Too High A Cost? (Zelda)

[Deleted]

That awkward moment when you walked into a few of your former colleagues in a Quidditch store. In hindsight, Oliver knew he should have seen it coming, but then, how on earth should he have been prepared to see the Two Beaters and one Chaser from Pride of Portree in Diagon Alley today of all days? He hadn’t even expected to be here today himself, but one of his first tasks as new assistant to the Flying Teacher apparently was restacking the Quidditch supplies for the oncoming year and as he loved the odd trip down to Quality Quidditch Supplies, just to surround himself with the fantastic odor of polishing wax, wood and leather, he had of course been more than happy to accept this task. He just should have done it maybe an hour earlier or later…

In the beginning, he hadn’t even thought it to be more than a little awkward. He had given them a nod and a friendly hello, but tried not to be caught up in a conversation. He also had other business to attend to after all. But somehow, this must have rubbed wrong with them, or they hadn’t been out for a friendly resolve in the first place.
”Think you’re too important for us now, eh, Wood?” Jamie Fraser, one of the Beaters called out to him, a sneer clearly visible on his face. Stay calm… he told himself, stay friendly and calm… then they’re the ones in fault, not you. Don’t give them any more reason to be mad at you. “I never said I was”, he replied with a shrug. “It’s nice to meet you too, Jamie. Sorry, if I came off a bit stand-offish, but I have some business to do, and have to catch a Floo back to Hogwarts in an hour at latest."

Seeing their faces darken, he knew he had made a mistake. He should not have mentioned Hogwarts. Now he really had to look how to get out of this one, as they now were closing in on him. Oliver knew that if anything happened, Jamie Fraser would surely be the instigator. And it didn’t help at all that the Fraser clan was not really getting along with the MacKenzie clan to which Oliver belonged from his mother’s side. The MacKenzies had always tried to attain the land the Fraser’s held suffering under delusions of grandeur, and the Frasers had fought against it with all their might. Normally such things didn’t matter to Oliver, but he knew they mattered for Jamie. He had never really gotten along with the guy. “So, so… Hogwarts. How does it feel to leave your team mates high and dry just to go back to the school and play professor? Oh, wait, you aren’t even a professor right? You’re nothing but a sidekick. And still you thought that oh-so-much better and enough of a reason to abandon us RIGHT before a game, you rat!”

Oliver winced at the insult, but he still tried to remain calm, even though his tone took on a biting edge. “Well, keep in mind that I only was your recplacement for Meaghan. It is surely is not my fault she spends too much time with her drugged rockstar brother to get her life together.” Too late her realized his second mistake. John Murray, the Chaser that was with them, had recently hooked up wirh Meaghan Cormack, or so he had heard…
He saw the fist coming and dogded it like he would dodge a bludger, though he would have seriously felt more in his element if he had been sitting on a broom right now. There at least you could do a somersault without much difficulty… The fist instead crashed into a stand of Quidditch magazines behind Oliver’s head, which sent the owner crying out in protest and Murray in pain as his knuckles had split on some metal edge. This was so not going to end well, Oliver thought glumly… and it wasn’t even his fault. Or was it?

“Guys…”, he said, his voice low and almost pleading. “I’m not looking for a fight, okay?” “Too bad, we are!” was the answer he got from Jamie, before another fist flew at him.

[zelda]

Oh, Diagon Alley. If it had been any other day, Zelda would have locked herself in her study or the office at the Ministry, but not today. Mr. Diggory had insisted that she take the day off, as she had been in every single day since she had been hired. Really, though. Zelda didn't see it as a job, even. Getting paid to organize things? Who wouldn't want to do something like that?

Alright, well, she could think of a few people, but that wasn't the point.

It had been so long since Zelda had taken a day to herself, so she had to admit that she was a little relieved that her boss had made her take the day off. Normally, she would hunt down someone like Ellen, Celia or Lydia to have a little company on her day out, but no, of course everyone was busy.

Not that it bothered her that much. She was sure that things would be much more efficient if she did things on her own. Zelda sped by some of the less interesting shops like Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and Gambol and Japes. Or at least...less interesting to her. She was more partial to stores like Flourish and Blotts or the potions shop.

However, just as she passed by the Quidditch shop, something caught her eye. Normally, she would not enter such an establishment, as she really didn't have any interest in the sport whatsoever, but she saw a familiar face. Oh, Oliver Wood. She didn't think that she had ever gotten over her crush on him.

