#*forbf

In her mother's defence, Sabina had really outdone herself as far as dressing up went. She wore an off-the-shoulder gown that revealed the most prominent trait she had received from her mother's side of the family: bloody amazing cleavage. The gown was a deep royal blue that made her stand out against the silvery theme of the ballroom and had a slit along the left side that run almost all the way up to her hip. Her mother had put her hair up in an elegant braided updo, but Sabina had done her own make-up.

Danica's lips pressed in a taut line as she shook her head and muttered, "Too much makeup. You are practically a raccoon."

"Yeah, love you too," Sabina grumbled as she raised her champagne flute to her lips.

"Yeah, chillax with the makeup, Sab," Dimitrij, who was standing between the two women, said pointedly.

Sabina glared down at him. "Give it three years and you'll understand these things," she told him simply.

Tonight was the New Year's Eve party at the Shacklebolt Estate. Ever since Sabina and Audrey had formed their unbreakable friendship back in their first year, their families had grown rather close - so that meant that every grand, over-the-top party that Zhara Shacklebolt, Audrey's mum, planned would include Sabina's family. This year's party was bound to be more exciting than previous years, anyways, and that was mostly because it was the first Shacklebolt New Year's Eve party since the war had ended.

"Ah, there he is," Danica said with a smile as she spotted Boris approaching them.

Sabina's father was dressed in some of his finest dress robes and had a wide grin on his face as he gave his wife a kiss. Dimitrij was at his legs soon after that, standing proudly by his father as if willing people to see the resemblance - unfortunately for Sabina's little brother, he was the spitting image of their mother. Turning to Sabina, Boris' grin faltered slightly.

"Sabina, pull up your dress," he chided.

"Oi, what is wrong with the both of you?" Sabina exclaimed as she looked between her parents, her mother giving her the trademark 'I told you' look that all mothers seem to master. "Leave my bloody dress alone!"

"You'll regret it when the team gets here," Boris warned.

Sabina blinked rapidly, her heart stopping at her father's words. "Team?" she squeaked out.

"Ja, the team I work for, Sabina," Boris elaborated with an exasperated shake of his head.

This was turning into an absolute nightmare. "Oh - the team is invited, are they?" she asked.

"Ja, Sabina, like they have been every year - how much champagne have you already had?" Boris asked with a frown. Looking around the room, a grin appeared on his face all of a sudden. "Ah, here they are now!"

"Oh, look - I think I see Audrey!" Sabina quickly exclaimed, wasting no time to leave her parents' sides as soon as she caught a glimpse of Oliver's familiar cheeky grin.

Thankfully, Sabina had actually seen her childhood friend milling around the ballroom and quickly pushed her way through the crowd to get to her. Tonight was supposed to be fun - drink a little champagne, poke a little fun at Audrey and her boyfriend, Percy, flirt with some Ministry men. Easy as pie. No complications, no drama. Until, of course, it turned out that she would have to spend the whole night avoiding Oliver. She hadn't seen him in over a month and now that they were in the same room, Sabina was quickly realizing that she was hardly ready for a reunion.

"Sab! I'm so glad you're here," Audrey said with a smile as Sabina approached her. The two women hugged, but that did nothing to ease Sabina's very evident skittish behaviour.

"Aye, glad to be here. Nice to see you again, too, Percy," she greeted, looking around rather frantically.

"Likewise," Percy replied slowly. "You all right?" he asked with a concerned frown.

Sabina sighed heavily and met Audrey's eyes. Damn Percy for being observant. It wasn't bloody fair that her best friend was dating a former Order spy. "I've got a situation," she declared, a bit breathless. "Your dad told my dad to bring the team."

A confused frown appeared on Audrey's face. "Like he always does," she said slowly.

"Merlin's crotchless thong, I need to be more hammered," Sabina muttered with clear exasperation, quickly downing her champagne and summoning another glass.

"Oh, look - I didn't know Oliver would be here," Percy said as he spotted his friend just entering the hall. He moved to wave him over but Sabina quickly smacked his arm down and sent him a searing glare as he frowned at her.

"Are you mad?" she hissed. Shaking her head, she added, "Jebemti, I need to get out of here."

Before Audrey and Percy could say anything else, Sabina dove into the crowd once again, quickly downing the champagne flute in her hand and summoning yet another drink. She milled around the crowds for a while, making small talk and trying her best to blend in. The champagne started to creep up on her a lot faster than expected, however, so after a while Sabina found herself heading for the open balcony doors for a breath of fresh air.

The sounds of the party faded behind her as Sabina approached the balcony. As she got closer, it became clear that there were two figures already out on the balcony. It didn't take much longer for her to recognize Percy and Audrey. Sabina was almost at the edge of the balcony entrance when she noticed Percy drop to one knee.

Eyes wide, Sabina quickly turned and pressed her back against the wall just next to the balcony entrance. Bloody hell, she had almost ruined her best friend's engagement.

A small smile appeared on Sabina's face in that moment. Her best friend was getting engaged.

It only took another second for the smile to disappear as she saw none other than Oliver Wood mindlessly approaching the balcony, his head hanging down as he stared down at his champagne. Deciding to play the hero, much to her own chagrin, Sabina quickly strode over to Oliver and grabbed his arm, pulling him after her to hide behind the wall on the other side of the balcony entrance. As soon as he opened his mouth, Sabina reflexively placed her hand over his mouth and shushed him.

Once Sabina removed her hand, Oliver quietly whispered, "You know, you used to do that in a much more private setting."

Rolling her eyes, Sabina pointed at the balcony door and slowly peaked her head around the corner. With a frown on his face, Oliver followed suit and looked out onto the balcony to see what Sabina had wanted him to avoid. He easily recognized Percy and Audrey, and as he watched Percy stand up and place a ring on Audrey's finger, he quickly realized what was happening. Oliver felt a grin spread across his face as he watched his friend celebrate.

Oliver and Sabina stepped back from the balcony door and pressed their backs against the wall. "Well, I can't say I'm that surprised," Oliver said, a small smile still on his face.

"Yeah, that would explain his skittishness over the last week," Sabina agreed.

Suddenly frowning, Oliver turned his head and looked down at Sabina. "How do you know them?" he asked curiously.

"Uh, Audrey and I have been best friends since first year," Sabina answered with a shrug. Then, returning Oliver's frown, she asked, "How do you know them?"

"Percy and I shared a dorm for seven years, he's my best mate," Oliver answered matter-of-factly.

Sabina's face quickly transformed into a glare. "Oh no, I know exactly where this is going," she stated with a sigh.

"You two could not meet at a better time!" Audrey's familiar voice exclaimed.

Sabina quickly turned around to see that Percy and Audrey were now standing before her and Oliver, wide grins plastered to both of their faces as they looked at their friends.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Sabina muttered as she forced a smile.

Clearly choosing to ignore Sabina's muttering, Audrey raised her left hand up to her face as she grinned at Sabina. "Look at it," she said in a singsong voice.

"I - I know," Sabina replied. "We were right here."

Audrey rolled her eyes and lowered her hand. "You suck the joy out of everything," she stated plainly. "Also, you're my maid of honour - say yes before Mum forces a cousin on me."

"Better the devil you know," Sabina joked with a wink.

Percy turned to Oliver with an expectant gaze. "Yeah and, uh, if I choose between my brothers, it's going to come up at every family dinner until the day I die," he said with a shrug, "so you're my best man. Please."

Before either Sabina or Oliver could get a word in, Percy and Audrey were out of sight and rushing over to Zhara. Sabina let out a sigh and nodded lightly. "Called it," she said plainly.

Oliver looked over at Sabina, a small smile making its way onto his face as she met his eyes. He had almost forgotten how beautiful she was. Almost being the key word - despite not seeing her for a month, she had always been popping up in his thoughts. Even after how things had ended between them and how unfair she had been, Oliver couldn't get her out of his head. Still, nothing beat seeing her in person.

"I'm guessing you passed your licensing exam," Oliver stated, breaking the silence.

Sabina felt herself returning his smile and shrugging. "Yeah, I start work in the Emergency Wing on Monday," she answered. "You, um - you look good, Oliver."

"You do too," he replied. "I like the dress," he added with a wink.

Sabina laughed lightly, looking away from Oliver's gaze. It was in that moment, however, that she unfortunately made eye contact with her parents heading directly toward them. A frown appeared on Boris' face as he looked between Sabina and Oliver.

"Ocka, I was just catching up with Oliver," Sabina said as her parents stopped in front of them, the half-lie coming to her almost too easily. "It's been a while since I've worked a Puddlemere game."

"Right," Oliver confirmed with a slightly nervous smile. "I, um, recognized her."

What a horrible liar, Sabina thought to herself - and yet she felt herself fighting back a smile.

"Ah, of course," Boris said with a nod. "Well, she won't be working many games now that my brilliant daughter is a fully certified Healer."

"Is that so?" Oliver asked, feigning surprise as he looked over at Sabina. She fought back a laugh as she met his eyes. "Impressive."

"Well, it certainly took a lot of work on her part," Danica stated as she looked over at her daughter. Sabina met her mother's gaze just as the woman continued with a smirk on her face, "Rome wasn't built in a day, after all."

Sabina felt her face heating up as she remembered the other time Danica had said those words. Damn her mother for being so smart. At least she could count on her not to go telling her father anything - for now. Finally recovering, Sabina laughed lightly and smiled at her mother. At this point in their conversation, she would rather have Merlin smite her than keep talking.

"You know, I think I see Gabriel waving me down - I'll see you around, Coach," Oliver said, excusing himself from the group. As he left, he looked over his shoulder briefly and gave Sabina a smile.

Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world that they would be spending more time together now.

3 March 2000

Sabina pursed her lips in concentration as she carefully applied Audrey's makeup. Her friend was clearly fighting to stay still, but after Sabina had already scolded her four times for ruining her work, Audrey was now doing a much better job of not moving. Audrey was really quite beautiful, but she never bothered to get out of her usual jeans and a tank top for long enough for anyone to notice - except Percy, apparently.

"Are you done yet?" Audrey muttered.

"No, stop talking," Sabina ordered.

"Relax, this is better than Fleur playing with your hair and asking you what spell you use every morning," Angelina pointed out as she noticed the look of annoyance on Audrey's face.

"She acts as if she's never seen a black woman before," Audrey joked, trying not to laugh for fear of what wrath Sabina might unleash should she mess up her makeup again.

Finally taking a step back, Sabina admired her handiwork with a small smile. "Perfect," she declared proudly.

