"Go out with me, Bell."

I rolled my eyes and turned around to the dark haired Ravenclaw behind me.

"I'd rather spoon my eyes out, Davies."

He grinned and leaned against the sixth floor corridor wall. I stood glaring at him, my arms crossed across of my chest, my hip jutting out.

"You know that's not true."

"What's not true? Is it that you're a boring sleaze? Because, I hate to break it to you, Davies, that's just as true as your team being shit at Quidditch."

I turned to the new voice. I sighed and leaned against the wall.

"Diggory, what are you doing here? You know that Katie fancies me."

I rolled my eyes.

"Katie doesn't fancy you, Davies. What you're mistaking as liking you is actually her fighting the urge to throw up at the sight of you."

"Well, she certainly doesn't fancy you, Diggory. I've met goblins more charming than you," Davies said, stepping closer to Diggory.

"And I've met gnomes smarter than you, Davies."

"Is that right?" Davies asked furiously, squaring up to the younger, fair haired Hufflepuff. Apparently, his intellect was a touchy subject. Diggory knew that, of course.

"Yeah, it is," Diggory stated, his eyes flashing and his jaw set.

"Oi!" I cut in, "Why the hell are you two fighting?" I asked incredulously, glaring at the two.

They both turned to me and grinned. "Rivalry," they both said, then turned back to each other.

"What's going on?" Another voice had been added to the mix. I looked down the corridor and groaned. What was with Quidditch Captains and being the bane of my life?

"Wood," both the Ravenclaw and the Hufflepuff stated, glaring at the boy who was jogging towards them.

"What's all this about?" Oliver asked, glancing at the three of them.

"I was just asking Katie here, out to Hogsmeade when this rude bastard interrupted," Davies said, glaring at Diggory.

"Is that right?" he said, obviously humoured.

I glared at him. "It's not funny, Wood," I said to him, then turned to the other two. "Why can't you two just leave me alone? I have no interest in either of you – especially since the both of you act like complete idiots all the time."

Davies grinned, and Diggory had the grace to try to look ashamed.

"You're lying to yourself, Katie. One of these days, I'll have you."

Before I could blink, Oliver and Diggory had pounced, and Davies lay on the floor, clutching his stomach. He groaned.

"You better leave her alone, Davies," Oliver growled.

"Yeah, 'cause if you don't, I'll have to make it my personal duty to protect her," Diggory said suggestively. I shuddered.

Oliver punched Diggory in the stomach too.

"If either of you come near my Chaser again, I'll make it my personal duty to make both of your lives hell."

"Oliver!" I exclaimed as he proceeded to kick Davies in the ribs when he'd muttered 'bastard' under his breath. "You just calm right down, mister. I don't want a bodyguard, so back off. All three of you, leave me alone."

I stormed off, ignoring Oliver's surprised cry of "Kates!" and half-running to the Gryffindor common room.

--

I didn't see Oliver for the rest of the night, though I was up late, sitting alone in the Gryffindor Common Room, reading Quidditch Weekly. I began to worry. Why wasn't he back yet? He'd been gone since after dinner, the twins had told me, and the last time I'd seen him was a few hours after dinner as I'd been walking back from the library and Davies and Diggory brought it upon themselves to annoy the hell out of me.

Maybe he was with a girl?

Well, that was laughable. Oliver had never dated in all the time I'd known him. He was far too obsessed with Quidditch to concern himself with girls.

At around three in the morning, a figure came sloping into the room. The light was dim, so I couldn't make out who it was. I shrugged to myself and went back to reading the supplement on Aiden Lynch.

"Kates?"

My head shot up. Oliver stood a few metres away from the couch I was sitting on, his hands in his pockets, and his head ducked.

"Oliver? Why are you back so late?" I asked, snapping the magazine shut and jumping up.

"Um …"

"It's after three am! You could have been caught!"

"No … I couldn't have. I was … at the Hospital Wing."

"What? Why?" I stepped closer to him. I guess I was right to have worried.