Shrugging to herself, she made her way into the shop, but paused when she saw exactly what was happening inside. Some of the men in the store seemed to be cornering Oliver in a very threatening manner. This would not do.

As per usual, Zelda stuck her nose where she probably should not have and said,"Excuse me. Is there a problem in here?"

ooc: I LOVE IT AKLJF;KLADSJF

[Deleted]

This time Oliver wasn’t as fast to react – he remembered the dead on aim and quick reflexes of Jamie Fraser and no mistake! – and so part of the fist caught him on the cheek and sent his head, and therefore his whole body backwards, making him stumble against the carefully exhibited Firebolt. In front of his inner eye, he already saw it falling and with a lurch of fear he realized just how much that might cost him. He had never been able to purchase a Firebolt, and he would not be able to for a very very long time, maybe never, if he didn’t save up for at least five years and allowed himself no extras on the side. But even if he wasn’t thinking about it, his arms acted with good reflexes and he caught the Firebolt around the stick just as it was teetering and toppling to the ground. Phew… but apparently his bad moments were not over!

“You guys are gonna settle this now, or I’ll through you out and ban you from ever entering this shop again!” the owner screeched and rushed over balling his fists, but since he was at least one head shorter than any of them and especially the two burly beaters, he kept a respectable and wary distance, while he still spit and blubbered like a poison dwarf or a grumpy goblin. “I don’t care from which team you are, and I don’t care what your freaking problem is, but I DO care about my shop. You will pay for every damage and every little misplaced item, you hear me?!” Apparently though no one really seemed to listen to him, even Oliver was too occupied with paying attention to the next fist that could come his way to really take heed of the shop owner’s words. He only registered the word ‘ban’ and knew that couldn’t happen.

“I don’t know what their problem is either, Sir” he replied and shot a ‘what-the-heck-seriously’ look at the three men. Honestly, this was what he wanted to escape from. They all took Quidditch way too seriously, put it over life and limb, and anyone ‘betraying’ them in anything or threatening their success was ‘the enemy’ who needed to be prosecuted. That was not the life he wanted to lead. He wanted to be still able to see the fun in everything, and not wake up every morning with a mood to kill anyone who looked at him the wrong way or mocked his team. Goodness, Quidditch was such a wonderful sport, but this was not a price he was willing to pay for it all.
“I was merely trying to get supplies for the Hogwarts Quidditch stack”, he continued, trying a professional tone. “Madama Hooch, the Flying Teacher requested a doz—“
“You really think this Hogwarts shizz is making you better than the rest of us, don’t ya Wood?” Jamie growled and advanced on him again, something dangerous and almost manic flickering in his eyes. Even though Oliver knew he was in the right, he started to feel extremely uneasy now. “Alright… we can settle this outside as well, Sir”, he sneered next and grabbed Oliver by his turtleneck collar.

That was when he really started to worry. And that was also when he heard a very unexpected voice.
"Excuse me. Is there a problem in here?"[/b] Oliver turned his head as much as he was able to, still being in Jamie’s grasp and looked into a familiar face – but he’d be damned if he could attach a name to it right away. He knew her from back at Hogwarts, that much he knew… she must have been in the same year or a year under him… something with Z… Zoey maybe? “Oh, hi”, he greeted her with a lopsided smile. “I’ll gladly say it again, It’s not I who—“
“Shut up!” Murray snarled. “You’ll apologize for what you said about Meaghan or I’ll make you number your bones, understood?! And you, poppet”, he turned to the young woman with a smirk, “stay out of this, if you know what’s good for you!”

[zelda]

It really hit Zelda that Oliver had even bothered to say hello to her while he was being attacked. Oh, he was such a dear. However, this action only fueled her anger that the man was being attacked. She glanced to the shop owner with raised eyebrows.

"Aren't you going to do something about this?" she asked him, taking a step forward,"Or do you always allow brawling in your establishment?" Even though this had absolutely nothing to do with her department, she was tempted to flash her Ministry badge. She could easily go to another department and report what she had seen.

A look of complete fury came across Zelda's face when one of the attacking men called her poppet. She absolutely hated being called that word. It was so demeaning and it was something she absolutely would not stand for. She had constantly been called that word when she was in school and while she was working at Flourish and Blotts; it just got under her skin. No one dared call her such a name while she was at the Ministry.