Audrey glanced into the mirror and simply shrugged. "Do we really have to do all of this bachelorette party shite?" she asked, looking over at Sabina. "I mean, Merlin knows Molly expects us at the Burrow practically before sun-up."

"Audrey, this isn't about you," Sabina stated, placing her hands on her hips. Then, gesturing around the room filled with the bridesmaids, she said, "This is about us. You're going to get married, and the next thing you know, the only time you're getting drunk is with your husband in an attempt to liven up your sex life."

"I'm still only twenty-two years old, Sabina," Audrey replied.

"We deserve one last hurrah with drunk Audrey," Sabina argued, clearly ignoring her friend. "Right girls?" she asked, turning to face the rest of the room.

"To be honest, I've really been looking forward to meeting drunk Audrey," Ginny admitted. "I refuse to believe she exists."

"Oh, she exists," Sabina claimed with a smirk.

"According to Keegan, drunk Audrey is 'a site to behold,'" Daphne teased with a smirk.

"Yeah, well he's a lightweight," Audrey bit back bitterly. "What kind of Shacklebolt doesn't even like bourbon?" she added with a roll of her eye.

"You know, I have a feeling you might regret not having fun tonight more than having too much fun," Hermione weighed in, a thoughtful look on her face.

Audrey scanned the room, a small smile breaking through. Sabina could tell she was warming up to the idea. Although the bridal party was an unlikely collection of women, they had grown to get along quite well throughout the torture of wedding planning, so a night out was guaranteed to be endless fun.

"I knew you would resist, so," Sabina trailed off, reaching below the vanity to pull out a bottle of vodka and a shot glass, "I came prepared. One of these, and you'll be good."

"If I'm doing one, you're all doing one," Audrey declared. Her statement was quickly followed by cheers as Sabina pulled out more shot glasses and poured some vodka for everyone.

Raising her shot glass, Sabina glanced at Audrey with a mischievous look on her face. "May you have a very sexual marriage," Sabina toasted.

"Oi, she's still marrying my brother," Ginny exclaimed with a look of disgust.

"I can't believe you got us kicked out," Sabina grumbled as the women walked along a busy street in Wizarding London.

"I'm sorry, am I the only one that saw that bloke literally try to yank Ginny away?" Audrey argued.

"Yes but, while I appreciate it, you really didn't have to break his nose," Ginny countered, laughing a bit.

Audrey simply shrugged, refusing to add anymore fuel to the growing fire in Sabina's eyes. After the months of being around Oliver all of the time and not knowing at all how to approach him and say 'sorry for being a twat, will you take me back?' without any hint of desperation, all Sabina wanted was one fun night of going out with her friends and forgetting that whole ordeal. With each passing day over the last few months, it felt more and more likely that things between her and Oliver were done for good.

"All right, I can fix this," Audrey finally spoke up. "We'll go to the house."

"You mean your brand new house that you and Percy are moving into?" Sabina clarified, the skepticism evident in her voice. She knew Audrey and Percy well enough to know that they were the opposite of messy people, and Sabina could not imagine a world where Audrey would be perfectly fine with people getting piss drunk in her own home.

"We haven't unpacked anything but the patio furniture and there's definitely alcohol there so..." Audrey trailed off with a shrug, "backyard drinking games?"

"That sounds like the stupidest, drunkest thing I have ever heard," Angelina started, "so I am all for it."

Huddling all of the girls into a group, Audrey quickly apparated everyone to the quaint house in Bridlington that her and Percy had bought together. Stepping inside, Sabina noticed that the house was still filled with unpacked boxes and cleaning supplies, clearly not yet lived in. The only things that gave away the fact that it was Percy and Audrey's house was a photograph of the two of them above the fireplace in the living room and the large collection of housewarming gifts on the kitchen island.

Rushing to the kitchen, Sabina easily picked out her gift. She held up the unlabelled bottle with a mischievous smirk on her face. "I would say that this is the perfect time to open up my housewarming gift," she decided. "Homemade pálinka - pretty sure my grandfather made this batch."

"Do you want to kill me?" Audrey asked jokingly.

"Absolutely," Sabina replied as she nodded enthusiastically.

"Which box has glasses?" Daphne asked as she looked around the kitchen.

"Oh, sweet Daphne," Sabina started with a sly smile on her face, "tonight, we drink like sailors."

With that, Sabina opened up the bottle and took a swig without even the slightest hesitation, then passed the bottle to Audrey, "Let's get this party started, bride-to-be!"

"This is a great bar," Oliver declared as the group of groomsmen made their way through Diagon Alley. "I've been here tons of times."

As the best man, Oliver had been tasked with organizing Percy's bachelor party. Unfortunately for Oliver, his friend was more than resistant to plenty of his ideas, and even stated at one point that he didn't need a bachelor party (the madman). Eventually, Oliver's persistence won out and the party was happening, whether Percy liked it or not. Plus, despite all of Percy's complaints, the man was wearing jeans - actual denim - for the first time in history, so Oliver already considered the night a huge success.

Falling in step with Oliver, Percy looked over at his friend and quietly asked, "So you're still coming alone to the wedding, huh?"

Oliver shrugged. "Yeah, not really seeing anyone right now so what would be the point in bringing just some random bird?" he replied.

"Audrey thinks it's because you like Sabina," Percy stated matter-of-factly.

"What?" Oliver exclaimed with a dismissive, somewhat nervous laugh. "That is bonkers."

"Very convincing," Percy shot back sarcastically with a small smirk on his face.

"Oi," Charlie started, coming up behind the two of them and placing his arms around their shoulders, "can you two stop gossiping like a bunch of birds and just lead the way?"

"We're here, actually," Oliver said, coming to a stop in front of a lively-looking pub.

With Oliver leading the way, the five Weasley brothers followed him into the bar with curiosity apparent on their faces. At this point, Oliver was simply excited to spend a night out with his friends and just relax. Over the last few months, constantly being around Sabina had been... difficult. It was a constant reminder that she was just barely out of reach. All he needed was one, easy night away from anything to do with Sabina so he could handle the wedding.

"Oliver Wood! Over here, Oliver Wood!"

The flash of a camera bulb blinded Oliver and he squinted ahead to get a glimpse of what on earth was causing such a ruckus. It didn't take long for him to recognize the Witch Weekly badge pinned to the photographer's jacket.

"Looks like we're not the only ones that know you come here all the time," Percy joked.

"Wood, why the theatrics? We get it, you're a big shot," George said sarcastically as he swung an arm over Oliver's shoulders.

"Oh, hell," Oliver muttered under his breath. Moving George's arm aside and approaching the photographer, Oliver plastered a pleading look on his face as he said, "Is there any chance I could catch a break for my mate's bachelor party?"

"Ah yes, Percy Weasley - cold feet?" the photographer said, quickly turning to Percy.

Glaring at Oliver, Percy flatly said, "The fact that you thought that would work is, frankly, embarrassing."

Bill placed a hand on Percy's shoulder and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Let's get out of here before either George or Oliver cause some irreparable damage," he said quietly.

Oliver begrudgingly followed the Weasley brothers out of the bar, letting out an exasperated sigh once they were outside.

"Sorry mate," Oliver said as he gave Percy an apologetic look. "I s'pose we can try to find another place?"

"Actually..." Percy trailed off, a smile appearing on his face, "I think I have a solution. Grab hold and I'll apparate there."

As soon as everyone huddled around Percy and was holding on to him, he apparated them out of Diagon Alley and to a small seaside neighbourhood. Everyone looked around in confusion, but Oliver was the first to recognize the house that Percy was approaching.

"Isn't this the house you and Audrey bought?" he asked as everyone followed Percy.

"Percy, did you hit your head? You're letting us drink in your house?" George asked in disbelief.

"No, I'm letting you drink in the backyard," Percy clarified with a roll of his eyes. "If I find one empty bottle inside the actual house, I'll hunt down its owner."

"There's the Percy we all know and love," Oliver joked. "Do the honours, groom."

Percy opened the door to the house with an amused shake of his head and everyone filed in after him. However, as soon as they entered, it was very apparent that something was not quite right. Distant shouts could be heard and an Irish tune was streaming into the house from the backyard.

"I know that song," George said slowly. Then, quietly singing along, he continued, "Look what he's done for us, he's filled us up with cheer, Lord bless Charlie Mopps, the man who invented beer."

Percy gave his brother a somewhat concerned look before slowly making his way through the house, everyone else eagerly following behind him. As they approached the door leading to the backyard, the music and shouting only grew louder. Finally, once the men made their way outside, their jaws dropped as they took in the sight before them.

It was the bridal party. The lot of them, drunk as sailors, dancing around the backyard as they sang to the Irish song playing from the magical radio. All of them had a beer bottle in hand - if not two - and as Oliver looked around, he saw an empty bottle that once held hard liquor.

As the song reached its end, Oliver saw Sabina point at Audrey, a wide grin on her reddened face. "I'm an arsehole, I'm an arsehole, I'm an arsehole I admit!" she shouted, the rest of the women joining in, "but I'd rather be an arsehole than a Slytherin piece of shit!"

"Aye, now that's a toast I can get behind!" George shouted.

At the sound of his voice, all of the women were visibly startled, jumping a bit before freezing in place as they realized who had just entered the backyard. Audrey and Ginny, however, were arm-in-arm in that moment, which resulted in a lot more stumbling around and sputtered laughter than freezing in place. There was a long moment of silence filling the backyard as the two groups stared back at each other, until finally, Hermione emerged from the house with yet another bottle of pálinka in hand.

"I found the other bottle!" she shouted excitedly, bottle raised high up in the air. However, as soon as she noticed the silence and met Ron's gaze, she dropped her arm to her side and pressed her lips together.

"What are you all doing here?" Percy finally asked slowly.

"Audrey got us kicked out of the bar we were at so we came here to get pissed," Sabina replied with a shrug.

"Audrey - what?" Percy asked in confusion as he looked over at his fiancée.

"Please, if that's so bad, then what are you doing here?" Audrey countered with a smirk.

Percy stayed silent for a moment. Finally, a grin broke through as he said, "Well-played. So what now?"

"Now," Hermione started, shoving the bottle towards Ron, "it looks like you boys have some catching up to do."

Daphne waved her wand to get the radio playing music again and the tension almost immediately melted away. Percy didn't hesitate to approach Audrey with a wide grin on his face, taking her hand and twirling her around to the music. Oliver stayed by the entrance to the backyard, watching them with a small smile on his face. If he was being perfectly honest, he couldn't remember the last time Percy had looked as happy as he looked dancing with a drunk Audrey in the backyard of their new home.

