Greek Mythology Category Competition: Hephaestus - Write about a life-changing injury.

The Homework Challenge: Essay - Write a 600+ word story.

Word Count: 5,193

A/N: This is the longest oneshot I've posted. I rewrote this so many times over the last couple of weeks and the plot changed numerous times. I'm not sure how well everyone will enjoy this, but I hope it's at least somewhat entertaining. I had a lot of fun writing it. I just love this pairing, but I haven't written much for them. Enjoy and please leave a review!

Katie deftly catches the Quaffle, narrowly dodging a Bludger from one of Slytherin's Beaters. Zooming across the field with all three Slytherin Chasers on her tail, Katie comes face to face with Bletchley, Slytherin's Keeper. Not pausing for even a second, Katie lobs the Quaffle at the goal, Bletchley's fingertips grazing it. Miraculously, the goal is made.

Thanking her good fortune, Katie gets into position as the Quaffle is thrown back into play. Montague now has it, Katie, Angelina, and Alicia close behind him, as he weaves his way up the field towards the Gryffindor goal. Fred and George are doing their best to stop him with Bludgers, but he dodges every one of them. Alicia catches up with him and tries to wrest the Quaffle from his grip, but gets tossed aside roughly. Alicia falls behind as she regains her balance on her broom.

As they near the goal, Katie sees Oliver at the ready. She knows he won't let Montague score. There's too much at stake here. This is Oliver's last chance at the Quidditch Cup as Captain of the Gryffindor team. He won't make a mistake. Indeed, Montague's goal is stopped by Oliver, who throws the Quaffle back in. Katie is in position to catch it, but Flint intercepts her, barking out orders to his teammates as he catches the Quaffle.

Everything seems to happen in slow motion, Katie only able to watch on in horror. Two objects flash by her, narrowly missing the back of her head. Oliver, who has just got back into position, never sees the Bludgers coming. By the time Katie opens her mouth to warn him, it's already too late. Both Bludgers hit him in the face, knocking him off his broom.

Katie barely registers the horrified gasp of the Gryffindor fans and the ecstatic cheers of the Slytherin ones. Lee's commentary is no more than a whisper to her. She is afraid of what kind of injuries Oliver might have after a hit like that. Fred and George are the only ones not seemingly frozen into place, catching Oliver and gently guiding him to the ground. Katie hears Lee announce in a subdued tone that Harry has caught the Snitch. The match is over. Gryffindor has won the Cup.

Oliver's biggest wish has come true. But will he even be able to enjoy it?

Oliver sits alone in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, his head resting on the cool glass of the window. The school year is finally over and everyone is headed home. For Oliver, this will be his last ride on the train. His years at Hogwarts have been good for the most part, but he doesn't feel sad. Considering how things ended up, he is glad to be leaving the place that ultimately ruined his life.

He can never look back on his last Quidditch match at Hogwarts with any kind of fondness. Yes, he had finally captained a team to victory, finally won the Quidditch Cup, but what good is it to him now? Being hit in the face by two Bludgers has left him permanently blind. Madame Pomfrey had done everything she could for him, but it wasn't enough. It is the only of his injuries that she wasn't able to repair.

Oliver knows that there is a beautiful landscape flying by outside his window, but he can't see any of it. The only thing he can see these days is an endless darkness. No shapes, no shadows, nothing but black. Occasionally, during the day or if he is in a room with good lighting, he can see the fuzzy greyness of light penetrating the darkness, but it doesn't help him to see anything. He just knows if it's light or dark wherever he happens to be at the moment.

There is a knock at the compartment door and then it slides open. "Can I sit with you?" It is Katie. Oliver shouldn't really be surprised. Katie visited him daily the entire week he was in the hospital wing. They were already close friends before all of this, but Katie has proven to be the truest friend Oliver has. She took it upon herself to help him with the last two months of his schoolwork. She would read aloud any book assignments and write out answers to questions and essays as he dictated them. Alicia and Angelina had started helping with this after about a week, when it became clear the strain of doing his homework and her own was starting to get to Katie. She also walked down to the Great Hall with him for meals and walked him to classes, even when it meant she might be a little late for her own. Professor McGonagall, noticing what was happening, had spoken to him about this, asking him if there might be anyone in his own year who would be willing to do this.