"How dare you! I beg your pardon!" she said, putting her hands on her hips in a stubborn manner. There was a small voice at the back of her mind that warned her this was probably not a good idea to be intervening in this particular situation, but the voice of her anger was so much louder. "What exactly are you going to do if I don't?" She shrugged her shoulders, challenging him.

This was a very bad habit of Zelda's: to get involved in things that she should stay away from. It was a mixture of stubbornness, curiosity and the need to help people that often got her into trouble. It vaguely reminded her of the other night when she had a run-in with one Fenrir Greyback. Hopefully this situation would not be quite as dangerous as that one had been.

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Despite the tight spot he was in, Oliver found himself to be torn between amusement and admiration to see this young woman make this encounter her own affair and trouble without so much as a second guess, as it seemed. He would have thought twice of picking a bone with any of them, but then he also knew them, and knew there was really something behind their brawny figures. Maybe he should warn her? But how? He really wasn’t an expert on such situations, and he really, REALLY didn’t want her to get hurt or involved.He also watched the shop owner warily, hoping he would finally show some real authority around his own realm, but of course this hope was quickly gutted. After he had seen his valuable goods didn’t seem in any danger for now, he showed no interest in the substance of the fight and also didn’t seem to care for justice.
“They said they would leave my shop so I’m waiting on them to do so”, he grumbled, obviously annoyed atbeing reminded of some duty he might or might not have for holding up public order. “I am not interested in why they fight as long as they don’t do it inside here. This one”, he flicked a thumb at Oliver, “said he’s interested in buying things. He can do so later, when he comes in without these others.”

Oliver couldn’t quite believe his ears. Was it the oncoming threat of war and chaos that made people so cold blooded towards injust violence that was spreading around them or had he always misjudged the Owner of Quality Quidditch Supplies and he had always been an uncaring jerk? He wasn’t liking this one bit, that was for sure, since he knew once outside in the street Jamie and the other two would probably apparate somewhere secure where they could beat him into a pulp in their own sweet time, if that was what they were after. The sheer idea made his stomach do a sickening flicflac and for a moment he had to resist the urge of grabbing that Firebolt again, just take it and escape into the element where he felt safest. Air. But no, he could not do that, and right now he was confronted with yet another reason why he could not make a dash for it, aside from being seen stealing: Her. She had gotten involved now and he couldn’t leave her with these brutes. They were okay guys mostly, but right now they were beside themselves for some reason.

"How dare you! I beg your pardon!" "What exactly are you going to do if I don't?" Oliver couldn’t help but admire the courage and defiance in her words, and suddenly he knew her name again. Zelda was it. Even at school, she had been known to stick up for others. Sadly, it didn’t quite ellicit the same reaction from the Quidditch players. The second Beater, Glen Carson with name, finally spoke up with a voice that made Oliver wish he had not. Glen might not be a shouting brute like Jamie or as easily offended as John Murray, but in his silent demeanor, he might be more dangerous than both of them. Oliver saw him taking a slow step towards Zelda, sizing her up. “Don’t tempt me, lass… I’d have quite a few things on my mind there… right lads?”
Hearing them growl in affirmation was too much for Oliver. Yanking his collar from the restraining grasp, he took a step back, raising both his hands. “Guys, LISTEN to yourself! This is getting beyond a joke! If you want your revenge on me, fine, take it. Take me outside and beat me up if that makes you feel better. But leave her out of this.”

Then he locked his gaze with John Murray, hoping he had chosen the weakest spot of the trio correctly. He wasn’t anywhere near perfect at judging people, but he had trained with these lads for a year and a half now. That made you see them in their best and worst times. “Here’s the deal, Murray. I am sorry for what I said about Meaghan. I take it back. And I’m sorry to have left the team almost without warning. I had my reasons. You don’t have to understand them, but at least acknowledge them.”
For some reason he could not quite fathom, his eyes then searched Zelda’s, as if he wanted to check with her, as if he wanted her approval on what he just had said. Maybe it was because he felt she was so much better with this?

[zelda]

"You really think they're going to leave just like that?" Zelda scoffed. She motioned to what was happening in the store, severely annoyed that the shop keeper wasn't doing anything to keep a fight from happening in his own store. "Do they look like they're going to be leaving your shop anytime soon?" She was tempted to rip into him a bit more, but decided to hold back for awhile.