Oliver was snapped out of his thoughts as the strong smell of hard liquor hit his nose. He blinked a couple times before looking down to see the bottle of pálinka Hermione had brought out, then to his right to see who was holding it - Sabina.

"Your turn, Wood," she said with a small smirk.

He grabbed the bottle from her, returning her smirk, and took a swig, wincing as the alcohol hit the back of his throat. "Merlin's beard, Sabina - this stuff is deadly," he said with a laugh, setting the bottle down on the patio table that was to his left.

Sabina moved around him and sat down in one of the patio chairs, her sights now set on Percy and Audrey. "I think this was the bachelorette party she wanted all along," she said as she watched the couple with a small smile on her face.

Oliver sat down in the patio chair next to Sabina. "I think it's what Percy wanted, too," he said in agreement.

"How'd you get him to wear jeans?" Sabina asked suddenly, turning her head to meet Oliver's eyes. Her tone was a mix of humour and genuine curiosity.

Oliver felt his heart skip a beat as he looked into her eyes, but quickly recovered and jokingly replied, "You don't wanna know, lass."

Sabina laughed lightly, but she kept her gaze fixed on his face. Smiling, she quietly said, "I missed you."

His heart was beating like crazy, but somehow Oliver composed himself enough to return Sabina's smile and quietly reply, "I missed you, too."

Sabina looked around briefly, mostly to make sure that everyone else was, in fact, more preoccupied with alcohol and Irish songs than her and Oliver, then fixed her gaze on his hazel eyes once again. Those heartwarming eyes that always calmed her. "You're worth it," she continued quietly. It seemed that with intoxication came the courage that she hadn't been able to muster up over the last three months. "I hate all of that Quidditch drama and your tolerance to alcohol is embarrassingly low, but you're worth it."

"Embarrassingly low?" Oliver repeated with a chuckle. He paused for a moment before saying, "Took you a while to get there, Sab."

"I'm only going to say this once," Sabina started. "You were right. I was scared of something - I was scared of being wrong about something I thought I knew everything about. Ironic how that worked out, huh?"

Oliver looked into Sabina's eyes, processing the words that had just come out of her mouth. "You know what the crazy thing is?" he finally said. "I could never get you out of my head. I mean, you were downright horrible to me - I think we can both agree on that - but you were just stuck in my head. Despite it all, I always still wanted you."

"I know, I'm sorry," Sabina said with an apologetic look. "I still don't want to be with a Quidditch player, though - I want to be with Oliver Wood."

Oliver laughed, grinning widely as Sabina joined in. She grabbed the bottle of pálinka on the patio table and stood up, heading back towards the house.

Frowning, Oliver stood up and followed after her. "Where're you going?" he asked curiously.

Sabina turned and looked at him with a smirk. "Irish goodbye," she said with a shrug. Then, lifting the bottle in her hand, she added, "You're welcome to join, love."

4 March 2000

Sabina jolted awake as sunlight streamed into her bedroom, her head immediately pounding. Lifting a hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight, she turned to reach for her bedside table, but froze when her eyes landed on the person lying beside her. Smiling lightly as she took in Oliver's sleeping face, Sabina gently moved on top of him, her legs straddling him as she leaned forward and softly kissed him.

Oliver opened his eyes as Sabina pulled away, smiling up at her. "Well, good morning to you too, lass," he said.

"It will be," Sabina replied with a smirk.

"How much time do we have?" Oliver asked as he returned her smirk and moved his hands to her hips.

Looking at the clock on her bedside table, Sabina's smirk quickly fell and she jumped out of her bed as she exclaimed, "Oh, hell, we're so late!"

"Why did I ask?" Oliver grumbled to himself as he got out bed and started searching for his clothes.

In a matter of minutes, both of them were dressed. Sabina rushed over to the bathroom and quickly started removing whatever remained of last night's makeup as Oliver leaned against the doorframe and watched her with a small smile on his face.

"Thank Merlin our outfits are at the Burrow," she muttered. Then, turning to Oliver with a serious look, she said, "We need to keep this under wraps until the wedding is over, all right? Today is about Percy and Audrey, and nothing else."

Oliver nodded. "Agreed, but you're mad if you think that gets you off the hook for dancing with me," he said slyly.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Sabina replied. She grabbed his hand and added, "Hold on tight."

With a pop, Oliver and Sabina apparated just outside the Burrow's Apparition Wards. They rushed over to the old house, smiles still on their faces. Even from afar, it was obvious that the house was packed and filled with noise. It almost made Sabina turn right around and go back to bed - but, alas, she owed Audrey her obedience for the next fourteen hours.

As soon as Sabina stepped foot inside the Burrow, Molly was in front of her with a furious glare. "And where have you been?" she demanded. "Audrey's already here!"

"Oi, I'm here now, let's take it down a notch," Sabina replied as she moved past Molly and headed up the stairs.

She heard Molly turn on Oliver right after, ordering him to go check if Percy was putting his tie on right, and chuckled to herself as she made her way up the stairs of the Burrow. Almost the entire Weasley family was inside the small house at that point, as well as some of Audrey's family, so even just navigating up the stairs to the bedroom that had been designated as the bride's dressing room was a nightmare. Soon enough, though, she made it to the room and almost laughed when she saw Audrey still in sweatpants and a tank top.

"Molly will have an aneurysm if she comes in and sees you haven't put your wedding dress on," Sabina said as she sat down in a chair across from Audrey.

"The ceremony's not for another three hours," Audrey said with a roll of her eyes, "so hush and give me that hangover potion of yours."

Sabina shook her head in amusement and tossed Audrey a small vial holding Sabina's famous hangover cure potion. Audrey quickly downed it, her face contorting into a grimace as she set down the vial. She turned to Sabina, then paused with a frown on her face as her eyes scanned over her friend.

"Aren't those the clothes you wore last night?" Audrey asked slowly.

"No," Sabina replied quickly, mentally scolding herself for being too lazy to grab another outfit. "So how are you feeling in your last hours as Audrey Shacklebolt?" she asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Honestly, kind of nervous," Audrey answered, choosing to go along with the topic change. "Not about getting married, more so about what bloody else could go wrong - this week has been a living nightmare."

"Aye, you've had a hell of a week," Sabina admitted with a laugh, recalling all of the hiccups Percy and Audrey had had to deal with over the last few days. "You're in the home stretch now, though, and after this it's honeymoon time."

"Yeah, I know, I just need to get out of my own head," Audrey concluded. Standing up, she continued, "I'm going to go find Percy."

"All right, just don't let Molly see you," Sabina said with a laugh.

After Audrey left the room, Sabina looked around the room with a sigh and decided to at least go and make herself useful if Audrey wasn't going to bother sticking to Molly's schedule. She left the room, scanning the halls for Molly as she made her way down the stairs. Sabina milled around the house for a while, surprised how well she was blending in with the chaos. Suddenly, she felt a hand wrap around her wrist and gently tug at her arm. Sabina turned around with a frown to find Oliver reaching out from a broom closet with a sly smile on his face.

Sabina looked around quickly before rushing into the broom closet, holding back a laugh. "What on earth are you doing?" she asked in amusement.

Choosing not to reply right away, Oliver picked Sabina up at the waist and placed her on a low wooden shelf with a grin. "Picking up from where we left off this morning," he whispered.

"Oliver, come on - here?" Sabina said with a stifled laugh.

"This is quite literally the only private spot left in this house," Oliver replied quietly. "Trust me, I looked."

"I don't know..." Sabina trailed off as Oliver started kissing along her neck. She pressed her lips again, trying and failing to compose herself.

"Sounds like you do know," Oliver countered with a sly look on his face.

Ah, what the hell, Sabina thought to herself. She grabbed his shirt and forcefully pulled him closer to her, not hesitating to heatedly join their lips. She felt his hand moving up her leg to her underwear as she reached forward and quickly undid his jeans and pushed them off his hips. It was beyond Sabina how he could always make her melt so quickly, but as she felt his strong arms wrap around her and his hands on her hips, she was most certainly not complaining. If Sabina was being honest, she missed the sex - the amazing, heated, deviant sex - just as much as everything else about him. Feeling Oliver's body against hers was exactly what she needed in that moment.

That is, until the broom closet door swung open.

The extremely brief moment of silence before the door slammed shut and the shouting ensued felt like ages.

"HOLY CIRCE WHAT DID I JUST SEE?" Audrey's voice shouted from the other side of the door.

Sabina looked up at Oliver, both of them completely frozen in place. Had Percy and Audrey really just walked in on them shagging in a broom closet? On their wedding day?

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Percy's voice seethed. "I grew up in this house, for Merlin's sake!"

Sabina jumped down from the wooden shelf she was sitting on and approached the door, replying, "What the bloody hell did you need from a broom closet, anyways?"

"A bloody broom!" Audrey shouted back.

Sabina opened the door slightly and stuck her head out, meeting Audrey's eyes with a glare. "Audrey Shacklebolt, I may as well have invented the broom closet shag," Sabina started, her voice a loud whisper. "I know an aspirant broom closet shag when I see one."

"First off, it's my bloody wedding day," Audrey hissed back, "second - "

Instead of finishing her sentence, Audrey stepped forward and Sabina instinctively stepped back just as the door slammed shut. Mouth agape, Sabina was about to start her onslaught of insults when she heard voices on the other side of the door.

"Gran, so glad you're here!" Audrey's voice said cheerfully.

"Oh, hell, we've really fucked it this time," Sabina whispered to Oliver.

"In more ways than one," Oliver whispered back jokingly.

They both jumped at the sound of a fist pounding on the door, followed by Percy's voice saying, "You two better be whispering about how quickly you're getting dressed or, I swear to Godric, I'll kill you myself."

Stifling laughter, Oliver and Sabina glanced at each other with wide grins. They would have a hell of a time explaining this one.

"Have you seen Percy and Audrey?" Oliver asked as he approached Sabina, who was standing by the edge of the dance floor.

Sabina scanned the room with a light frown, a smile appearing on her face as she realized what had happened. "They did the Irish goodbye," Sabina replied with a shake of her head.

"Scoundrels," Oliver said jokingly.

Sabina laughed lightly as she looked around the reception. The bridesmaids easily stood out in their deep purple dresses, as did the groomsmen with their similarly coloured ties. The bouquets on each of the table were a beautiful gradient of shades of purple and silk-like lavender streamers held up the lanterns that lit up everything under the tent. It was a good thing the Weasleys didn't really have neighbours close by, because the party only seemed to be getting louder.