"No one's offered," he admitted. He'd never been close to anyone in his own year. His teammates had been his only friends during his time at the school. "I don't want her to keep doing it if it's too much, though. I can't ask that of her."

After that, Katie had told him that Professor McGonagall had spoken to all of her teachers, allowing her to be a few minutes late for her classes and also to leave a little early to be able to meet him outside his own class in time to walk him to the next one. When he'd asked her why she was doing all of this for him, she'd simply replied, "Because this is what friends do."

Even now, when she could be off with Alicia and Angelina, she wants to be with him. He doesn't understand it, but he's glad to have a friend. "Of course," he says. He hears her settle into the seat across from him.

After a long silence, she asks, "Do you want anything from the trolley? It's been a while since we had breakfast."

He declines and they fall back into a companionable silence. They've spent so much time together over the last two months that they are comfortable just sitting quietly together. There is no need for them to fill the silence with small talk.

"Can I ask you something?" Katie says after a while. When he nods, she continues. "Would you mind if maybe sometime this summer, I came to visit you? I know you've said you're staying with your parents until you get things figured out and I just thought maybe you'd – well, you might want someone closer to your age – not that your parents are old or anything, I just -"

She is flustered and it amuses him. "Katie-"

"Maybe I shouldn't have invited myself." She goes on as if he hasn't spoken. "It's just that, well, I want to see you – er, I want to visit you because -"

"Katie, it's fine," he finally cuts her off. "I'd love for you to visit if you want. We can make arrangements today if you'd like. Your parents can meet mine. I'm sure they'd like to know who their daughter will be visiting with."

"That would be great." Katie sounds relieved.

"Now can I ask you something?" Oliver hopes she'll give him a straight answer this time instead of her usual short one.

"Sure."

"You've been telling me from the start that you're doing all of this because it's what friends do. What's the real reason?" He knows he shouldn't be suspicious, but he is. He doesn't understand why she'd want to take on the burden that she has for the last two months or why she would want to be friends with someone as useless as he is. How can he possibly lead a fulfilling life now, when the one thing he wanted to do in life has been cruelly taken from him?

Katie sighs. "Do you remember when we first met, Oliver?"

He nods. "How could I forget?"

He remembers well the quiet, dark-haired first year girl who'd come to tryouts his first year as Captain of the team. They were down two Chasers at that point and he'd been ambitious, eager to prove himself as good a Captain as Charlie Weasley had been. He'd carefully watched each and every person, looking for the talent and skill he would need to make a winning team. Although she'd been quite good, Katie hadn't been as good as Alicia or Angelina at that point and had missed making the team by only a small margin. He remembers how she'd approached him after the tryouts were over.

"Tell me, what did I do wrong?" Her chin was held high, her eyes full of determination. Her bottom lip quivered slightly, as though she were trying very hard not to cry.

He shook his head. "You were really great. Truly. If there'd been a third spot open, you would've made it You just need a bit of improvement, that's all. Your flying technique isn't quite what I'm looking for in a Chaser. I think with a little practice, you could make the team next year." He hadn't lied to her. He would never lie to someone about their Quidditch skill to make them feel better.

"Can you – that is, will you help me?" She blushed. "It's just that I really want to be on the team. I've always wanted to play Quidditch. My dad played when he was in school and his stories about it always sounded like so much fun. I have to be on the team. I just have to."

Oliver admired her spirit. He saw a bit of him in her in that moment. He remembered how determined he'd been to make the team, how very badly he'd needed to be a part of it. "Alright," he agreed. "I'll give you a half hour once a week, after team practices of course. I haven't got the schedule for that figured out yet, but when I do, I'll let you know."

Her eyes lit up and a smile brightened her face even more. "Really? Thank you so much!" She'd walked away happy that day. Within a few weeks of working with him, she'd improved vastly. She didn't give up easily and caught on quickly. And just as he'd predicted, she made the team the following year.

"I can never tell you enough how much I appreciated what you did for me," Katie continues. "You were so kind to me and didn't turn me away or laugh at me when I asked for your help. And we became good friends as a result. Although, for my part, it became something more."

"You – what do you mean?" Oliver is pretty sure he knows, but he doesn't want it to be the answer.