Zelda took a step back when one of the men took a step towards her. A look of utter disgust appeared across Zelda's face when he glanced her up and down and spoke. The nerve! She felt strangely violated by the way the man looked at her and she had a horrible feeling that he was undressing her with his eyes. Suddenly self-conscious, she crossed her arms over her chest, as if that would do something to protect her.

"You wouldn't have the guts to do anything to me," she said, challenging him in an attempt to draw the attention away from Oliver.

Her attention was drawing away from the approaching man when Oliver spoke up once again. Zelda's respect for Oliver gained a few more notches in her mind and she smiled at him. Even though there was no way that she would allow the men to beat up Oliver Wood.

To her surprise, she found Oliver's eyes matching hers, as if he were checking with her for something. Zelda quite sure what he was doing, so she continued. "There. He apologized, took back what he said, let him go," she said, looking expectantly at them, almost as a scolding mother would. She still felt extremely insecure in being in the Quidditch shop with so many strong man that could probably snap her in two if they wanted to, but there was no way that she was going to leave now.

[Deleted]

The shop owner clearly didn’t like to be outsmarted by Zelda. He gave a low growl and glared at her, crossing his short arms over his chest. “So, what do you suppose I ought to do? Drag them out with my own hands? Each after the other? As long as they’re not breaking any of my stuff, they can have an argument in here as long as they want. It’s not my business, and so far it’s not disturbing anyone.”
What about Zelda and ME being disturbed, Oliver wanted to hurl at him, but he kept his calm. The calmer head was always the winning one in a confrontation. Right now, the shopkeeper was still neutral, but angering him even more could result in one more person ganging up on him. Oliver still had his orders, he ought to restack Hogwart’s Quidditch supplies and blowing sympathies with the owner of Quality Quidditch would not enhance his luck for the future. Losing him as a provider would be bad for Hogwarts and it would mean Oliver had started out his job with a failure. And all because of his decision to leave Quidditch on short notice… it was hardly fair.

What Carson said and the fact that simply no one in this room besides him and Zelda seemed to take offense in it, made Oliver sick and desperately angry. He simply couldn’t believe this was happening. And he couldn’t believe that it was this courageous young woman who now might have to pay a price for defending him. She had simply been at the wrong place at the wrongest time imaginable, and right now, he had absolutely no brilliant idea how to get out of this mess. The problem was that Zelda didn’t back down now, but carried on provoking people that simply should not be provoked. She was drawing attention back on herself. In Oliver’s opinion, it always was bad to tell someone he didn’t have the guts to do something. Cause then they would do it… just to prove her wrong. “Glen… leave it, okay?” he implored the man who had once again shifted his attention on Zelda and took another step forward so he was now towering over her, trying to intimidate her with physical proximity. “Don’t tell me what I should do, Ex-Keeper”, he said, making it seem so parenthetic, as if he was waving away a bothering fly. “I’m beginning to enjoy myself here. This one’s got spunk, obviously. I like spunk.” Then, without warning, he raised his hand and grabbed the girl’s chin forcefully. “Don’t waste your time on that sissy, love. As far as I know he’s never looked at a girl long enough to know what he’s missing.”

“Don’t you touch her!!!” Something inside Oliver seemed to break, releasing a temper he hadn’t even known he was capable of, as he flung himself at Carson from behind, pulling at his arms so he would release Zelda from his violating grip. The unstable truce inside the room seemed irrevocably broken, as now the two remaining men in return tried to get Oliver off their friend—
“Excuse me?” The slightly confused and inquiring voice of a middle-ageds woman sent the whole room into a freeze. All eyes were suddenly at the door, where they encountered said woman, clutching the hand of a young boy, who was looking at the scene with wide eyes, and an even younger little girl. “My Sevvie here wanted to take a look at the Firebolt. May he? He’s not gonna break anything, I swear.”
Oliver could see the wheels turning inside his ex-teammates heads, and he knew what they would be thinking. Too many witnesses. Too many eyes on them now. Inwardly counting to three, Oliver waited with pent up breath for the words he was wishing for. “Come on guys. We’re leaving.”

[zelda]

Zelda clenched her jaw and glared at the shop owner. What sort of man was he to just allow what could easily be called a gang fight to happen in his store? She huffed and decided to drop the subject. He was quite a bit larger than she was, after all, and for once, she realized it might be best to keep her mouth shut, save for muttering,"Apparently you don't know this will drive away business." Some people just did not have the common sense that she possessed.

