The Quidditch Pitch - Oliver Wood Love Story

The Date

The Halloween Feast started at eight o'clock. She planned on leaving the castle around seven to get to the Three Broomsticks by seven thirty. Serena had made up a lie and told her friends that she was meeting a recruiter from the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team in Hogsmeade to discuss future plans. She spent an hour up in her dormitory trying to decide what to wear. She didn't want to dress too nicely, because she didn't want Wood to think she was into him like that, but she definitely wasn't going to wear her Tutshill Tornados jumper either. She finally decided on a pair of black skinny jeans, heeled boots and a brightly colored tank top and her favorite maroon leather jacket. This seemed appropriate for a recruiter. Serena grabbed her bag, put a couple of sickles in her wallet and traipsed down to the common room.

"Damn, you look hot," said Jade as Serena entered the common room. "Is this recruiter a babe?"

"I have no idea," said Serena. "We've just been writing back and forth. Are you sure it isn't too much?"

"You look great," said Maggie. "Knock 'em dead."

"Will you be back in time for the party?" asked Olivia.

"Uhh – I don't know," she answered. "It could take awhile if this goes well."

"Of course," said Maggie. "Take your time. And have fun."

She waved good-bye to her friends as she left the common room. Now she just had to make sure that any teachers or Prefects wouldn't see her while she snuck out of the castle.

She decided to sneak through the back of the castle, near the greenhouses where the Herbology classes were held. It was surprisingly easy to sneak out without being seen. Everyone was too excited to head to the Halloween feast later that no one noticed her as she snuck out the back door.

Once she was free from the castle grounds, she started getting a nervous feeling in her stomach. What if Wood had tricked her into doing this? What if he wasn't serious about anything he said and this was some sort of trap. She contemplated walking back up to the castle, but then she'd have to lie to her friends more.

Okay, she thought. I'll stop by the Three Broomsticks, wait a couple of minutes, and if he's not there by seven thirty exactly then I'll go back to the castle.

To her surprise, the Three Broomsticks was surprisingly busy. It was decorated for Halloween as well. There were bats flying about the ceiling and talking jack-o-lanterns on each table. The bartender was dressed up as a troll and the waitresses were dressed as sexy Healers. Serena was so caught up in the excitement that she hardly noticed Wood sitting near the back with a mug of Butterbeer.

"Hey," she said as she sat down across from him. The jack-o-lantern screamed at her and startled her and made her jump.

Wood laughed. She didn't know why he made her so nervous.

"I didn't think you'd actually show," he said before he took a swig of Butterbeer.

"Neither did I," she half-laughed.

"They've got a special tonight," he said as he slid her a menu. "Two steak dinners for the price of one. Comes with Cauldron Cakes for desert. Unless of course you'd like something else."

"No that's fine with me," she said. The waitress came and took her drink order. She ordered a Butterbeer, same as Wood.

"I've never been in here during a holiday," she said not really knowing what to talk to him about.

"It's like this all the time around the holidays," said Wood. "I've never been in here during Halloween though. It's pretty cool."

The waitress returned with her drink and Oliver ordered for them. The waitress came back with a basket of rolls and butter.