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Tweak says, "I've never meant anything more"

keeper_captain (keeper_captain) wrote in quaffle_rpg,
@ 2009-09-01 19:58:00

RP: Interviews
Who: Oliver Wood and Lavender Brown
When: 1 September 2004
Where: The Leaky Cauldron
What: Lavender is interviewing Oliver about the upcoming season
Status: Closed/Incomplete
Rating: PG

Oliver sat at an empty table at the Leaky Cauldron and drummed his fingers against the surface. He knew that interviews with the press were part of his job with Puddlemere, but he was always afraid they would steer the conversation away from the game and towards his personal life. He worked very hard to keep his son sheltered from the media, and tried to give him a normal life. He hadn't dated since Colin's mother died eight years ago. He was starting to entertain the idea of dating again, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to subject some woman or his son to the attention that would cause.

He gave in and ordered a pint, just to calm his nerves. He vaguely remembered Lavender Brown from school. She was significantly younger and bubbly if he recalled correctly. Hopefully she would be a fair journalist. That was all Oliver really wanted. A nice article talking about the upcoming season and quidditch. He might even plug the upcoming Men of Quidditch calendar for St Mungo's. He did get a kick of posing in his kilt, even if the photographer insisted he be shirtless.

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-03 01:43 am UTC (link)

"Sounds like you have rather large aspirations, Oliver." Lavender grinned a little. She propped her elbow on the tabletop and dropped her chin in her hand. "Japan, South America, Egypt; those aren't just weekend trips to the country. You're very lucky to have a career that can cover those sorts of trips. I hear you're raking in a pretty high salary." Lavender had the statistic somewhere, but she was pretty sure she had left them at the office.

"So besides expensive trips around the globe, what else do you splurge on?" There had to be even a little tiny thing that she could turn into something scandalous. Nothing to ruin his life, obviously, just something to make him seem more interesting. "What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought for yourself?"

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keeper_captain
2009-09-03 03:07 am UTC (link)

Oliver nodded, "I am lucky I have a good manager and a good financial adviser who help me ensure I can afford those trips. Granted several of them are going to be after I retire. Hard to spend a long time away when you have a job to do." He really didn't like talking about money. Even without quidditch, he was well off, and he knew how lucky he was.

"What do I splurge on?" He chewed that over for a moment. "Brooms. I collect antique brooms. I have one of the original firebolts in my collection. I also have a decent collection of guitars, even if I am rubbish at playing them."

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-03 03:25 am UTC (link)

Lavender took another sip from her ice tea, getting comfortable again. She idly brushed her hair more fully over the left side of her throat, moving to try and cover her still non-visible scars. She nodded, though, smirking at him with that all-knowing reporter look. "So you're a novice guitar player, huh? Well that certainly something you failed to mention earlier. Tell me more about that. That's certainly something most fans would be surprised to hear about."

Pausing, Lavender shifted in her seat, crossing one leg over the other and smoothing her dress down again. "In fact, I bet that's not the only surprise in your life, Oliver. What other passions do you have that might shock and bewilder your fans? Any special talents that we are as-of-yet unaware of?" Lavender licked her lips, an unconscious think that she hadn't done that way since before her scarring. Almost flirting, as close as she ever got anymore.

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keeper_captain
2009-09-03 04:14 am UTC (link)

"Novice is putting it nicely," he said before taking a sip of his pint. "I'm rubbish, but I love guitars. One of my mates, Kenneth Towler? He's a brilliant musician. I am jealous of his talents." Oliver always took whatever chances he could to plug Kenneth's career. He knew he struggled sometimes, but he was incredibly talented.

"What would shock my fans?" He really did have to ponder that one. Did he do anything shocking? The fact he'd not even kissed a girl in eight years that was shocking but not something he wanted to talk about. "I can cook, and cook quite well. I've got elves, but I tend to be the one who cooks if I am home."

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-03 04:32 am UTC (link)

"Towler? He broke his hip, yeah? Can't fly anymore, if I'm not mistaken." Lavender glanced at her notepad for a second. She remembered Kenneth, but just barely. He had never really stood out when they were in school. Although Lavender vaguely remembered that he and Oliver had been pretty good mates. Lavender had no idea Ken had taken up the guitar since his double failures.