Probably had something to do with the alcohol Sabina's parents had brought.

Suddenly feeling a hand on the small of her back, Sabina looked over at Oliver to see him smiling down at her. "I think you still owe me a dance," he stated. "And, with Percy and Audrey gone, I'd say that we successfully made this day all about them."

"Successfully?" Sabina repeated with a skeptical look. "Are you forgetting - ?"

" - as far as anyone else knows," Oliver interrupted.

"All right then," Sabina agreed, taking Oliver's hand as he led her onto the dance floor. "I might just work my magic on you," she added jokingly, referring to the night of Oliver's first game.

"I have a feeling I'll just get my feet stepped on by a beautiful blonde," Oliver replied with a shrug and a smirk on his face as he started to lead.

Sabina looked up at Oliver with a wide grin on her face as they danced, his hazel eyes bright and happy as they met her blue ones. He leaned forward to give her a quick kiss as they danced, Sabina's face heating up. She truly didn't realize until that moment how much she liked him. Of course, Sabina had always had a feeling that she cared for him more than she claimed she did, but now that they were dancing together, she couldn't help but notice how the rest of the world simply melted away.

Oliver briefly looked up, his grin falling in an instant. "Your dad is searing a hole into my soul," he whispered to Sabina.

As the couple spun around, Sabina got a glimpse of her father. Sure enough, he was sitting at his table with Danica, a murderous glare aimed right at them. Even Dimitrij throwing spoons with some other boy wasn't enough to break his focus. "Oh yeah, he does not look happy," Sabina noted, laughing a bit.

"Guess we're gonna keep dancing 'til he dies then," Oliver said decisively.

"Hm, possibly," Sabina started. Then, she abruptly stepped away and pulled him by the hand, "or you could grow a pair."

With a defeated sigh, Oliver followed Sabina off of the dance floor. "How can I say no to you?" he muttered, bracing himself for what was sure to be a terrifying conversation.

Over the last few months, Oliver and Sabina had established a very convenient arrangement. It involved one word: sex. Sabina was busy with Healer training, Oliver was in the middle of playoffs, and at the eye of the storm stood the one and only Coach Boris Kopitar. Things were just easier this way. They both got to have a lot of fun with the added bonus of sneaking around. One would think that would make things more difficult, but it actually added a really attractive sense of impropriety to the whole arrangement.

And at the end of the day, it kept Sabina from having to explain why she would never want to have an actual, committed relationship with a Quidditch player. No relationship, no problem.

So that was how Sabina found herself sneaking into the Bodmin Moor Millenium Stadium and making out with Oliver Wood in a broom closet. It was like Hogwarts all over again, except without the awkwardness of inexperience and puberty.

"I wish you were working this game," Oliver said quietly, gently leaning his forehead against Sabina's.

"I know, but I have my last practicum shift at St. Mungo's tonight," Sabina replied, shifting a bit on the uncomfortable wooden ledge in the broom closet. "Don't worry, we'll celebrate after," she continued with a smirk.

"I like the sound of that," Oliver said with a grin.

With that, he pressed his lips to hers once again. He felt her hand slide under his shirt, pressing on his back to pull him closer as he moved his hand up her thigh. Sabina let out the lightest sigh as Oliver moved away from her lips to kiss along her neck once again. This was the nerve-calming effect he had been hoping for.

"You gotta go get ready soon," Sabina breathed out.

"Aye, I know," Oliver said as he pulled away slightly and met Sabina's eyes with a small smile on his face. "We'll finish up later," he added with a wink.

"Maybe you'll have a medal you can wear," Sabina replied coyly as she hopped down from the ledge, now considerably shorter than Oliver. "I'll head out first."

Slowly opening the door just enough to slip out, Sabina quickly jumped out of the broom closet and turned towards the exit. However, as soon as she stepped out, she felt someone considerably smaller crash into her and looked down in annoyance. That annoyance quickly turned into panic as she recognized the small person before her.

"Dimitrij!" Sabina exclaimed. The broom closet door suddenly popped open and Sabina quickly leaned her whole weight against it to close it, resulting in a very audible "Ow!" as the door hit Oliver in the head.

"Is there someone in the broom closet?" Dimitrij, Sabina's eleven year-old brother, slowly asked as he skeptically glanced at the door.

"Someone in the broom closet - don't be ridiculous Dimitrij. Humans don't go in broom closets," she said dismissively. "Here's the better question: what in Merlin's name are you doing here? You're supposed to be at school."

"Ocka got me out for the championship game," Dimitrij replied proudly, his brown eyes brimming with excitement as he looked up at Sabina.

"What?" Sabina exclaimed her face instantly forming a glare. Grabbing her little brother's hand, she said, "Come on, we're going to talk to Ocka."

Sabina rapidly made her way through the halls of the stadium, both hoping to distance herself from that broom closet as much as possible and somehow find her father in this maze. Soon enough, she found a changeroom with the Puddlemere banner and, without hesitation, burst through the door. Her eyes quickly landed on her father and she stormed towards him.

"You can't just pull Dimitrij out of school for Quidditch!" Sabina exclaimed as she walked up to her father. "Mama's gonna kill you."

"Uh, Mama doesn't know," Boris replied cautiously. Then, frowning, he asked, "Sabina, what in Harfang's name are you doing here?"

It only took Sabina a mere second to collect her thoughts and easily reply, "I found out about Dimitrij from McGonagall."

"Damn woman," Boris muttered bitterly. "You can't tell your Mama about this, you hear me?"

"Oh, is that so?" Sabina questioned, crossing her arms. "What were you planning to do with him: leave him alone in the changerooms for five hours?"

"Okay, first of all, this game will ideally end in twenty minutes and with a victory," Boris started, "and second of all, no, I was going to... bring him up to the Coaches' Tower with me."

"Ocka!" Sabina exclaimed. "His education comes before a measly Quidditch game!"

"Eh, school's boring," Dimitrij intervened with a shrug.

"School's - school's - " Sabina sputtered. "Bloody Gryffindors," she finally grumbled.

"Sabina, najdražja, if you don't tell Mama, I'll... I'll..." Boris trailed off, looking around helplessly. Then, his face brightened as he exclaimed, "Ah, Wood, just who I was looking for!"

"Oh hell no, Ocka," Sabina said in a low voice. As she turned around to follow her father, however, she met Oliver's tortured expression as Boris cornered him in an attempt to escape Sabina. Taking a calming deep breath, she simply said, "Fine, I don't care - let him fail his finals! Not like he's my son."

As she started to storm out of the changeroom, she heard Dimitrij yell from behind her, "Killjoy!"

Sabina stopped and turned to look at Dimitrij. "I'm taking you back to Hogwarts first thing tomorrow morning," she seethed. "If I leave it up to Ocka, you'll never bloody graduate," she grumbled to herself as she turned back around to leave the stadium.

Although Sabina was rather upset with her father in that moment, her heart was mostly racing at the thought of what a close call that had been. Dimitrij had quite literally been mere feet away from seeing Oliver in that closet and from there on out... well, her eleven year-old brother was not exactly known for his discretion. Still, somehow the situation had been handled. Just classic Ravenclaw wit, in Sabina's opinion.

Oliver's eyes followed Sabina as she stormed out of the changeroom. The small bruise on his forehead that he had received from the broom closet door was no longer pulsating, but he still felt his heart racing from when they had almost gotten caught. Part of that was anxiety and fear, but Oliver knew deep down that another part of it was... excitement. Over the last few months, he had really enjoyed Sabina's company, and with the playoff season coming to a close and her almost being done Healer training, it seemed like it was about time for him to step up.

Still, it would have been downright traumatic if her little brother had seen them in a broom closet.

"She might look like me but she is exactly like Danica," Oliver heard Boris mutter. "And by that I mean that she is always right."

Oliver chuckled lightly. "My dad always says it's better to say you're wrong and eat a warm meal than be proud and sleep in the doghouse," he said jokingly.

"Sounds like a smart man," Boris replied as he looked over at Oliver. Frowning slightly as his gaze moved slightly lower, he asked, "What in Merlin's name is on your neck, boy?"

"My - my neck?" Oliver asked nervously, his hand reaching towards where Boris was looking.

"Wood's got a hickey!" Andre shouted as he passed by the two of them. "You see, Coach, Ollie's been awful secretive about his love life lately - but at least now we know that, whoever she is, she's an animal."

Merlin, if you're watching this, please smite me, Oliver thought to himself as he stood in mortified silence, his eyes taking in the look of disgust and disappointment that Boris was giving to Andre. This was almost as bad as the idea of Dimitrij walking in on him and Sabina.

"What's a hickey?" Dimitrij then piped in as he looked up at his father.

"It's, uh - it's, um - it's a skin condition," Boris finally answered, clearly flustered. "Go ask Samuels how to use a Beater's bat, son," he added quickly, giving his son a gentle shove. Looking back at Oliver he let out a tired sigh and said, "Wood, whatever you do, do not have a child in your forties."

"Duly noted," Oliver replied quietly.

21 November 1999

With a tired sigh, Sabina leaned back against the door to her apartment as she closed it. A small smile spread broke through her expression of utter exhaustion. That was it - her last practicum shift. Now, all she had to do was study for her licensing exam, which was a month away, and voila - she would be a fully certified Healer by the new year. All of her hard work, extra shifts, and constant studying had been worth finishing a year early, and now that she was so close to the end, another month of studying didn't seem so bad. It would be just like N.E.W.T.s all over again - and, frankly, she had thought that had been a pleasant experience.

Turning the lights on with a wave of her wand, Sabina headed for the kitchen and nearly jumped out of her own skin when she finally realized that Oliver was in her apartment. Her next reaction, as she looked him over, was a mix of amusement and lust.

In her very own living room, there stood Oliver Wood wearing nothing but a gold medal around his neck and a small navy blue flag with the Puddlemere crest hanging in front of his crotch area. Sabina pressed her lips together a she met Oliver's grinning face.

"We bloody won!" he shouted, raising his arms in the air.

"I - I can tell," Sabina replied, her expression widening into a grin as well.

"Are you gonna come over here?" Oliver asked, spreading his arms.

Still looking out from the open kitchen, Sabina leaned her forearms across the countertop and said, "You know, I actually think I'm gonna enjoy the view for a bit. Maybe do a twirl for me, I don't know."

"Well, I don't have a matching banner for my arse," Oliver admitted coyly.

Sabina shrugged. "Perfect," she replied.

"You are a sick woman," Oliver said jokingly. "And, frankly, I like it."

