Chasing Love

Chapter Sixty-Seven - Puddlemere United Reserve Team

Tiptoeing down the stairs of the Dawlish Manor, Eliza slipped her scarf and gloves on, before running quickly through the front door and stopping in the front garden, letting a few curse words out she remembered that she could now apparate. "Stupid." 

Without another moment's thought, she apparated to the ground of the Puddlemere United team, it was going to be Oliver's first match as their keeper. Fans were filling up the stands surrounding the pitch and Eliza scanned the area for Oliver. He was busy warming up for the match and seemed to be doing very well. 

She made her way up the stairs to the stands and sat in the front row so she could watch Oliver. It wasn't completely full - probably because they were the reverse team. She shared a smile with the person next to her before looking back over at Oliver - the boy seemed to be his normal Quidditch self. Eliza smiled to herself, it was good seeing him play again.

"Have you been to a Puddlemere game before?" The woman beside her asked.

Shaking her head, Eliza answered, "No, no, I don't actually support them."

The woman raised an eyebrow, "Are you a fan of the Chudley Canons then?" She then pointed over to the other stand, "Because that's where their fans are sitting."

"No, I'm here for my boyfriend. He's just joined Puddlemere as a keeper." Eliza pointed at where Oliver was.

"Oh, right." The woman smiled at her, "Who do you support then?"

"Ballycastle Bats." 

"They are a good team, very tough to beat." The woman informed her.

During the match, the brown uniforms of the Puddlemere United Reserve Team zoomed past them all and the bright orange shirt of the Chudley Canons struggled to catch up with them. "They've been struggling for a while." The woman said to her.

"For over a century." Eliza replied causing the two to burst out laughing. 

In the end, Puddlemere won and Oliver had played the whole game - no bludgers had gone his way. "It was lovely to meet you." Eliza said to the lady before exiting the stands and going to wait for Oliver. 

"What did you think?" Oliver shouted loudly as he ran over to her, "I was okay, wasn't I?"

"Of course you were! You were brilliant!" Eliza told him before she wrapped him into a tight hug, "Well done on not getting hit by a Bludger."

Oliver chuckled, "Maybe that was just a Hogwarts thing."

"Sure, just you wait." 

He pretended to act hurt, "You have so little faith in me."

"No, I just know that you attract Bludgers as though they're in love with you."

Then suddenly, there was shouting from behind them, "Are you coming Wood?" A Puddlemere Team-mate yelled at him.

"Oh, the team are going to the pub, do you want to go?" Oliver asked her. She could see that he wanted to so nodded her head. "Yeah, we'll come now." He looked back over at Eliza, holding her hand and then the two made their way over to join his team-mates and go to the pub all together.

The Puddlemere Seeker was in the middle of telling a joke when Eliza went up to the bar to get herself another drink, "So you're the legendary Eliza Dawlish!" A woman said as she stood beside her, "Amber Genkins, Chaser for Puddlemere." She held her hand out.

"Eliza Dawlish, Chaser for Gryffindor." Eliza shook her hand, "How do you know my name?"

"You're the girl Oliver constantly talks about. You should have seen how excited he was for you to come and watch him!"

"He does get very excited!" 

The girl laughed, "Now that's an understatement." She leant closer to her, "How did you manage to bag the cute Keeper."

Staring at the girl she replied, "We went to school together."

"Have you finished yet?"

"No, no. It's my last year."

Amber raised an eyebrow, "So you two are going to do the whole long distance thing?"

"Yeah, it appears so."

"Not trying to be rude or anything, but it won't last long." Amber laughed sadly, "They never do."

"How do you know that?" Eliza asked her becoming angry that a stranger was telling her this. 

Sipping her drink, Amber replied, "I was in your situation once and he and I - well we didn't last that long. I was devastated."

"It doesn't mean Oliver and I won't last!"

"I just don't want you to end up with a broken heart."

His arm was slung over her shoulder as he sang loudly and out of tune, "WE WON! WE WON!" Suddenly, he turned to Eliza and whispered, "We won El!"

"Yeah, you won!"

"Isn't this just the best!" Oliver yelled, "I've never felt it, the feeling I got when playing out there. Well, that was the best feeling in the entire world."

"You didn't even feel that when you were Keeper for Gryffindor?" Eliza asked him as she unlocked the door to his flat. 

"No, not really. It was great playing Quidditch at Hogwarts but it's something different playing for Puddlemere. It's the best feeling in the world!"

"I bet it is." Eliza said as she sat him down on his sofa before fetching him a glass of water, "Here, drink this, it'll stop that hangover tomorrow."

"Thanks." Oliver said and began to drink it, "I've enjoyed having you here, I can't wait until next year when I get to do it with you everyday."

"I doubt it would be everyday, I don't think your liver would be able to cope with that much of alcohol!"

Oliver smiled, "Yeah, that's probably true."

"I should probably go home." 

"Stay."

Eliza laughed, "Do you think you're going to miss Hogwarts?"

"Honestly?" She nodded her head, "No, I don't think I will. I love my new life, the only thing that would make it better is if you were to live with me."

"Not too long."

"Long enough." Oliver replied. 

Eliza went to get herself a drink and when she came back in Oliver was fast asleep. Pulling a blanket over him and kissing his cheek, Eliza locked his front door before disapparating onto the street. She stared at his flat, was this what the future that was planned for her? She hoped so.