It would seem that Zelda's plan to get the men to focus on her and not on Oliver had worked far too well. She glanced between Oliver and the man that was walking towards her when Oliver spoke up. The man was practically on her by now and she had to almost crane her neck to be able to see his face, he was so large. She had back up to the point where she was standing as close as possible to one of the shelves scattered around the store. The man in front of her was so close to her that she really was not able to move at all. Trapped. Again.

To her horror, the man in front of her reached out and grabbed her chin, not unlike Fenrir Greyback had done only several nights before. She had a brief flashback and for a moment, she thought it was Greyback himself in front of her instead of the Quidditch player. Zelda jerked away, suddenly extremely frightened, but the man's grip was too strong. He was holding her chin and jaw so tightly that she wasn't able to retort when he spoke to her.

Thankfully, Oliver quickly came to her rescue and he man released Zelda in surprise at being attacked. She rubbed her face, as the man's grip had made it a bit sore. Just as she was preparing to speak and maybe even pull her wand out in defense, a woman's voice piped up. Zelda smirked. There was no way these brutes would continue this rough housing with another customer there.

"Are you alright, Oliver?" she asked, walking up to him. She folded her hands in front of her and said,"Thank you for coming to my rescue. I didn't realize the tables would turn so quickly."

[Deleted]

Oliver caught Zelda’s muttered words, and even though the situation really wasn’t fitting for it, he had to fight back a smile. She really knew her way with words, didn’t she? He never really had had much to do with her during their Hogwarts time, cause he didn’t remember he to be into Quidditch at all, but that was one of the things he remembered about her. Secretly, he had envied her a bit for that, since he himself was certainly no word wizard, apart from his rallying speeches in the locker room. His current situation just proved that as well. Had he known what to say and what better not to say, he’d not be dreading having to number his bones anytime soon. And Zelda would probably be happily going about her business right now, and not be threatened to be… mistreated by a complete creep. It was certainly nice to have met an old Hogwarts companion again, but the circumstances were less than favourable for both of them.

The shop owner rolled his eyes at Zelda’s comment and chose to ignore her, like he chose to ignore everything that seemed to happen around him. Except from him actually having the nerve to tap his foot in a gesture of impatience, as if he really wanted them to just leave him alone. Well, Oliver would not leave before he hadn’t handed over the piece of parchment with the list. He had originally planned to stay around until the man had packed up everything that was needed, but now he was strongly deciding against it. If anything, this encounter had turned a once loved and favourite place into a place he’d rather avoid in the future. Great… someone in the universe was really out to ruin Quidditch for him in all its facets.
Helping out Zelda had been a spontaneous thing for him, but he was glad he had not just been standing there and hoping for a miracle. He felt bad enough already that she had been the one to ‘save’ him in the first place, that was not how things should be… at least not when you went at it by traditional roles. There was the pride of the Scots shining through a little perhaps, the selfesteem of a proud Highlandman. They usually weren’t saved by women, even though those were modern times.

He could have also kissed that middle-aged women for appearing so rightly on cue. Well, no, not really, but the elation was certainly heavy. The three men were taking steps away from them, which gave Zelda enough space to walk over to him. He greeted her with a kind smile, though it might come across a little lopsided, since he was still a little shaken. “I have to thank YOU, I guess”, he replied, then lowered his voice. “Everything okay? Did Carson hurt you badly? It might be better, if we get out of here quickly. One second, stay put!”
With that, he swiftly walked over to the shopkeeper who seemed happily engaged in a conversation with his new customer, just like nothing at all had happened. Tapping the man rather firmly on the shoulder, he presented him said list and said: “I think Hogwarts would be much obliged to you, if you could put these together inside a short time. I’ll come and fetch them in 45 minutes.” Then he turned bruquely away and rejoined Zelda, only to get the last farewell of the troublesome threesome.

Almost out of the door, Jamie Fraser turned towards the two and sent them a look that could have killed. “This is not the last you see of us, Wood. Watch out in dark alleys and corners. And your little lady love as well.”
Oliver sighed and raked a hand through his hair, messing it up. “Excellent. Great Scot, I really messed this up, didn’t I? And now you’re on their list, too. Tell me… how can I make it up to you?” That might come across as flirty, but in fact Oliver was nothing but genuine. He did feel bad and he did want to pay her back for her courage.