Sabina laughed as Oliver jokingly posed in the living room, winking her way several times. This was certainly not what Sabina had expected to be waiting for her in her flat, although she wouldn't change a single thing. Not only was the whole situation incredibly amusing, but Oliver really was a good-looking bloke, so Sabina almost dreaded the idea of him ever putting his clothes back on.

Suddenly stopping his posing, Oliver faked a look of anger and said, "I think you're just using me for my body, lass."

"You are not wrong," Sabina replied with a smirk.

"Well, you've gotta pay for that," Oliver threatened, although the grin on his face was betraying him.

Suddenly, Oliver crossed the living room and made it to the kitchen in a few quick strides. Before Sabina could say anything, he picked her up and swung her over her shoulder and started walking towards her bedroom.

"There's the bare arse I was dreamin' about," Sabina exclaimed with a laugh.

Playfully landing a slap on Sabina's arse, Oliver replied, "Oi, quiet down back there!"

"Blimey, I've been awake for twenty-eight hours," Sabina noticed as she glanced at the clock in her living room.

Oliver sat down next to Sabina on the couch and stretched his arm to rest on her shoulders, squeezing her closer to him. "But you're a Healer now," he said proudly.

"Uh-uh," Sabina said with a shake of her head, then pausing to take a sip of tea. "Still need to write my licensing exam next month."

Oliver looked down at Sabina with a raised eyebrow. Typical Sabina - Ravenclaw through and through, she would never accept a title or praise if she hadn't truly earned it. "Sab, we both know you're passing that exam," Oliver said confidently.

"Oh, are you a Seer now?" Sabina asked smartly, earning an exaggerated eye-roll from Oliver.

"No, I just have an incredible amount of faith in you," Oliver replied.

Sabina scoffed, but a small smile remained on her face. She was never a big fan of exaggerated shows of chivalry and affection, but Oliver always had a curious and simple way of making her feel all warm and gushy. It was both comforting and scary for her.

"Hey, sorry about the whole situation with Dimitrij yesterday," Sabina said suddenly, stretching to set her tea down on the coffee table. Looking down at her hands, she continued, "Both him almost seeing us and also the part with all of the yelling. Not really how I want you to see me."

"Well, I have a little brother in his third year at Hogwarts so trust me when I say that your outburst was more than justified," Oliver replied. "As for almost getting caught, I wasn't exactly a fan of getting hit in the head by a door, but the rest was out of your control."

Sabina smiled as she met Oliver's hazel eyes. "Yeah, I guess I just assumed it would've been awkward for you - we're not exactly in a place where family drama is a common topic," she said shyly.

"Well, actually I've been meaning to talk about that," Oliver started, an excited grin spreading across his face. "With Quidditch season wrapping up and your Healer training being practically done, I thought that we could be more than... whatever this is. You're an amazing woman, Sabina, and you deserve more than this."

His words made Sabina freeze. From head to toe, she was practically made of stone as she stared back at Oliver's expectant gaze with her eyes wide and her mouth set in a taut line. She had never thought this would happen. Not necessarily the part where Oliver wanted to be more than just friends with benefits, but the part where Sabina was almost contemplating the idea of being in a relationship with him. He had, without a doubt, burrowed his way into her heart, and now she was stuck staring at him like a deer in the headlights.

"I can't," she said as her ability to talk returned.

Oliver's joyous expression quickly fell. "You... can't?" he repeated slowly.

"I can't date a Quidditch player," Sabina elaborated, her nervousness quickly rising.

"Wait - what?" Oliver said, clearly taken aback as his face contorted into a frown.

Sabina let out a sigh in a poor attempt to compose herself. "When my father got picked up by Puddlemere and my parents moved to England, all of the bullshit that came with it - the tabloids, the rumours, the fans - nearly tore them apart," Sabina said quietly, looking down at her hands again. She couldn't bring herself to look at Oliver's face for fear of what she might find. "They were separated for two years and it almost ruined their marriage. I never wanted that for myself."

"You're not dating my job, you're dating me," Oliver argued, the hurt very evident in his tone.

"It's not that easy," Sabina said, finally looking up to meet his eyes. She could see the anger and disbelief in his eyes and instantly felt a burning sensation behind her eyes. She hadn't thought things would go like this. In Sabina's mind, he would have just grown bored of her and that was that.

"Well, it's not like you've ever tried," Oliver argued. He pulled away from her and turned to look straight at her. "You're telling me that, if you take away all of that professional Quidditch shite, you don't care for me at all? Not even one little bit?"

Sabina looked away from his demanding gaze. "It's not that easy," she repeated stubbornly.

"Sabina, I care about you - I really do," Oliver continued, "but I'm not going to waste my time proving it if you won't even give me a chance."

Feeling the couch lurch slightly, Sabina turned to look at Oliver just as he was standing up. He was the one looking down now, refusing to meet her eyes. "It's just not the life I want," she said quietly.

"No, you're just scared," Oliver bit back. "Of what, I have no bloody idea."

"I'm not scared," Sabina retorted.

"Right," Oliver sighed, lightly nodding his head and looking away from Sabina again. "Get some rest. Good luck with your studies. I'll, uh... goodbye, Sabina."

With that, Oliver quickly made his way out of her apartment. The slam of the door rang in Sabina's ears until all that was left was silence and her own thoughts, swirling in her head. She sat perfectly still and silent for a while, looking down at her hands and ruminating over what had just happened. She had thought that when the time would come that Oliver would leave for good, it would be a mutual satisfaction. Instead, all Sabina felt was sadness and an odd ache.

22 November 1999

"You two do everything together now, huh?" Oliver remarked, lightly gesturing between Percy and Audrey with a wave of his hand.

"I'll take that as my cue," Audrey said slowly, sharing an amused glance with Percy. "I've gotta get going anyways, so I can be... three hours early for my shift."

Audrey leaned over the dining table where they were all sitting to give Percy a kiss on the cheek and left her boyfriend's apartment soon after that. As soon as the door closed behind her, Percy sent a pointed glare to Oliver.

"Thanks for that, mate," Percy said sarcastically.

"She kicked herself out," Oliver said defensively. "I like Audrey, believe me."

"I know," Percy replied, "something's just been off about you today."

Oliver let out a tired sigh as he sat under the scrutiny of Percy's insightful expression. His best friend was a know-it-all, but there was a good reason for that: he did, in fact, seem to know it all. Truthfully, it had been one of Percy's more annoying qualities when the two had first met; however, as they grew older, it was a quality that Oliver had grown to appreciate.

"That, uh, girl I was seeing," Oliver started quietly, "it's over. So there's that."

"Sorry about that, mate," Percy said sympathetically.

"Yeah, well, we wanted different things," Oliver reasoned, leaning back in his chair. "Just feels weird to actually be on the side that's hurt. You know, I never really cared about a girl enough for it to get me so worked up."

"You don't think she's hurt?" Percy questioned.

Oliver scoffed. "If she was hurt after what happened, then I must've been under a Confundus Charm," he said a bit bitterly.

Percy simply shrugged. "You never know. In these sorts of things, people's true intentions surface one way or another," he advised, choosing not to prod his friend for details.

Oliver looked over at Percy, forcing a small smile on his face in the hopes that it would actually help him feel happy. "How did you know with Audrey?" he asked. "I mean, between randomly getting attacked and all that nonsense, how did you figure it out?"

"You know, her family is absolutely terrifying and crazy," Percy started, an amused and dreamy smile spreading across his face, "she is far too enthusiastic about punching people she doesn't like, and she likes to mess with people's heads for fun - and yet, I can never get her out of my mind."

In that moment, Oliver's mind filled with Sabina's amused grin. She would always correct even the smallest mistakes and her capacity for alcohol consumption was concerning, and yet he had meant every word he had said to her. Oliver cared for her. When he looked at Sabina, he felt happy. It wasn't just a basic lust - it was so much more than that. He loved to hear her laugh and listen to her talk, despite all of the annoying things she would do. Even despite what she had told him the day before.

"I get that," Oliver said quietly.

Sabina pushed the cured meat around on her plate in silence. She could feel her mother's gaze searing through her body, almost as if that would will her to talk, but Sabina kept her sights focused straight down at her half-eaten breakfast. She had been in this horrible mood since yesterday, and not even her mother's iconic Slovenian breakfast could break her out of this ridiculous emotional cycle. Sabina felt horrible for pushing Oliver away like that, but she also felt like she was missing a part of her - she missed him, and she hated to admit it.

"Sabina, what is the matter with you?" her mother's strong Slovenian accent rang through the silence.

Sabina's head snapped up, meeting her mother's warm brown eyes. She was a beautiful woman - her slightly greying hair still mostly held its original chestnut brown colour and aside from a few wrinkles that had come with age, her skin was clear and glowing. Danica Horvat had a welcoming exterior that strongly contrasted her commanding and intimidating personality.

"Nothing, Mama, I just had a long day yesterday and felt like comfort food," Sabina replied plainly.

"Najdražja, what's on your mind? You cannot hide these things from me," Danica pressed.

Sabina sighed lightly, a sad smile spreading across her face. "Why did you and Ocka end up getting back together after you separated?" she finally asked.

Although clearly taken aback, Danica recovered quickly. "It was my decision to separate, ultimately," she started, a sad look on her face. "I told him that I didn't want his life - the attention, the drama, the threatening letters from all of those stupid English women."

"Mama, you have your own distillery - I hardly think those women were even in your league," Sabina said jokingly.

Danica laughed lightly. "Very true, but it was hard for us in those first few years," she admitted, "and that was not the life I had imagined when we married. It took me two years to realize that I wasn't living his life - we were living our life. Being with the people you care about is hardly ever easy."

Sabina remained quiet for a bit, processing her mother's words. Eventually, she smiled sadly and said, "I think I let a good one go, Mama."

"If he was meant for you, give it time," Danica advised. "These things have a way of fleshing themselves out. Rome wasn't built in a day, after all."

Sabina nodded as she took in her mother's words. She still felt that persistent sadness, but now she also felt a strange, new feeling: humility. As much as Sabina hated to admit it, she was pretty sure she was wrong. Very wrong. Part of her was happy that maybe, just maybe, her and Oliver would have their chance. Another part of her was beating herself up for fucking up so much.

"You know, Ocka pulled Dimitrij out of school to watch the championship game," Sabina said with a smirk, trying to get Oliver out of her head for the briefest moment.

Danica only smiled. "I know," she replied, "where do you think you get that brilliant intelligence from? Your Ocka?"

