Who: Oliver Wood, Reginald Wood (NPC), Penelope Clearwater What: Oliver learns of his mother's death, Penelope tries to help Where: Oliver's Flat, Wood residence When: late Sat/Sunday Rating: High, there's some swearing for sure
The sounds of the WWN filled Oliver Wood's flat, as he hummed along and worked on dinner. He was an able cook, having long learned how after living alone since becoming a professional quidditch player quite young. Right then, Oliver was working on a lamb shank and red lentils, the scent of rosemary and meat perfuming the air. He was calmer than he'd ever been, and if he dared admit it to himself, quite smitten. Penelope... he thought lazily. She had certainly enchanted him.
His uneventful evening came to an abrupt end when suddenly his apartment was filled with a bright white light, and he saw his father's patronus, a bear larger than his own, appeared in his kitchen. "Your mum...Oliver, she's...Come home now!" and then just as suddenly disappeared. Oliver stood with an oven mitt in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other, frozen in shock. "It can't bloody be true...it can't be, she's not....fuck!" He threw the mitt and spoon aside, turned off the stove and oven, and without another thought apparrated home.
Outside his house, it was pure chaos. He could hardly take anything in, for as soon as he appeared outside his house he was confronted by an auror, who, not knowing Oliver, held him back. "This is official Ministry business, sir, I'm going to have to ask you to step back," the auror said. "Piss off, this is my house!" Oliver shouted, pushing past the auror, and made his way towards the house. Then, he saw it. Hovering above his house like a nightmare was the Dark Mark. Oliver fell to his knees in the grass outside, and let out a terrible yell. Reginald Wood ran from the house, and saw his son on the ground. "Ollie, dear boy. Ollie...I...she went for a walk with Petunia. She wasn't gone but a few moments, and then I just heard a scream. I couldn't get there in time, I couldn't...Merlin, it should have been me, Oliver, not your dear mum." Oliver cut off his father's words with a fierce hug, and the two men held each other on the lawn, sobbing. Penelope Wood, the sweetest witch who brought her sweetness to the world through their shop, who never had a cruel word for anyone, she was gone. Oliver saw red, his whole being filled with rage, even as he held his father to him. "They'll pay!" he shouted through his tears. "They will bloody well pay for this, fucking bastard COWARDS!" "Oliver, don't say such things, the aurors will take care of it," his father pleaded. Oliver pushed away from his father, unsure of what to do or how to act. "Have you sent word to Edwardine?" he asked. "Yes, though it will be a bit before she can come, it's a bit hard to apparate from America of course. Several stops have to be timed right to hit islands along the way, and....oh, Ollie. What will I do without her?" Oliver's heart dropped as he saw his handsome, strapping father dissolved into tears. He looked so elderly and fragile of a sudden, a wizard who had before never really showed his own age. "I'm sorry, Ollie. You shouldn't see me like this. I need to talk to the aurors, so why don't you go back home and gather your things. It will be a while. Maybe come tomorrow morning when Edwardine is here," Reginald said. "I shouldn't leave you like this," Oliver countered. "I...I don't want you to see me-weak, my boy. You go, and come back, all right? And don't do anything stupid along the way."
Oliver didn't think he should leave his father, but the look in Reginald's eyes convinced him. His father had never cried before him, he was always the picture of strength and calm. His mother had been the emotional one, having cried in happiness upon his acceptance to Hogwarts, his making the quidditch team his second year, making captain, becoming a professional keeper...just last week she had cried in happiness when he told her he had been made full keeper and captain of Puddlemere United. His mom...
Trying to push away these thoughts, he apparated home, landing in his kitchen which was filled with the cloying scent of his ruined dinner. Sinking to the floor, he just sobbed. "NOOOOOO!" he cried, with a desperate moan that filled the flat with the sound of despair. Looking up, he saw on his mantle the photo of himself with his parents as he held his Puddlemere jersey. His mother's face was covered in happy tears, and she was jumping up and down and kissing her son. Oliver's eyes clouded in rage as he saw his mother's face-so beautiful, so kind-and without thinking he grabbed the nearest thing he could find to do damage; his broom. In a fury, he smashed everything in sight, in his mind smashing the skulls of every Death Eater, most especially the soulless bastard who stole his mother from him.
Looking around his destroyed flat, his thoughts went back to the same girl that had filled his thoughts earlier. "Penny...I need Penny," he thought, and rushed to send a message.
He looked around at his destroyed flat, and sank onto his couch, numb. And waited.