means she's still allowed to play against you. How unfortunate, huh?" Andy rolled her eyes at the dense captain.

"Look, I haven't done anything to her," Oliver defended himself. "I don't know why everyone is accussing me of hurting Melanie? I haven't been around her-"

"That's exactly it, you barmpot!" Andy said angrily. "You know what I'm going to walk away before it's you in one of these hospital beds and not Mel."

The girl stalked off to the other side of the Hospital Wing to avoid being around the dense boy.

Oliver swallowed before turning his attention to the other quidditch captain who looked just as upset with him. He looked away and saw Melanie being tended to by Madam Pomfrey in one of the beds.

"Did she get knocked unconscious when she fell from her broom?" he asked surprised to see Melanie asleep during a bone mend.

"No," Ace answered, " the pain was too much in her arm so she ended up passing out."

Oliver rubbed the back of his neck as he awkwardly stood near the older student.

"I know that Melanie and I are rivals," he began," but you know even I wouldn't go as far as wishing one of your team members getting hurt."

"The problem is that you already hurt her, Wood," Ace said before brushing passed him to go over to where Andy stood.

When Melanie finally came to in the Hospital Wing, her arm while not to the extent of the pain as of earlier, was still incredibly sore as she couldn't put much pressure on it. She sat up slowly in the bed and placed her hand to the sorest area, wincing as it made contact.

"You're awake," a voice startled her. She expected to see her quidditch teammates or even Carter, but the last person she expected to see was Oliver Wood.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him with a bizarre look. She fretted internally realizing she probably looked like hell in that moment.

"I wanted to stay here and make sure that you were alright when you woke up," Oliver told her but as he said the words he didn't meet her gaze. "How's your arm feeling?"

"It hurts to all bloody hell," she said with a slight grunt.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know somewhat of what you're feeling. Remember I took that bludger to the head...," he pointed to the spot where the bludger had hit him all those years ago.

"Yes, I remember quite well bludger brain," she said with a slight smirk.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the two as Melanie looked around wondering where Ace and Andy were as they were the ones who had accompanied and carried her to the hospital wing.

"They went to dinner," Oliver answered the question that was on her mind. "I told them that I would stay here until you woke up or they got back."

"Why?"

"Well, they looked hungry-"

Melanie's eyes rolled before she squeezed them shut restraining herself from calling Oliver the biggest idiot in existence.

"I meant why did you volunteer to do such a thing? So you could rub my injury in my face?"

"No," he answered quietly.

"Then why are you here?"

"I don't know! Okay?!"

"Keep it down over there!" Madam Pomfrey called over to them as she tended an ill child. "I'll be with you in just a moment, Miss Anderson."

The two teens had hardly heard a woman said as they locked eyes with one another after Oliver's little outburst.

"I'm just here to make sure that you're alright. I...I...don't want you hurt. Okay? I'm not good at this kind of thing, so whatever it is that I did to cause you and everyone to be upset with me, I'm sorry. Alright? I'm sorry."

With that, the boy collected himself and left the Hospital Wing.

Melanie sat quietly in the bed for a moment before leaning back.

"If boys could stop being so complicated all the time that would be just fantastic!"

"They never stop being complicated," Madam Pomfrey said startling her as Melanie glanced over at the approaching woman. "Trust me, they only get more complicated as they age."