Sabina laughed as her mother's grin widened. "He really thinks he got away with it, you know," she said.

Danica simply shrugged. "For all of the hell I give him, he deserves a few small victories," she replied. Standing up from her seat, she asked, "How about you join me in the wood shop for the day?"

See, as an administrator, if you could pay a Healer-in-training to do the same thing as a Healer or a Nurse, but for half the price on account of that lovely little "in-training" tacked on the end, then you could save your hospital a lot of money. Genius business strategy, but downright preposterous as far as Sabina was concerned. As a result, she would often find herself working Medi-Witch shifts for her father's Quidditch team, just to make a little extra money until she finished her Healer training.

Sabina had almost turned down her father's request this time. The forecast was looking downright horrible - thunderstorms and rain the entire time, with a chance of hail - and working Quidditch games was not her idea of fun. While Sabina loved Quidditch - she had been an amazing Keeper at Hogwarts - being a Medi-Witch was a whole other nightmare. Loud, nosy spectators telling you to get out of the way, overzealous players outright flying into danger, and, worst of all, all Sabina would want to do was sit there and enjoy the game. Instead, she was stuck running after stupid boys that would rather break their necks and win than come out unscathed and lose.

Perhaps it was the last three years of Healer training talking, but Sabina was fed up with reckless Quidditch players.

Still, her father had begged. He had a new Keeper going in and, as Coach Boris had put it, "this one is a real bonehead." That, combined with the fact that Sabina knew very well that her father was immensely protective of Keepers (on account of that being his former position), was just enough motivation Sabina needed to agree to the shift. If anything, she would have some lovely stories to tell Audrey.

In any case, now that Sabina was standing in the changerooms of the Quidditch pitch, she was quickly regretting her obligations as a caring daughter.

"Number twenty-one has a tendency to fly straight into bludgers," Boris, Sabina's father, stated as he stood by her side with an angry look on his face and his arms crossed. His 'Intimidation Stance,' as he called it. His sandy blonde hair had flecks of grey in it now and the wrinkles on his face were starting to reflect his age, but despite all of that, his pale blue eyes still had a youthful, excited shine to them every time he talked about Quidditch. "Number three's the new Keeper, he's a real - "

" - bonehead, yes, you've said so," Sabina interrupted. "Ocka, I've got this."

Boris sighed heavily and placed his hands on Sabina's shoulders, turning her around enough to face him. "It should be you out there," he said with a shake of his head.

"Ah, but I will be out there," Sabina replied smartly.

"You know what I mean," Boris shot back. "You are a brilliant Keeper, Sabina."

"I was a brilliant Keeper," Sabina corrected. "I've told you before - I'm not going to make a career out of Quidditch. I love the game, but that's just... not for me. I always liked brains better than brawn."

"I know, and I'm proud of you but..." Boris trailed off and leaned in slightly, continuing in a whisper, "I'd trade you for any of these idioti."

Sabina chuckled at her father's clear exasperation. "They're twenty-something boys, you're telling me you had any sense of responsibility at that age when you joined up with Puddlemere?" she challenged.

"Aye, well, that's why I would much rather have my lovely daughter as a player," Boris reasoned. "I need women and men, not boys."

"Give 'em some credit, Ocka. You've trained them well and I'm sure they look up to you," Sabina advised.

Boris smiled down at his daughter. "You and your mother - my voices of reason," he said, a soft smile breaking his stern expression. "Go suit up, Medi-Witch," he added with a wink.

"You got it, Coach," Sabina replied with a joking salute.

Oliver had never before felt this nervous before a game. His heart was racing and the world around him was drowned out as if he was underwater. His eyes were wide and focused straight down, gaze searing into his bludger bays. When Oliver had received the news that he was getting moved up from reserve to first-string Keeper, he had been ecstatic - but now that he was just mere minutes away from his first official game, the pressure was killing him.

A loud laugh broke him out of his trance and suddenly the loud sounds of the changeroom were at full volume. He looked around and hoped that the excitement his teammates were feeling would rub off on him somehow. In a far corner, he saw the medics getting ready for the game: three Medi-Wzards and a Medi-Witch, all dressed in the typical lime green robes of Healers, with the addition of some basic Quidditch gear and the Puddlemere United crest emrboidered with gold thread on the back. Suddenly, the Medi-Witch glanced his way, her blue eyes locking with his. Oliver thought she looked vaguely familiar, but before he could figure it out, one of his teammates blocked his view of the woman.

Oliver looked up at Gabriel Truman, one of the first-string Chasers, with a small sigh. He was a tall, slender man, built for speedy escapes. His brown eyes always had a friendly glint to them, and he was probably Oliver's closest friend on the team. "Ready for your first real win, mate?" Gabriel asked with a smirk.

"You sound far too optimistic," Oliver declared as he stood up.

"Aye, well, y'know what they say: knock on Wood," Gabriel countered, giving Oliver a couple light taps to the head.

"And here I thought that tradition wouldn't've left Hogwarts," Oliver grumbled. Gabriel, however, had already turned and left to take his place in the players' lineup.

With a light shake of his head, Oliver followed behind his teammate and lined up as well. He nervously gripped his broom as silence filled the changeroom and the Head Coach approached them. Borislav Kopitar was something of a legend as far as Quidditch went. He played Keeper for Team Slovenia straight out of Durmstrang for two years, after which he got picked up by Puddlemere and made captain within three years. Even after retiring as a player, Puddlemere couldn't afford to lose him and offered to keep him around as the Head Coach for as long as he wanted. And, of course, he just so happened to be married to one of the best Broom-makers in the business and the creator of the Firebolt, Danica Horvat.

If Oliver was being honest, there was no one he looked up to more than Coach Boris - except for his own father, of course.

"The next time I see you in here, you will all be cheering and smiling," Boris started, his voice echoing throughout the changeroom. He had his hands behind his back as he walked along the line of players. Glancing past him, Oliver noticed the Medi-Wizards and the Medi-Witch strapping on their kits and checking their brooms. As the Medi-Witch slipped her medical kit on her back and looked up, her eyes once again met Oliver's. She smirked lightly and raised an eyebrow before slipping on her goggles. Oliver's gaze, however, was still fixated. Her blonde hair was braided in a rather peculiar way - it was neat and flush against her head, then collected in a bun at the base of her neck - and he was sure he had seen it before somewhere.

"Wood!" Boris bellowed. Oliver was instantly pulled out of his thoughts and his head snapped towards Coach. He met the older man's glaring eyes as he lowly said, "Eyes. Here."

"Yes sir!" Oliver replied quickly.

"You're the youngest Keeper Puddlemere's had in a while - don't disappoint me," Boris said sternly.

"Of course not, sir," Oliver replied with a nod.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the pride and joy of River Piddle - PUDDLEMERE UNITED!"

"That's your cue, boys," Boris said as he grabbed his own broom.

Once on their brooms, the Puddlemere United team flew out into the stadium one by one. The screams were almost deafening as soon as Oliver entered the Quidditch pitch, but he felt his nervousness quickly melt into excitement as his eyes took in the large stadium. This was why he played Quidditch.

"You've gotta stop scaring them so much, Ocka," Sabina joked as she elbowed her father.

"If there's one thing I hate about you working my games, it's the unwanted attention," Boris grumbled as he mounted his broom.

"Unwanted? You're the only one that doesn't want it," Sabina replied as she mounted her broom as well.

Boris shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh before flying into the stadium and taking his place in the Coach's Tower.

"You ready, Quidditch princess?" one of the Medi-Wizards, Robert, asked as he gently shoved past Sabina.

"Shut it, Robby," Sabina muttered.

Before he had a chance to reply, Sabina had already zoomed past him and into the stadium. The rain drenched her almost instantly and the thick fog reduced her visibility, but the screaming of the fans was just as overwhelming as always. While a career in Quidditch may not have been in the cards for Sabina, she would be lying if she said she didn't miss the adrenaline rush of circling the stadium with her team and taking in the cheers of the crowd.

"Looks like the medics and the referees are out," the announcer's voice boomed, "and here comes the chest. We are just mere seconds away from the start now!"

Sabina took her place just left of the goalhoops on Puddlemere's side. She quickly placed a Defogging Spell on her goggles, which gave her a slightly better view of the field. Looking down, she saw the four referees push off to take their places around the stadium and the Groundskeeper standing in front of the chest. He placed the wand to his neck and knelt down, placing a hand on the buckle of the Quidditch Chest.

"Welcome to the Dorset Bowl, Puddlemere United's home stadium," the Groundskeeper's voice boomed throughout the stadium. The crowds instantly grew silent. "Tonight's game is against the Wimbourne Wasps. Players, take your places. Beaters, bats down. Three, two, one - BEGIN!"

With that final word, the Groundskeeper lifted the buckle off of the chest and the Snitch, Quaffle, and Bludgers instantly flew out. In less than a second, players were zooming around the pitch and making plays without even a bit of hesitation. Sabina felt a bit of nostalgia as she slowly flew around and scanned the pitch, and she had to fight the urge to look away from her quadrant to take in the excitement of the game. Even with the horrible weather and in her Healer robes, Sabina felt herself actually enjoying being out on the Quidditch pitch.

The game was going quite smoothly, as far as professional games went. There had been some Blatching on the Wasps side of the pitch, although those had been minor injuries that Sabina's co-workers had handled easily. And, of course, as her father had warned, player twenty-one, Andre, had flown straight into a Bludger. Still, he seemed to be concussion-free and, aside from the torrential downpour, this was turning out to be one of Sabina's easiest games.

Plus, Puddlemere had a forty-point lead, and she was nothing if not a Puddlemere fan through and through.

"Oh, Bigby from the Wasps looks like he's having an amazing breakaway, leaving Puddlemere's Keeper on his own, and - what's that? Oliver Wood, Puddlemere's brand new Keeper, is doing the legendary Starfish and Stick! Let's see if he's got what it takes!"

"Kaj za vraga?" Sabina muttered as she looked at Oliver dangling from his broom. Then, looking on the other side of the pitch, Sabina's eyes widened as she saw a Wasps Beater winding up. She raised her medic's radio to her mouth and quickly said, "There's a Bludger heading straight for him, Coach."

"Sranje," her father's voice said. "You can't intervene unless he falls or gets injured, Sabina."

"Fine, I got this," she replied.

