Penelope Clearwater (onecent) wrote in disorderic, @ 2017-09-13 21:30:00 |
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Entry tags: | oliver wood, penelope clearwater |
WHO: Penny and Oliver
WHAT: Penny goes to comfort Oliver after THAT Quidditch match.
WHEN: November 2013
WHERE: Hogwarts
If it wasn’t for Oliver, Penny wouldn’t have attended this Quidditch match at all; as much as she enjoyed Quidditch, it was cold and raining and miserable, but Penny knew how much winning the cup this year meant to Oliver. She’d never admit it to her housemates, but she was secretly rooting for Gryffindor to go all the way for Oliver’s sake. They really had had dreadful luck under Oliver’s tenure, and it didn’t seem fair. So Penny dragged herself out of bed, donned a Gryffindor jumper that she'd borrowed, and sat with Percy and the other seventh year Gryffindors to cheer Oliver on. Then, disaster struck; the dementors descended, Harry collapsed, and Hufflepuff won. The Gryffindor Quidditch Team really did have dreadful luck. Penny had returned to her common room, changed out of her sopping wet clothes, and then sat beside the fire in a fresh, warm sweater. There were a number of Ravenclaws who’d skipped the match due to the weather, so it fell to Penny to recount all the excitement, with Roger chiming in periodically as he never missed a match, whatever the weather. “I just don’t understand why they even still had the game, the weather was terrible, it was dangerous even before the dementors got there!” Penny explained. “But, Penny...it’s Quidditch,” one of her dorm mates pointed out. “Well, yes, but…” Penny objected, but then simply shook her head and rolled her eyes, “Nevermind.” There were some things that Penny could never manage to understand about magical culture; like allowing students to play a Quidditch match in the middle of a full on thunderstorm--there were people flying around on broomsticks, didn’t anyone stop to think about how one of these kids could get struck by lightning and die? Muggles thought about stuff like that all the time; they closed Penny’s local indoor pool if there was lightning out, on the off chance that it might blast through the window and straight into the pool. “I better check on Oliver,” Penny said with a sigh, returning to her dorm room to brew a hot thermos of tea before descending to the Great Hall to look for him. Penny thought by now there was a good chance Oliver had finally resolved to eat something, or that Percy would have convinced him to do so. Surely enough, she found him sitting by himself looking utterly despondent. “‘Lo, Ol,” Penny greeted sympathetically, sitting across from him. “I made you some tea,” she said, passing the thermos off to him. For a few seconds, Oliver considered ignoring Penny. It wasn’t personal, of course, not really. He liked Penny as a person, had since they were just first years. She was one of the few people who understood his passion for Quidditch, despite her being Muggleborn, and that went a long way in Oliver’s book. It was sort of awful to have to deal with her and Percy, but at least she was there alone now. He just would have avoided everyone if he could have gotten away with it. There was a reason he’d stayed in the showers until his fingers wrinkled and everyone else had cleared off: no one was there to give him looks of pity or to see him cry. He hadn’t even bothered to change out of his uniform until after. It was just a game, he could imagine people saying. At least Harry was all right, they’d say. And while Oliver was glad that Harry was all right, it was far from just a game to him. Finally, he looked up. He was sure he looked as miserable as he felt. He’d barely touched the food on his plate, and he still didn’t want to, but… maybe tea would be nice. “Thanks.” Penny frowned as she watched him--she hated to see Oliver look so down. Penny rested her cheek in her palm, just sitting with him quietly for a moment. “I thought Hooch really should have called a rematch. The circumstances were…absurd,” she said after a few minutes, shaking her head. Penny sighed, stretching back against the table; she still felt stiff from sitting on those benches in that weather, she could only imagine how Oliver felt. “Anyway, I’d change the subject, but I’m kind of scrambling for cheerful topics between the hellbeasts floating around and the mass-murdering lunatic breaking into the castle,” she said and blanched. Hogwarts really was very different from the Muggle world, and not always in a good way. In retrospect, Oliver thought Hooch should have called for a rematch, too. Between the weather and the sudden appearance of the Dementors, the odds were stacked against them. Oliver hadn’t wanted to postpone it for several reasons: he wanted to prove they could do anything, that they could win even in horrible weather, that this was the best team Gryffindor had ever had. More than that, he wanted to make sure that there were no more hiccups in