"I kind of had a crush on you," Katie admits. "Well, I still do. I didn't want it to get in the way of our friendship or the closeness of the team, so I never said anything. But you wanted the truth, and I felt I owed it to you now."

Oliver has no idea how he didn't see it before. Things are starting to make sense now. It's why she wanted to be so close to him, why she was so willing to help him after the accident. Probably mostly because of their friendship, but her feelings for him definitely had something to do with it.

"Katie," he begins. He tries to collect his thoughts for a moment before continuing. He doesn't want to say the wrong thing. The last thing he wants to do is hurt her. "I really enjoy being with you. You've been such a great friend through all of this. I don't know how I would've made it through the rest of the school year without you. It's just that – well, now that I'm like this, now that I'm blind and totally dependent on everyone else for everything, I – I don't want to be a burden to anyone if I can help it. I'm already going to be a burden to my parents. I wouldn't want to burden someone like you with this. Once I get things figured out, I'm going to live on my own. I'm not going to make someone spend the rest of their life taking care of me. I don't need a wife and kids who are going to have to take my disability into consideration every single day of their lives." If he'd been forced to admit it, he'd have to say that he could see himself with her. Honestly, they would make sense together. But saying that now will only make things worse.

"Oh." He can't determine what she's feeling. Her voice is even and emotionless. "I understand. I'm sorry I told you. I hope – I hope this doesn't change anything between us."

Oliver is relieved. She sounds sincere. "Of course not," he says. "I value your friendship and always want you to be a part of my life. And don't be sorry. I did ask."

"Thank you," she says quietly. It is the last thing she says to him until they get off the train.

Katie knocks on the door of Oliver's flat and hears an answering bark from inside. She smiles. Maggie will be glad to see her. It has been more than six months since she was here last, during Christmas break.

The door opens and she greets Oliver before he says anything. "Good afternoon, Oliver."

"Katie!" he exclaims, his face brightening at the sound of her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by. I had to stop at The Daily Prophet office and finalize everything." In less than a month, Katie would officially be a Quidditch correspondent for Britain's most popular wizarding newspaper.

"Come in and tell me all about it," Oliver says, stepping aside so she can enter. "I was just getting ready to make some tea. Mum should be by any minute now."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Katie apologizes. "I didn't know you were expecting company. I can come back later."

"Don't worry, you know Mum will be thrilled to see you," Oliver says, waving away her apology.

Katie feels a cold nose on her hand and looks down to see Maggie, tongue lolling and tail wagging. "Well, hello Maggie," she says, kneeling down to scratch the dog behind the ears and receive a couple of wet kisses. Maggie is Oliver's guide dog, a beautiful black Labrador, about four years old. She has been his constant companion ever since he moved into his own flat a couple of years ago. Maggie helps him get from place to place, acting as his eyes to keep him safe from any obstacles and traffic on his route. She is a very lovable dog and is always happy to see Katie.

"You attention hog," Oliver says, reaching out to pet the dog on the head. Maggie moves towards his hand, accepting his affection gratefully. "Katie's here to see me and you get all the attention. Doesn't seem quite fair." Maggie licks his hand and he laughs. "Oh, don't worry, I'll forgive you for it. You're probably cuter than me."

Katie says nothing to this. Neither of them have mentioned her confession on the train since it happened three years ago. She feels awkward when he makes comments like this. She had hoped that she could have moved past it by now, but her feelings have only grown stronger.

She follows him quietly to the kitchen and sets about making the tea. "You know, this is my place, and you are my guest," Oliver protests. "I'm perfectly capable of making tea."

"Capable, yes," Katie says. "Good, not so much. You always make it far too strong." He relents, probably knowing that it would be pointless to argue with her, and sits down at the table. Maggie sits quietly beside him, watching Katie's every move. "So how are things going with Puddlemere this season?" Katie asks as she puts the water on to boil.

"I think we've got a good chance of winning the league this year," Oliver says, the excitement apparent in his voice. Despite his misgivings about being able to do anything useful with his life because of his blindness, Oliver has been the assistant manager for Puddlemere United for the last two seasons. Katie is glad he's been able to be involved with Quidditch, even if he can't play. He seems to enjoy being behind the scenes just as much as he enjoyed being on a team. She knows it is challenging for him, but he somehow manages to do it and is just as capable as any of the other staff on the team.