As soon as Sabina put away her radio, she zoomed towards the goalhoops just as she heard the crack of the Beater's bat. Pushing her broom to its limits, Sabina saw Oliver save the Quaffle and toss it to a Chaser. She came to a stop at about half the height of the goalhoops just as the Bludger forcefully flew into Oliver's abdomen and caused him to lose his grip on his broom. Oliver started free-falling in the air, but Sabina stuck her arm out and grabbed his hand just as he passed her. He gripped her hand and stopped falling with a powerful yank on her arm.

Looking up at Sabina with wide eyes, Oliver grinned widely. "Thanks," he breathed out.

"You bleeding?" Sabina asked plainly.

With his free hand, Oliver felt around his robes as he looked down. "Nope, all good," he answered.

"Then call your broom and go win," Sabina replied.

Still grinning, Oliver whistled for his broom. Sabina let go of his hand as soon as the broom was underneath him, then flew back to her assigned spot. Oliver was back by the goalhoops just as the Puddlemere Chasers scored another goal.

"You are a life-saver, Sabina," Boris' staticky voice said through the radio in Sabina's medical kit.

"Can ye hear the Wasps sing?"

"No, no!"

"Can ye hear the Wasps sing?"

"Ye cannae hear a ruddy thing!"

"Whoo, whoo, whoo!"

"After me, boys - your Quidditch, your Quidditch, your Quidditch - "

" - is fuckin' shite!"

"SETTLE DOWN!"

Boris' voice boomed throughout the changeroom and the whole team quieted down in an instant. All of the players, some already standing around with only towels around their hips, fixed their gazes on their coach.

After a moment of silence, Boris' glare turned into a grin. "Meeting tomorrow at noon," he said, "tonight - you celebrate!"

"Whoo - three cheers for Coach Boris!"

"Hip hip hooray, Hip hip hooray, Hip hip hooray!"

"One for us!"

"Hooray!"

"And one for the fox that saved Wood's life!"

"Hooray!"

Sabina smirked as the room filled with cheers and shouting once again. She noticed her father's grin turn into a glare once more, and Oliver's face turn a bright shade of red. Sabina did remember him from Hogwarts - that being said, everyone at Hogwarts had known Oliver Wood. Not only had he been the most Quidditch-obsessed person in the castle, but Sabina also very vividly remembered every bloody girl in that school having the hots for him. Frankly, he had been just a little too boyish and scrawny for her - although now that she was in the Puddlemere changeroom, she could tell that at least that much had changed.

"You - Sabina," Andre said as he pointed at Sabina.

"Yes?" she replied as she raised an eyebrow.

Andre had already ditched his uniform for a towel and he approached Sabina with a smirk on his face. This would be good. Sabina remembered him from other games she had worked. He liked to think he was the embodiment of tall, dark, and handsome, and it proved to always be amusing. "You're coming out for drinks with us to celebrate."

"Is that so?" Sabina questioned as she crossed her arms.

"Aye, and Wood's buyin' you a drink because he owes you at least that much," Andre continued as he nodded towards Oliver, who was just about to head for the showers. He looked their way with a meek smile and headed over at the sound of his name.

"Doesn't sound like you have much of a choice," Sabina said to Oliver as Andre left with a proud smirk on his face.

Oliver laughed nervously, raising his hand to the back of his neck. Definitely not scrawny anymore, Sabina thought to herself as she fought to keep her gaze fixed on his face. "Andre likes to mess around," he said with a shrug. "Sabina... you were the Ravenclaw Keeper, aye?" he said, finally having a name to fit to her face.

Her really beautiful face. Now that he was closer to her, he could see that her eyes were a mesmerizing icy blue. Her dirty blonde hair was starting to come out of its braid after the three hours of being out in the rain and curl around her face, which was incredibly pale and had just the lightest smattering of freckles across her nose. Oliver supposed there had been no way for him to see all of that on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, because if he had, they probably would have lost a lot more games against Ravenclaw.

"That would be me," she agreed with a small smile.

"Sabina... Kopitar - oh, no," Oliver trailed off as he made the connection between Coach Boris and the woman before him.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," Sabina said with a smirk, gently pushing past Oliver. "I'll be waiting on that drink, Wood."

Onyx was possibly one of the fanciest, most exclusive nightclubs in wizarding England. The only people that ever got in without waiting or giving up a kidney as a cover fee were Quidditch players, actors, musicians, and the likes. And, apparently, one over-worked Healer-in-training. As soon as Sabina entered the posh night club, she was surrounded by booming music and overpriced alcohol. Witches dressed as fairies levitated around the room with trays of shot glasses and jars of fireflies floated up to the ceiling. It only took Andre a matter of seconds to spot her and enthusiastically wave her over.

Sabina not-so-subtly tugged on the hem of her red dress once more before heading over. She had mistakenly thought that if she borrowed a dress from Audrey, it would very much resemble her childhood friend - simple, comfortable, and convenient. Instead, she was stuck in this skin-tight bright red dress with a halter neckline, her back bare. When in the name of Morgana did Audrey even wear dresses like this? Probably handed it to me because she never bloody wore it, Sabina thought bitterly.

"Sabina - looking positively lovely!" Andre exclaimed as Sabina approached their table. "You clean up much nicer than expected."

"Right, thanks... I think," Sabina replied tentatively. She turned to Oliver, who was seated right beside Andre and looking much more uncomfortable than she would have expected. "So, where's my drink, Wood?"

"Oh, my favourite party trick," Gabriel said with a hoot. "Come one, come all, to witness Oliver Wood's psychic powers!"

"Psychic powers?" Sabina asked. "Consider me intrigued."

"It's not that big of a deal," Oliver said with a dismissive shrug. Still, Sabina could see a small smile on his face.

"Ollie here can guess anyone's favourite drink," Jason, one of the Beaters, explained. "Works like a charm for getting ladies - we joke that it's his only move."

"It's not my only move," Oliver grumbled.

"Oi, shut up and do your thing," Andre said as he nodded towards Sabina.

With a sigh and a sly grin on his face, Oliver met Sabina's eyes and reached forward to grab her hands. The other three Quidditch players gathered around them as their eyes intently watched the two of them. Sabina had an amused smirk on her face as she kept her gaze fixed on Oliver's face and watched him concentrate.

"From here, you'll have a vodka straight," Oliver finally said.

"Impressive," Sabina said with a hint of admiration.

"I'm not done," Oliver interrupted before the other boys could cheer. "Your actual favourite drink isn't available here - pálinka."

"All right, now I'm really impressed," Sabina said with a laugh, but she was mostly cut off by Andre, Gabriel, and Jason loudly whooping.

"The man is an animal!" Gabriel shouted as Oliver ordered a round of vodka for the table.

As soon as the shots arrived, Andre raised his glass high and exclaimed, "For Puddlemere!"

"For Puddlemere!" everyone else chorused.

Once she had downed the shot, Sabina leaned in closer to Oliver and quietly asked, "Seriously, how did you figure it out? That wasn't just a stroke of luck."

Oliver smiled and lightly shook his head, his hazel eyes meeting Sabina's icy blue ones. "Coach always keeps a bottle in his office," he replied, "but I swear, this is the first time I've used outsider info."

"Oh, I believe that," Sabina said. "Girls are easy - wine or fruity drinks. If they're drunk enough, any one of them will be their favourite."

"Don't oust me," Oliver hissed jokingly.

Sabina laughed once more, this time taking note of how often Oliver seemed to be having that effect on her. Deciding they had spent enough time standing around, she slammed down her shot glass and simply shouted, "Let's dance!"

"Mate, you are really off your game tonight," Gabriel noted as he slid into the seat next to Oliver.

Oliver let out a sigh and downed the rest of his beer. "Just not feeling it, I guess," he replied with a shrug.

"Not feeling it?" he exclaimed. "I've seen you out there after a good practice - you're unstoppable. You just won your first full game."

"Yeah, I know, I'm just exhausted I guess," Oliver reasoned.

Gabriel gave him a pointed look, clearly not accepting that explanation. "What's on your mind?" he asked.

Oliver paused for a moment before deciding that if he was going to ask anyone about this, it might as well be his best friend on the team. "You guys all know that Sabina is Coach's daughter, right?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, obviously," Gabriel replied with a shrug. "She's worked a bunch of games for us."

"Okay, then why do you all flirt with her all the time - do you lot have a death wish?" Oliver continued. "I mean, we are talking about Coach Borislav Kopitar, right?"

Gabriel laughed at his friend's apparent confusion. "Mate, a death wish would be sleeping with her," he explained. "Flirting with her, it just gets a funny reaction out of Coach and Sabina's one of the few girls that's not a bloody lunatic. I mean, she knows we're not all trying to get into her kickers and that it's all good fun."

"Right," Oliver said as he slowly nodded. Then, after another pause, he asked, "But how do you know that Coach would kill you if you went after Sabina?"

"You wanna be patient zero?" Gabriel countered.

"Fair point," Oliver agreed.

"All right, you need to get all of this out of your head and get laid," Gabriel decided. He surveyed the room shortly, then started waving his arms and shouting, "Sabina! Over here!"

"That was a poorly chosen sequence of words, mate," Oliver grumbled as Sabina joined them.

"What's goin' on, boys?" she asked as she slid into the seat next to Gabriel.

"You're gonna work your magic and get Wood a bird," Gabriel said.

"What magic?" Oliver asked tentatively.

"Sabina has the innate ability to attract perfect one-night stand material every time we dance with her," Gabriel explained. "There's three things a bird needs to have to be one-night stand material."

"She's gotta be hot," Oliver guessed.

"Aye, that's one," Sabina said. "She's gotta be crazy. The crazier, the kinkier, and - well, you're never seeing her again anyways."

"And she's gotta be jealous," Gabriel finished. "Just trust me on that one. Anyways, it seems that Sabina is the perfect combination of intimidating and beautiful to attract that particular breed of girl. Works like a charm."

"And if it doesn't, what's the worst that can happen?" Sabina asked as she stood up from her seat and stared down at Oliver. "You dance with a beautiful blonde, you get your feet stepped on - sounds like a good deal to me."

Oliver stared back at Sabina as she uncrossed her arms and extended a hand to him. He felt Gabriel give him a nudge, but Oliver's eyes were fixed on Sabina's expectant gaze. It seemed, in that moment, that he had two choices: one, he could stay with the boys and get nagged to death for being a killjoy, or two, he could go dance with the girl that kept putting a smile on his face.

Standing up, Oliver took Sabina's hand and let her lead the way as Gabriel cheered, "Atta boy!"