[zelda]

Zelda laughed at Oliver's reply. "Oh, it seemed like I caused more trouble than help," she said with a wave of her hand. But of course, she knew that if she had not intervened, the brutes would probably have full on beat up Oliver. Her fairly neat bun had become rather disheveled during the whole ordeal, so she tucked some of her loose hair behind her ears.

"Oh, yes, yes, I'm perfectly fine," she said with a wave of her hand. It was true for the most part. Her face was still a bit sore from how hard the man was holding her, but it was nothing that she couldn't handle. Besides, she certainly did not want to look like a weakling in front of Oliver. She was about to ask again if he was alright, but he quickly sped off. Zelda's eyebrows shot up in surprised, but she grinned and didn't move.

She stayed put, but felt increasingly uncomfortable as the other Quidditch players were not too far from her. Crossing her arms, she slid one hand into her pocket and grabbed onto her wand, but still keeping it in her pocket. One couldn't be too careful with people like these, after all. Normally, she could take care of herself, but if they tried to over power her with strength, there wasn't much she could do. She didn't like to admit it, but when it came to physical strength, she was pretty weak.

Zelda gripped her wand harder when the Quidditch player threatened both herself and Oliver. She felt a slight blush arise in her cheeks when the man addressed her as Oliver's 'little lady love.' How ridiculous. She merely glared at the man that spoke as he exited the store. Zelda only half-believed that he might actually do something. She tended to have a false sense of security since she worked at the Ministry.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about them," she said, almost trying to convince herself, not just Oliver. She grinned at his invitation. "Hmm, well. Since you have a little time to spare, would you like to grab a drink somewhere?"

[Deleted]

More trouble than help?! Well, maybe for herself,but certainly NOT for him! She had been of great help for him and he wanted her to know that. It might not make her feel better or able to deal with this situation even, having made three enemies inside a few minutes, but… maybe it would just make her feel a little less bad?! “You’ve bought me enough time for that woman to appear and make them reconsider”, he assured her, trying his best to smile warmly and not awkwardly. “And that at your own expense. I seriously hope they won’t be following through with what their big mouths said…” He would have to sort this out, there was no denying it. Oliver had no idea how, but somehow he would have to make them drop the subject and their revenge thoughts. At least concerning her. She couldn’t get hurt just because she had shown enough courage and caring to stand up for him!

Taking another look at her to deem if she was really telling the truth – as far as he could deem it to be the truth of course – Oliver then decided to drop the subject, not wanting to make it sound as if he didn’t believe her… or was overconcerned. As far as he could remember, Zelda was a girl that liked to be independent and look after herself, even though that attitude sometimes got her into more trouble than it was worth. Interesting… just as he was thinking about it, more and more tidbits from years ago seemed to resurface from the depths of his mind, things he had thought to have long since forgotten since at that time they had been of no significance for him. But apparently it just needed the right trigger. “Well… you know best!”

One of the reasons his exchange with the shop owner had been so short was that it just didn’t feel right to him right now turning his back to the door in which the three troubleshooters were still lurking. They could always decide they would take out their sketchy revenge plans right away, and then where would Zelda and he be?! But gladly, when he turned back to her, they seemed to have gone. Maybe not far, he still needed to be cautious, but he was willing to trust his luck for once. Diagon Alley was still busy with customers at this time of day, they wouldn’t be so stupid as to try anything in broad daylight, they had been stupid enough already going at it in a store!

“I hope we don’t have to”, he nodded, but didn’t sound half as convinced as he’d like to be. “And a drink sounds fabulous. May I invite you to the Leaky Cauldron then? After all…” the hint of a mischievous dimple grin flickered over his face. “We’re battle buddies now, aren’t we?” He turned towards the door, about to gesture her to move through first, like a gentleman would do, but then he remembered the situation they both had just escaped from and reconsidered. “I’d say Ladies’ first, but…” he shrugged and drew his wand for safety’s sake, peering out of the door and onto the buzzing street. No sign of the trio. “Coast seems clear!” He stepped through fully and waited for her to catch up with him before he started walking.

“So… I guess I owe you an explanation big time, since you’ve now been entangled into my mess. Which I didn’t even know would turn out such a mess. All I can say is I’m sorry.”

[zelda]

Zelda practically melted at his lovely smile, but she quickly regained her composure. "Well, I suppose the best thing we can do now is just to stay on our guard," she said, pursing her lips thoughtfully. As if she wasn't already on her highest guard. Poor Zelda had become quite paranoid since she had a little run in with the famous werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. He'd threatened both her and her brother, which kept her on her toes.

