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Oliver Wood despised Valentine's Day.
Any day that interfered with quidditch practice was frustrating, but on Valentine's Day, and even in the days leading up to it, his teammates seemed to lose sight of the most important prize; winning the house cup.
He didn't want to sound cliché, but quidditch was what got him out of bed and excited for the day. He enjoyed soaring through the air on his broom, feeling the wind in his hair, and the exhilarating thrill of playing a match.
From the beginning of February until the day of, the girls on his team, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie would openly, and loudly, discuss who they hoped to receive a Valentine from. While the boys, particularly Fred and George, would go to great lengths to 'impress' the girls with their latest jokes and gimmicks.
'It was honestly incredibly frustrating and downright stupid,' Olivia thought to himself as Fred sent Angelina a flying heart that exploded into hundreds of butterflies. He wasn't sure how much of this he could stand during quidditch practise, especially since they were playing Slytherin on Valentine's Day. He considered trying to attract their attention, but instead grabbed his broom and stormed off the pitch, deciding to shower and change before an early dinner.
He made his way down to dinner, feeling a little better after his shower, where he'd spent the entire time devising new quidditch strategies. He was just tucking into the roast potatoes and listening to the conversation around him when a pink heart on a miniature broom hovered in front of him. He assumed one of the twins had sent it as a practical joke, their idea of being funny, and he drew out his wand and muttered, 'Incendio.' As he watched it burn to ash, he felt instantly better and hoped that was the end of the pranks directed at him.
Unfortunately for Wood, the next day, as he sat down to a goblet of pumpkin juice and a bowl of porridge for breakfast, the same heart flew in front of him on a miniature broomstick, narrowly missing his spoon. He sighed loudly, looking around the great hall for the culprit, but everyone was busy or blushing as an early Valentine arrived in the morning post for them. He took out his wand once more, determined to conceal his building frustration, and set fire to the heart, watching it slowly burn.
The little pink heart on a miniature broom seemed to greet him at every meal, much to Wood's great annoyance, and he was on the verge of exploding. Not that he'd ever admit it, but he thought the broomstick idea was very clever, especially since it matched his own so well, but that didn't mean he was happy to receive this extremely irritating take on a Valentine every time he sat down to eat in the Great Hall. Another heart appeared on February 13th, the day before the Slytherin vs. Gryffindor quidditch match, and Wood had had enough. Without even trying to hide his rage, he yelled 'Incendio' at the wretched thing, startling a few first years in the process, and stormed out of the great hall.
He was so irritated that he didn't even notice the footsteps behind him at first, but as he moved away from the din of fellow students eating, he spun around outside an alcove to see who was following him. It was difficult to tell who was more surprised; Oliver Wood when he turned to see Theo Nott or Theo Nott when he almost walked into a now stationary Oliver Wood. Before Oliver could ask why he was being followed, Theo grabbed his arm and pulled him into the alcove behind a tapestry of Caspar David Friedrich's 'Two Men Contemplating the Moon.'
'What the hell are you doing, Theo?!' Oliver exclaimed, feeling a little hot due to their close proximity. 'If taking out the Gryffindor captain is Slytherin's way of tipping the odds in their favour, you will not get away with it!'
'Wood, Wood, Wood, all you think about is quidditch, but I'm not pulling you aside to find out your game strategy,' Theo chuckled, almost shyly. 'However, if I may add, that is a very Slytherin way of thinking.'
'What could you possibly want with me in this alcove then?!' Oliver shot back.
Theo leant in closer, sending shivers down Oliver's spine, and whispered into his ear, 'Please stop setting fire to my heart,' before grabbing his chin and pulling him in for a chaste kiss, much to Oliver's surprise. To say the least, Oliver was completely baffled, but he found himself kissing Theo back, enjoying the sensation of Theo's soft lips against his own, the feel of Theo's hair between his fingers, and Theo's tongue gliding into his mouth.
However, just as quickly as it had begun, Theo drew back, winked at Oliver, and drew aside the tapestry as he prepared to leave, saying, 'Good luck for the game tomorrow. I'll be watching and cheering you on,' before disappearing almost as quickly as he had appeared.
Oliver leant against the wall, catching his breath, wondering what the hell had just happened, but there was a lingering thought in the back of his mind that perhaps he'd enjoyed the kiss and was hoping for another chance with Theo Nott.
With a smile on his face, he exited the alcove, thinking to himself, maybe Valentine's Day wasn't so bad after all.
'Two Men Contemplating the Moon' by Caspar David Friedrich.