He took a step back from me and muttered, "Nothing."

I frowned. "What's wrong, Oliver? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

I walked towards him to peer into his face. What I saw made me step back again.

"Oliver, what the hell happened?!"

He flinched. "I got into a fight."

"If you tell me Davies and Diggory did that to, I'll hit you too," I growled.

"Then I won't tell you," he said uneasily.

"Oliver!"

"This is nothing," he said indicating his injuries. "They're still in hospital beds. Davies is still unconscious."

"You knocked Davies out?"

He nodded.

"Who blacked out your eye?"

"Davies. Hence he's unconscious."

"Why the hell were you three fighting?"

"Don't concern yourself with it. It's over now."

I lifted my hand and brushed his hair away from his bruised face. There was a cut above his eyebrow, and his cheek was purple and grazed, along with his purple and blue eye. He looked terrible.

"'This is nothing'," I muttered disbelievingly to myself. "Does it hurt?" I asked him, placing a hand gingerly on his un-bruised cheek.

He shook his head slightly, his eyes connected with mine.

"Oh, Oliver," I said, pain in my voice. "Please tell me what happened." I hated the bruises on his face. I knew that, considering the fight was with Davies and Diggory, the bruises were my fault.

Oliver sighed. "Don't go near them again."

"I wasn't planning on it."

Oliver just nodded his head with a grim look on his discoloured features.

"What was said?"

"Nothing," he muttered.

"Oh, so you three fought over nothing, and now you're black and blue? I don't think so Wood. Spill," I said angrily.

I stared past the bruising into Oliver's beautiful brown eyes. He had hit them both to protect me and – though I was against the physical fighting (it was far too easy for all of them to get seriously hurt, what with all those Quidditch muscles) – I was grateful.

Oliver's hands pulled me against him and his arms surrounded me, his chin resting upon my head.

"I just don't want slime-balls like that talking to you. So I stopped at least one of them talking."

I half pulled away to look at him with question in my eyes.

He looked a little ashamed, but triumphant at the same time. "I broke Davies' jaw."

"Oliver!" I exclaimed, pulling away entirely.

"He deserved it," he muttered.

"Is Cedric okay?" I asked.

He looked at me in surprise at the use of Diggory's first name. I shrugged. "He will be now."

"What did you do to him?"

"I broke a couple of ribs."

"Ugh, Oliver," I said in disgust at his behaviour, looking away from his face.

"Well at least neither should bother you again."

"I wouldn't be so certain," I said, fixing him with a cold look.

"Well, if they do, I'll break their legs. That should deter them quite a bit."

I hit him on the shoulder and he flinched.

"I don't want you to go near either of them again. I can take care of myself, Oliver. We don't want you getting into trouble or hurt over a stupid fifth year!"

He frowned. "'Stupid'?"

I ignored him. "I don't want you to get hurt like this again because of me, Oliver. Alright?"

Oliver nodded reluctantly. "I just hate the thought of them eyeing you up like a piece of meat. It isn't right."

My expression softened at this. "If only there were more guys that thought that, Wood," I said, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. "The world would be much safer place for women."

He pulled me into another hug and kissed my hair lightly. I didn't let me surprise show. "You'll be safe as long as I'm around, Kates."

"Hmm," I said, burying my face into his shirt. "I'm not too keen on your methods. But thank you, Oliver. You're the best captain ever."

He gave a soft laugh and kissed my cheek as we pulled away. I was glad of the dim light, or he'd have seen my reddening cheeks.

"You'd better get some sleep, Kates. Practice is at nine tomorrow."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Just as well you're the best captain ever, or else I'd be adding to your bruises right now."

Oliver laughed, winked, and took off up the boys stairs, laughing the whole way.

I watched him leave, grinning, then made my way up the girls stairs to go to bed.

--

Hello again. As you may have noticed, I've gone back to Katie/Oliver. I couldn't keep myself away from them for too long, eh? . Ah well. Hope you like this.

Review please,.

xx