As soon as they reached the dancefloor, an upbeat song started playing and Sabina didn't hesitate to start dancing. Soon enough, Oliver felt a grin spread on his face as he joined in. He wasn't so sure about the magic that Gabriel was talking about, but Sabina did have a magical ability of getting him to relax, he realized. She was fun and exciting, and Oliver would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit attracted to her. However, every time that thought crossed his mind, the next thing to pop up would be the face of a very furious Coach Boris.

The ambience of the room changed rather abruptly as a slower song started to play. Sabina took a step closer and Oliver didn't hesitate to place his hands on her waist and pull her closer.

"Oh, look at that," Sabina spoke into his ear, "it's already working. Your seven o'clock - other way, Wood."

Oliver turned his head to see a girl at the bar intently staring at him with a look of determination. Instantly, that same feeling of disinterest from earlier resurfaced.

"I... don't know," he said slowly, looking down at Sabina. That got rid of the shitty feeling. "I'm just not feeling it tonight."

"Not feeling it? As in...?" Sabina coaxed.

"You know, most nights, a girl like that will get me... excited, I guess. I would want to talk to her," Oliver explained. "Tonight, I look at that bird and... nothing."

"All right, well we might as well leave then," Sabina said with a shrug. "There's only two reasons blokes need to be in a bar: getting girls and drinking."

Oliver smirked slyly. "Who says I'm done drinking?" he asked.

"Oh, you wanna drink?" Sabina asked. "Now that is something I can get behind. I'll drink you under the table, Wood."

"We'll see about that," he countered. Just as a waitress was floating past with a tray of shots, he quickly grabbed two and handed one to Sabina. Raising his own shot glass, he said, "To drinking!"

"To getting shitfaced!" Sabina replied, then swiftly downed the alcohol.

"These are the best chips I have ever had!"

Sabina laughed as she watched Oliver spin around the empty side street with a few chips sticking out of his mouth. Once Oliver had decided that he would much rather celebrate with alcohol than a random bird, it had been all too easy for Sabina to help him evade the poking and prodding of his teammates and simply help him with his mission of getting hammered. After a while, however, both Sabina and Oliver were at a level of intoxication that came with confused stares and hunger pains - so they left Onyx behind for something more practical.

"Hush, someone'll call the cops on us," Sabina scolded between laughs.

"Cops?" Oliver asked.

"We're in the muggle parts of London, smartass," she bit back jokingly.

"Ah, that would explain a lot," Oliver said breathlessly, ceasing his spinning and approaching Sabina, who was sitting on a bench.

"You are such a lightweight. Are you even Scottish?" she teased.

"Excuse me? I am so Scottish!" Oliver exclaimed as he rested his hands on the back of the bench, one on either side of Sabina. He paused and stared down at her with a lazy grin. "You're really beautiful, you know that?"

"I know," Sabina said with a shrug and a smirk on her face.

"Why do you have to be Coach's daughter?" Oliver asked with a groan. "It's really frustrating."

"I think we need to get you home," Sabina said with a hint of amusement.

"Uh-uh," Oliver replied with a shake of his head, dropping down on the bench to sit next to Sabina. "I live with Andre and Gabriel - they'll either be on my case for not havin' a bird or they'll see you and tell Coach about it. I'd like to live to see my retirement money."

Sabina sighed heavily as she looked over at Oliver, sporting the same lazy grin. "Well, you're in luck then - my place is close by."

Oliver laughed lightly and rested his head on Sabina's shoulder. "You're the best, Sab."

27 August 1999

Oliver slowly squinted his eyes open and instantly regretted it. The small beam of light that shined through his squinted eyelids set off a pounding headache. He rolled over and buried his face in a pillow as he let out a pained groan. Drinking was all fun and games until the next day. Oliver, unfortunately, was cursed with some of the most unrelenting, brutal hangovers known to man and wizardkind. Besides, with a bed this comfy, pleasantly smelling of lavender, why would he leave?

Wait - lavender?

Oliver shot up with a start, his headache only getting worse as he looked around the unfamiliar room. What the - oh no.

The memories of last night were suddenly coming back to him. At least up until he had reached Sabina's apartment - from there on out, he was drawing a blank. Looking down, Oliver noticed he was still wearing his clothes from last night, so he could at least assume that if he had done something stupid, it couldn't have been that bad. As he continued looking around the room, he noticed a note stuck to the lamp on the bedside table.

Got called in to work early. Key's under the doormat - lock up after you leave. Pink potion on the bedside table is my personal cure for hangovers, as well as the egg sandwich in the fridge.

- Sabina

P.S. - Don't forget your meeting at noon if you want to live.

"Oh, hell," Oliver grumbled, suddenly remembering about the team meeting.

He grabbed his wallet off of the side table, then removed the stopper from the potion that was right next to it and downed it with a grimace. He left the bedroom, slowly looking around the small apartment as he made his way to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Sure enough, there was something wrapped in tin foil with his name scrawled on it. Oliver grabbed the sandwich then scanned the apartment once again. He noticed the couch in the small living room had a pillow and a few blankets pushed aside on it, as if someone had been sleeping there, and instantly felt a pang of guilt. However, as soon as he saw the time, that feeling was quickly replaced with panic.

Oliver stumbled into the Puddlemere United meeting room just as the hour arm on the large grandfather clock moved to the twelve. He breathlessly took his seat and dropped his wallet and sandwich on the table, trying his best to ignore Coach Boris' searing gaze.

"Just in time," Boris noted. He nodded towards the table and added, "What is that?"

"Uh, breakfast sandwich," Oliver quickly answered. "Had a long night."

"Hell yeah, he did!" Andre exclaimed with a whoop. "Our rookie didn't come home last night."

"This may come as a surprise, but I don't care," Boris replied plainly. "Meetings are for Quidditch, not breakfast. Don't make this a habit, Wood. I still like you."

"Yes sir," Oliver replied with a nod.

"Our game against the Wasps yesterday was some of the best playing I had seen in a while from you lot," Boris said, immediately jumping into his debrief. "Chasers, you did a great job of buying our Seeker some time, and our new Keeper proved to be able to keep up well - even if he did need a little saving."

As Boris continued his debrief, Gabriel leaned in towards Oliver and whispered, "You didn't do anything stupid last night, right?"

"No, why?" Oliver whispered back.

"Because the others may not have seen it, but I did," Gabriel replied, giving Oliver a pointed look. "Sabina conveniently disappeared at the same time as you did."

"Weird," Oliver whispered back with a shrug, trying his best to hide his discomfort.

"How'd you get your whole abdomen bruised up again?" Percy asked Oliver, his eyes briefly flitting over to his friend before looking back in the mirror to make sure the spell tying his necktie was working properly.

"Saved the Quaffle and got destroyed by a Bludger right after," Oliver explained, "but hey - we won!"

"Right, yeah," Percy replied hurriedly before giving up on the current tie and going to search for another.

Outside of Quidditch, Percy was Oliver's best friend. In their first few years at Hogwarts, they had gotten off to what some might call... a rocky start. Needless to say, they had been like night and day, and constantly on each others' nerves. It had not been the least bit helpful that they had had to share a dorm. However, over the years, they had begun to grow on one another and became two peas in a pod. Percy had been there for Oliver's wins and losses, and Oliver had been there for Percy's successes and those beautiful, rare moments where he would make incredibly stupid mistakes.

Besides, after what Percy had done for Oliver's mum, a muggle-born, during the war, there was no chance in hell that Oliver was ever going to stop being friends with Percy.

"Also the Medi-witch was smoking," Oliver added, hoping to snap Percy out of whatever obsessive trance he seemed to be in.

Percy re-surfaced from his increasingly messy closet and held up a tie until Oliver nodded in approval. "In that case, I'm assuming you celebrated in a typical Oliver Wood fashion," he replied.

"I was about to but, uh, she's Coach's daughter," Oliver replied meekly.

Percy let out a single laugh and said, "Well, there's your good luck with women running out," he joked, finally satisfied with his outfit.

"Hey, let's keep that negativity out of here," Oliver warned. "I'll find a way to date Coach's daughter, you'll have an amazing dinner - good vibes all around!"

"Wow, she's really holding your attention, huh?" Percy teased. "Already making you a better man."

Oliver chuckled nervously, surprised at his own words. Just being around Percy apparently brought out his true feelings. The bloke was like a walking dose of Veritaserum. "Yeah, all right... what would you do if I wasn't around for you to make fun of me?" Oliver questioned jokingly.

"I'm glad you've finally come to terms with your purpose in life," Percy bit back with a smirk.

"Guess I'll just shut up now," Oliver grumbled. He stood up with a sigh and added, "Well, I'll let you get on your way to whatever exciting date you have planned. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"That is a very short list," Percy joked.

Well, he's not wrong there, Oliver thought to himself. However, curiously enough, that voice inside his head sounded a lot like Sabina's.

Sabina could feel here eyes drooping as she stared down at the open newspaper before her. Her head just barely slipped off of her hand, jolting her awake. With a sigh, she readjusted her elbow on the table, took a sip of her coffee, and flipped to the next article. Quidditch. For the first time in a while, reading the sports section of the Prophet was not working to calm her down after a long shift at St. Mungo's. Instead, now all she thought about was Oliver. How dare he ruin after-work Quidditch news for me? Sabina thought to herself a bit bitterly.

Well, he hadn't ruined it, per se. His shy grin would just pop up in her mind every time Sabina glanced at the editorial on the Puddlemere versus Wasps game. He was just a distraction from the usual joy that Quidditch would bring Sabina.

Sabina was once again jolted awake by the sound of her doorbell ringing. Realizing in that moment that she hadn't even changed out of her Healer robes yet, Sabina stood up and headed for the door with a tired sigh. Not that it really mattered - she had to be back at St. Mungo's in two hours, anyways. As Sabina opened the door, her exhausted glare quickly melted into a look of surprise.

"Oliver...?" Sabina said with a hint of confusion in her tone. "Did you leave something behind, or...?"

"No, I just realized something," Oliver started, that same wide grin on his face that he seemed to always have. "I gave my friend some dating advice just now - I told him to not do anything I wouldn't do. But I do tons of stupid things!"

"I'm lost," Sabina stated with a slight shake of her head.

"I need to do something stupid that I really should've done last night," Oliver said.

Before Sabina could bite back with a sarcastic reply, however, Oliver had stepped forward and pressed his lips to hers. She felt one of his hands press against the small of her back and the other at the base of her neck pulling her closer - and, curiously enough, Sabina felt herself kiss him back. Her arms quickly wrapped around him and grabbed at his shirt to pull him closer as he pushed her back against a wall.

Sabina broke the kiss, a bit breathless and a wide grin on her face. "Close the door," she said. "I have two hours."