She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head a bit when she realized that she was under Oliver's scrutinizing gaze. Zelda had a feeling that this gaze was because Oliver did not believe her statement that she was fine. Oh, how sweet he was. "Really, Oliver, I'm fine," she said, laughing a bit at his worried look.

Neither of them seemed very sure of their own safety, despite attempting to convince the other of it. The only thing that brought her a little comfort was that they didn't appear to be very good at magic. If they were, they probably would have threatened with wands instead of magic. Perhaps she would have Vincent help her out with some defensive spells.

"The Leaky Cauldron sounds quite nice," she said nodding. She paused in taking a step towards the door when she heard what Oliver said. What a gentleman! Zelda smiled and whipped out her own wand, as well. She carefully walked out after Oliver and took a look around herself. Tucking her wand back into her pocket, she relaxed a bit. Surely, if they were going to attack, they wouldn't do it immediately after the Quidditch shop incident, right?

Thankfully, the Leaky Cauldron was not too far away, so they would only be out in the open for a short amount of time. "Well, now, it wasn't your fault," she said, matter of factly. "But I do have to admit that I'm a little curious about what the whole ordeal was about exactly." She looked at him expectantly.

[Deleted]

She seemed to have found him out on his doubts, and somehow that made Oliver’s cheek flush the tiniest bit. He really hadn’t wanted to come across as if he wasn’t trusting her or anything, he just had wanted to make sure she wasn’t putting on a brave show. Which she probably still was, but that was beside the point. He also didn’t like to be called out on his weaknesses, that always made the situation better instead of worse, since it made him fret. Oliver knew that deep down inside, he had always been afraid of failure, of not being good enough, hence why he had put up every effort imaginable to BE the best, even if that had often enough come across as obsessive. Concerning Quidditch, he had really become a control freak. But every night after coming home from training, or games, he had felt somewhat empty. He had asked himself, if that was all life had to offer to him. The endless pressure and little, if sweet, rewards. He surely did not want to become so obsessed about what he did that he would threaten to beat someone up, because he had left ‘the cause’. Seriously, all that had been missing with the three men he had just escaped from, had been this specific word.

“Okay, okay, I’m not saying anything”, he laughed, holding up his hands in surrender. “Wer’re both fine, let’s go with that, okay?” Thanks to her, he really was fine. Why they hadn’t used spells instead of their fists he still didn’t know. Come to think of it, he didn’t even know if Fraser and co. were good wizards at all or not. You hardly ever needed any spells during Quidditch, and he hadn’t spent that much personal time with them, being only the ‘extra’ that was called in whenever Meaghan was too stoned or drunk to tell one ball from the other or even see the Quaffle coming her way, let alone react.

He smiled again when she agreed to his offer, and swore to himself to pay for her, whatever she might consume. Not that he thought her a drunkard of course, but such an incident often made you want something strong down your throat. He wasn’t one for strong beverages usually, as they just didn’t work well with Quidditch, but even he would not say no to one Firewhiskey right not against the shock.
And once again she would say it was not his fault… though slowly Oliver wasn’t so sure anymore. He could have certainly handled the situation with a little more elegance. Well, giving her an explanation might at least make up a little for it all. “These three lads are all members of the Pride of Portwee team. I played for them as the reserve keeper for a little while now. But then I quit… and asked at Hogwarts if they have any use for me that is related to Quidditch and Flying. So now I’m Madam Hooch’s assistant and will take over from her once she retires. The problem is I quit on short notice… and wasn’t aware Meaghan, the real keeper wasn’t able to play. So now they hold it against me… and apparently their grudge runs deeper than I thought.”

Oliver wasn’t trying to defend them, but he at least tried to understand them. Would he have reacted similarly before he pulled the emergency break and decided to reorganize his life? He had been angry at Harry Potter once for ruining the chances of winning the Cup year after year, even though he was such an excellent player. He once nearly had wanted to strangle Professor McGonagall to call Quidditch off during the time the Chamber of Secrets had been opened. But he had swallowed it down… and worked for the team and his dream.
The had reached the pub now and this time held the door open for Zelda, motioning her to go inside first. He had his standards after all. A real Highlandman might be seen by outsiders as a brute, but in fact the clans were also about turning their young ones into gentlemen, into valuable parts of the wizard society.

[zelda]

Zelda laughed and shook her head,"Fine, fine." She hoped that her face would not bruise from the man's grip on her. He had been holding her rather hard, after all. She didn't want Oliver to think her weak or anything.

