HIDE AND SEEK. ❪ Oliver Wood ❫ ✓

eight

A week passed with Bohemia slipping through Oliver's fingers each day. She was on high alert, paying more attention to the shadows and red uniforms. She didn't mean to ignore him, even though that was part of her plan. She simply didn't like the rumors of them together, especially when the rumors were growing to be more vicious.

She had heard students gossiping about her in hushed whispers depicting how horrible of a person she was for ignoring a boy who loved her.

She called bullshit on that because Oliver didn't love her. He only wanted her to sign his broom. Granted, he hadn't mentioned that on the last day they actually talked to each other, but she was sure it was part of his plan to get her to open up with him, and she was not about to open her chest of insecurities.

She stayed in the shadows because she was sensitive. In her six years at Hogwarts, nothing like that had ever happened. She stayed in her own safe bubble, earning Outstandings in every class for every year because it was expected of her from her parents. They wouldn't celebrate or compliment her good grades. They would simply give her a smile and nod when her report card arrived.

She never skipped a class and gossiping students wouldn't be the reason for her to skip. She breathed in deeply and sat through a lesson, taking notes while trying to ignore the dark thoughts creeping up at the back of her mind. She would have to wait until she became an Auror, which could be a few years because of training and tests.

As soon as class was over, she was the first student to exit. It came as a shock to her but she had never walked so quickly in her life. She bolted for any corridor or wing or passage that was empty.

She couldn't handle the pointed glares and hushed whispers. She briskly walked away from the students, using a secret passageway when no one was looking. She paced back and forth in front of an empty wall, squeezing her eyes shut as thoughts raced across her mind.

A door appeared, and she opened it, rushing into it. Once the door was closed, she let out a deep breath and walked to the middle of the room where a large bed full of fluffy pillows and cushions. She dropped her bag off by the foot of the bed and threw herself onto the bed. What she needed most was her safe space, which was anything soft against her body.

She buried her face into the soft sheets, rubbing herself in order to stop herself from crying, but the tears came out anyway. She didn't even know why she was crying. The students shouldn't have gotten to her because they were all strangers to her.

Through her sniffles, she didn't hear the sound of the door opening.

"Midford?"

She sniffled.

"Midford!"

Her head shot up, looking over her shoulder to see Oliver. She gasped and scrambled to sit up on the bed, pulling down her skirt to make sure she was presentable.

"W-What are you doing here?" she peeped.

"I was looking for you," he answered.

"And the room opened its doors for you? You must have really wanted to find me."

"Why have you been crying, lassie?" he asked.

"It's nothing."

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be crying," he retorted.

She sniffled. "It's just some rumors. It's really nothing."

He winced. "I think I know which ones you're talking 'bout. Don't let them get to you."

"I know," she whispered. "I tell myself that, but it doesn't make it hurt less."

He looked around, attempting to find something else to talk about it. "Uh - pillows, huh?"

She raised an eyebrow. "That's what you're going for?"

"There's not much in here except fluffy pillows and blankets."

She pouted, hpmhing and looking away. "I like soft things."

He stared at her as she looked away from him. "Do you want to go on a date with me sometime?"

She turned her head to look at him so quickly she was sure she could have gotten whiplash. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm always happy out 'round you. I'm sure we could have a whale of a time together," he said.

"I - I've never... I'm not sure I'd be good at...that," she murmured.

"That's all right. Neither am I."

She pursued her lips and looked at him. "No date, but we can talk more and I won't run."