A surprised smile crossed Lavender's features and she sat up a little straighter. "A bloke that can cook? Now there's a surprise." Lavender propped her chin in her hand again, blue eyes sparkling. "What's your favorite things to cook, Oliver?" Without even realizing it, Lavender bit the corner of her lip as she watched him. A bloke that could cook was probably top of any woman's fantasy list.

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keeper_captain
2009-09-03 04:46 am UTC (link)

Oliver nodded, "Shame, he was a brilliant player. But that's the danger of the game. Always a chance your next game is your last." He always felt bad for and worried about Kenneth. He wasn't sure if he could survive not being able to play.

"I like to cook almost anything. I love grilling, steaks, chops, lamb." He smiled, "I make an excellent cottage pie, and a pretty good pineapple upside down cake." Now, that was going to help his image. No wonder people thought he was gay. He sounded like it.

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-03 04:55 am UTC (link)

"Do you worry about that? That perhaps one day you'll end up too hurt to play?" Lavender didn't mean to turn the interview down that road. But that was a part of Oliver, too. She was trying to get the big picture so she could narrow it down where it would do the most good for the reader. And hearing his take on a life without quidditch would help her find something interesting to write about.

Lavender's smile widened a bit as he started talking about his skill in the kitchen. She took a drink of her iced tea and put it down, trying very hard not to giggle at the image of Oliver baking a cake. She glanced at her notepad again, just to make sure she wasn't missing a word of it. "Now what in the world is more sexy than a bloke who can bake a cake and has one of the best records in quidditch? That is fantastic, Oliver. Any other secret skills your fans might be interested in hearing about?"

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keeper_captain
2009-09-03 05:09 am UTC (link)

"I don't think there is a player alive who doesn't worry about that. It's a high risk sport, but if you love it, it's in your blood and you can't give it up." He knew he was lucky his career had lasted this long. "It's why you make wise investments, and plan for the fact you can't play forever."

He liked her smile, she was cute. Too cute for him. "I took four years off after Colin was born. I had to do something with my time. I wasn't going to learn to knit." He grinned, "I don't know. I really think I am just a normal bloke who got lucky and gets to do what he loves every day. I have a wonderful son, a job a love, a nice home, what else does a bloke need?"

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-03 05:24 am UTC (link)

"Nothing lasts forever." Lavender herself had doubts about her career. Although she still hadn't broken in to the reporting business yet. Not entirely anyway. And Oliver was obviously great at his job. "Tell me, besides the obvious career ending injuries, what other weaknesses are there? Surely you've run into something terribly worrisome or horribly embarrassing in your career. It wouldn't be fair not to dish."

Natural instinct kicked in and Lavender's flirting kicked up a notch. She brushed her fingertips across her collar bone, grinning at him with the tiniest of smirks. Although her eyes probably spoke volumes more at this point. "Well... as far as I was aware, a bloke needs a girl, yeah? Tell me about your love life, Oliver. All the birds are just dying to know that."

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keeper_captain
2009-09-03 10:11 pm UTC (link)

She was starting to venture into uncomfortable territory. "I'm not a very fast flier over long distances, to be honest. I'll never win a broom race. But a keeper only needs to be a sprinter, not a marathon flier like a chaser or a seeker. But my mates like to challenge me to races to show me up." He was usually good natured about it, unless they really rubbed it in.

He actually blushed when she mentioned his love life. "My personal life is that, personal. My focus is on my son, and dating's not been a priority for me. I wanted to wait until he was older, able to understand." He shrugged, "You can't shelter kids from the tabloids, no matter how hard you try. I don't want him to be embarrassed by his dear old dad."

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-03 10:34 pm UTC (link)

"Oh, but I've seen you take hits from a quaffle that would knock most men off their brooms," Lavender replied. There had been times during her first year that she was afraid he was going to die. Of course she was possibly the most over-dramatic first year to grace the halls of Hogwarts, but that didn't change the fact that he was an ace keeper. "I suppose none of them ever bother to challenge you in front of a goal or three." Lavender knew how blokes could be. It was all a pissing contest as long as they knew they could win. Women were much more devious in their competitions.

Laughing a little, Lavender gave a nod as if she agreed with his statement about keeping his personal life personal. And then continued with the questioning because, well, she wouldn't be a good reporter if she didn't. "Oh, I'm sure there's nothing you could do that would embarrass him. Loads of kids would love to have a dad as famous as you are. So tell me, Oliver, when you do start dating, what is it that you're looking for? What sorts of women are you attracted to?"

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