the schedule. They risked so much, and for what? Oliver snorted lightly. “Thanks for trying anyway.” He opened the thermos to take a drink of the tea. “No one else has brought me tea. Think they’re all scared of me or something.” He smiled a little, although it wasn’t very bright. “And thanks for coming to the match. Even though…” His voice trailed off and he sighed. Even though they’d lost, even though it’d been cold and rainy. He didn’t think he had to say it. “The Dementors shouldn’t even be allowed on school grounds.” Penny smiled, “Ah, I couldn’t be scared of you--well, maybe I was a little bit, but not so much as to not bring you tea,” she teased. The small smile faded at the mention of the Dementors; it really had been horrible, the cold of the weather was nothing compared to the chill they brought, and then when Harry fell--for a moment, she really thought he might have died, that the Dementors may have done something to him, or the fall itself...but he was alright. “They shouldn’t be,” she agreed. “I don’t think they’re supposed to be, Dumbledore was in an absolute outrage after you’d cleared the field, I never saw him like that before,” Penny told him. “I’m glad Harry’s alright...what terrible beasts they are, it must have been terrifying to have one of those things sneak up on you in the air like that.” She was a good friend, Oliver thought. Not that his other friends weren’t. He was actually really lucky, to have people who put up with his moodiness and his Quidditch obsession. He was lucky to have people who knew when to give him space, too. In that moment, he just appreciated that she was there, reaching out. The whole game was a blur in Oliver’s mind. He usually remembered every single detail, and usually went over the entire game in the locker room afterwards, even in a win. He’d skipped that this time, in favour of the shower, and he barely even remembered if he checked in on Harry. He looked down at his hands, clasped around the thermos. “How is he? Do you know?” “I think he’s okay, physically, as far as I’ve heard,” said Penny. “But...I don’t see how he wouldn’t be shaken up by what happened. He’s a tough kid, though, isn't’ he?” Penny reflected. She wasn’t always clear on all of the details of what Harry and his crew got up to at Hogwarts, but it usually sounded vaguely terrifying and like nothing she ever could have handled at that age--or even now. “So I’m sure he’ll be fine. Ron and the twins will undoubtedly know more.” “He’s a tough kid,” Oliver echoed with a nod. The words felt hollow, but Oliver supposed it was true. He’d been impressed with Harry from the start. The only thing that was really frustrating was Harry’s habit to get into constant trouble -- Ron, too, but Harry was the one who was a brilliant Seeker. He had so much potential. Oliver nodded again, like he was convincing himself of something. “I’ll check in on him later. I’ll …” His words trailed off. “I’ll ask around.” Penny nodded and smiled a bit, “Need some alone time to ruminate now?” she asked him. When Oliver thought about what there was left to ruminate over, he cringed. So many things had gone wrong today, so many of them completely out of his control. He could handle his own mistakes, or mistakes that his players made, because ultimately that fell back on him for failing to coach them properly. This, though? Oliver didn’t know what to do. A part of him thought it was probably a bad idea to get stuck in his head more than he already was, especially when there was nothing about the match that he could apply to a future lesson for his team. Another part thought he should suck it up and go find Harry, who undoubtedly had it worse than he did. “Dunno, Pen.” Oliver shrugged. “Dunno much what to do right now.” “I think a few moments of indecision are probably permissible, following that whole disaster,” Penny told him. “You’ve got a resilient team, though,” she told him. “And you’re a phenomenal captain, I think you lot still have a really good chance of pulling through.” Penny smiled in a conspiratorial way and leaned a bit so no one would hear her but Oliver, though scarcely anyone else was in the Great Hall--undoubtedly, the rest of the school was off in their common rooms, gossiping about what had happened on the pitch. “I’m rooting for Gryffindor this year. Just don’t tell any of the Ravenclaws, especially not Roger.” “Ah… thanks, Penny.” Oliver looked fondly at her. He wasn’t sure he believed anything she was saying, truthfully. He still felt disheartened by his inability to keep his team on the right path, and how things just kept getting in the way. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. It was starting to feel like he’d never actually accomplish everything he’d been working for. He leaned in, though, and whispered back, “your secret’s safe with me. If Roger asks, tell him he’s got a couple more years. He can wait his turn. This year’s mine.” Penny grinned, “I’ll pass it on,” she said. |