"I'm glad to hear it," Katie says. "Maybe I'll get to report on some of Puddlemere's matches soon. Maybe I could even get an interview with the assistant manager sometime," she teases.

"I don't know," Oliver says seriously, appearing to ponder her offer. "I'm sure he could fit an interview into his busy schedule. You'll have to talk to his secretary."

Katie laughs and sits at the table across from Oliver. "Well, Maggie, do you think he could fit me in? What's his calender look like?" Maggie tilts her head and looks at Katie curiously. "I'm not sure your secretary knows what a calender is," Katie says.

"Probably not," Oliver agrees. "She'd probably try to eat one if it was put in front of her. She's always thinking with her stomach."

Katie can't help but smile. She has missed this easy banter between them, the casual way they can transition from serious conversation to joking and teasing in a matter of seconds. She hopes that now that she is no longer in school, they will see more of each other, especially since she will be reporting on Quidditch matches.

There is another knock at the door. Maggie stands and barks. "I'll get it," Katie says, rising from her chair and walking back down the hall. She opens the door and comes face to face with Oliver's mum, Leslie.

"Oh!" the older woman says, completely surprised by Katie's appearance at the door. "I didn't know you were going to be here, Katie."

"Neither did your son," Katie says. "I just happened to be in the area and thought I'd drop by."

Leslie pulls Katie in for a hug. "Well, it's good to see you my dear!" Katie had come to think of the woman as a second mother. She'd spend most of her summers for the last three years staying with Oliver and his parents, and they had even welcomed her when Oliver moved out. Her own parents had become friends with the other couple and had entrusted their daughter to them with the assurance that she would be safe and well cared for.

"I'm glad to see you as well," Katie agrees. "Tea should be ready soon. We can move to the living room if you'd like, or stay in the kitchen."

"The kitchen's fine," Leslie says as she follows Katie down the hall. "Oh, and there's Maggie!" she exclaims when they enter the room. She gives the dog a pat on the head.

"You think you own the place, don't you, Mags?" Oliver huffs.

"Oh, don't be so grumpy," Leslie jokes, kissing Oliver on the cheek before she sits down at the table next to him. "How are you today? I see you have an unexpected visitor."

"Unexpected, but always welcome," he says fondly. Katie, who is busy pouring tea at the counter, blushes. "I'm fine, Mum. Just enjoying my last relaxing Friday at home before the season really starts to take off."

"And Katie, how are you? What brings you here?"

Katie explains the details of her new job as she sets their cups of tea on the table. They both congratulate her.

"You always were good at describing things," he says. "I remember you describing the Quidditch Cup to me, shortly after the accident. I'd seen it before, of course, but your description made it seem so much more real to me. I think you'll do great as a writer."

"Thank you," Katie says, blushing again. "Mum and Dad have said the same thing. I guess I have nothing to worry about with such support behind me."

"I think you'll do fine," Leslie adds. "And I'm sure you and Oliver will get to see more of each other now, since you'll both be involved with Quidditch. And speaking of seeing each other," she says, switching topics quickly, "Oliver, Mrs. Rivers's daughter wants to see you. I ran into her yesterday. She remembers you from when you were younger. Remember how the two of you used to play together in the park?"

"Mum," Oliver groans, "stop trying to set me up with someone. You know how I feel about relationships."

"Oh, what can it hurt?" Leslie asks innocently, sipping her tea. "You never know, you might meet someone who will change your mind." She pauses and glances quickly over at Katie. "But then again, maybe you've already met her."

"Mum," Oliver says firmly. "Enough. I'm not going to meet anyone. And for the hundredth time, despite what you think, Katie and I are just friends. There are no feelings on either side. Right, Katie?"

Katie nearly chokes on the mouthful of tea she's just swallowed. Has this subject come up before, when she wasn't around? How is she supposed to respond to that?

"Are you so sure?" Leslie persists. "Because I'd say her lack of response speaks volumes."

"She just wasn't expecting to be a part of such a silly conversation," Oliver argues.