"Hmm," she said, her eyebrows contracting as she processed the information. "Well, I suppose it's somewhat understandable why they're upset with you, but you did what you thought best for yourself and they should get over it and accept that," she said, hooking her thumb on the strap of her bag. To be completely honest, she had never been a big fan of the whole Quidditch thing, but of course, she always spent all of her time studying and doing research during her Hogwarts years. She never thought to go to an event like that for fun...except for any balls, of course. Zelda truly loved getting dressed up, after all. "It's certainly not a good enough reason to threaten to beat you up," she said rolling her eyes.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at him as she lead the way into the pub. This particular pub was a little grittier than the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, but Zelda still found it incredibly charming. After all, how could one resist the quaint charm of Tom, the bartender? Without asking where Oliver might want to sit, Zelda went ahead and decided for them both. She lead the way to a two seater table that was on the far wall, opposite of the bar.

After they were seated, a waitress made her way over to the two of them and asked,"What'll it be?"

Zelda sighed, considering. "Oh, I'll have a firewhiskey," she said, shrugging. After Oliver put in his order, the waitress nodded, scribbled down the order and walked away.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to quit playing Quidditch in the first place?" she asked, folding her hands delicately on the table.

[Deleted]

Get over it and accept it… yeah that was exactly what he hoped they would do…eventually. Maybe they would have, hadn’t they met in the shop earlier. He just hadn’t had known he apparently would have to avoid them for quite some time to not reopen old sores. Well… the problem was that they weren’t that old at all…It couldn’t be more than three weeks. Still, why couldn’t they act as adults about it? He never thought he would say this himself one day, but he tried to get there, telling himself over and over again: When it came down to it, it was nothing but a game. Quidditch was nothing that should dominate your life 24/7. He only now saw how he had isolated himself from the world by focussing only on his Quidditch career. Had he even spoke more than a handful of words with his parents during the time he had been playing with POP? Or kept contact to any of his old friends? The shameful answer was a clear no.

One thing led to the other I guess”, he sighed. “They might have been satisfied with insults had I not used the wrong words. All three of them were real Scots… and we Scots suffer from thickheads and easily insulted prides. But violence is never a solution to anything, I agree. I hope they have learned their lesson now and let it be. I surely didn’t want to leave such a bad impression behind… or to keep THEM in such a bad memory. They’re alright guys, if a little obsessed.” He had been obsessed like that before, and sometimes it still felt weird to see himself detached from it. He surely wasn’t completely over it, and Quidditch would always stay a very important part of his life, he just… had needed a moment to sort out his priorities. Oliver wondered if he ever had done this important step, had not his wand suddenly started to misbehave.

His impression of Zelda, that she was a woman who quite knew what she wanted and wasn’t averse to take the lead in situation was confirmed the moment she stepped past him and unerringly steered towards a table she thought suitable. Oliver wasn’t about to protest about this in any way. It was certainly refreshing do deal with a woman who had her own mind. Most of the women he had ever encountered – more often than not being his teammates girlfriends – were easily gullible if not bordering on brainless, thinking it the height of their existance to be seen with a Quidditch player. One or two had tried to get acquainted with him, but he’d never seen the sense behind it. Seating himself opposite Zelda, he confirmed her order to the waitress. “Make that one for me too, please.” Turning again to his companion, he added with a wry smile. “It might be too earily for something like that, but Merlin knows we’ve earned it!”

Zelda’s question came as somewhat a surprise. Not that he hadn’t thought her to be curious, but it was certainky a personal question, at least for him, and he hadn’t expected it to appear so early on in their conversation. Then again, he guessed, after what she had witnessed just moments ago, she had a right to know. He just wasn’t sure where exactly to start.
“For a long time I didn’t notice anything was wrong”, he began, moving a hand through his slightly grown out red brown hair in his typical gesture of slight unease. “But basically my life consisted of nothing else, and the pressure was immense. I wanted to be good, to be noticed, and so I dedicated most of my time to training and playing. It payed off… but somehow I started to feel uncomfortable. I pushed it back at first… and here’s where it gets peculiar.” He pulled out his wand and moved his fingers over it thoughtfully. “Have you ever heard of the special trait of a Black Walnut Wand? I didn’t know it before Mr. Ollivander told me. They refuse to work correctly, if their bearer is deceiving himself.”