"I am right here!" Katie says, raising her voice to be heard. She is tired of being talked about like she isn't even in the room. Mother and son fall silent. Setting her cup down, she stands. "I think I should just leave," she says calmly. "I'm sorry. I'll see the both of you soon, I'm sure." She storms down the hall and has just reached the front door when a hand on her back stops her.

"Katie, wait." It is Oliver. She doesn't turn around. "Please, just tell me, is it true? Is my mum right?"

Katie takes a deep, shaky breath, her eyes filling with tears. This was not how she imagined her surprise visit to Oliver going. She didn't expect her feelings for him to be called into question, her secret longing for him to be exposed for all to see.

"Goodbye, Oliver," she says in response. She is out the door before he can say anything else.

Oliver is awake late into the night, thinking about the events of that afternoon. He'd been so furious with his mum for bringing up the subject. She'd been apologetic when he'd told her about Katie's confession all those years ago and how he'd turned her down.

Katie's cold response to him, her avoidance of the question he'd asked her, tells him that she does still have feelings for him. This has become something more than just a schoolgirl crush to her now, he's sure of it. Their closeness over the years has changed it into real love.

The idea that her feelings for him have only grown over the years scares him. He'd let her down gently in the hopes that she would move past it and find love with someone who wasn't like him. Someone who wasn't disabled. It seems that her heart is set on him despite his best efforts. He's not sure what to do now. He has to talk to her, has to fix this. But how?

I could always tell her the truth, he thinks. When she told him how she felt, he started to imagine what it would be like to be with her. He imagined what their life might be like together. It hadn't been difficult to picture. Katie was a very pretty girl when she was fifteen, the last time he saw her with his own eyes, and he is sure that she has retained that beauty. She's got such a great personality and a caring heart. He can't deny that the idea of being with her is appealing, something that he does want and has wanted for a while. But he can't burden her with...this.

Despite his independence, there are still some things that he has to depend on his parents for. He gets moody at times, angry at the death of his dreams of playing Quidditch professionally. He loves his job, but sometimes he's jealous of the players. He wants to be one of them, but he can't. And he can't subject Katie or any other girl to that.

No, he thinks. No, I have to end this. I have to let her go.

A week after her disastrous visit to Oliver, Katie finds Oliver and Maggie standing outside her own door. "I hope you don't mind," Oliver says by way of greeting, "but I asked your mum where you lived."

"No, it's fine," she says. "I meant to give you my address that day, but..." She trails off, unsure what to say. Instead, she invites the pair in, leading them to the living room. "I'm glad you found the place alright. Would you like some tea?" she offers once Oliver is seated on the couch.

Oliver shakes his head. "We won't be here long," he says, looking grim. "I just wanted to talk to you about your last visit."

She takes a seat next to him on the couch. "I'm sorry about that," she says, feeling embarrassed. "I shouldn't have gone off like that."

"Don't apologize," he says. "Mum shouldn't have brought it up. But I did want to tell you that it's okay. I know you still have feelings for me. I'm sorry I didn't see it before. I should've known. We kept in such close contact over the years, there's no way you could've stopped liking me. If I'm being honest, I've grown to love you too, in a way."

Katie's pulse quickens. It seems too good to be true, but she can't help but hope.

"I just want you to know that, if things had been different, then maybe – well, it isn't hard to picture the two of us together, is it?" Oliver sounds so certain of this that Katie is sure he's imagined it quite often. "But it can't happen."

"Why?" She is certain now that he's here to turn her down again. Unlike last time, she will fight it. She can see now that he loves her just as much as she loves him. Even if he doesn't want to admit it, even if he wants to turn away from it, it is true.

"Why would anyone want to tie themselves to me?" he asks bitterly. "I'm blind, Katie. What-"

"No," she interrupts, "I won't listen to your excuses anymore. What are you really afraid of?"

"Afraid of?" He seems taken aback by her question.

"What other explanation is there?" Katie asks. "You just told me that you love me and that it isn't hard to imagine us together, but then you start making excuses about why we can't be together. Sounds to me like you're afraid of something."

Oliver seems to ponder this a moment before he answers. "I don't know. I - I guess I'm just so unsure about it. What if -" He hesitates. "I came here with the intention of cutting you out of my life completely. But I'm afraid to lose you at the same time. What if I mess this up?" He sighs and pats Maggie distractedly on the head. "I only want you to be happy and I don't think you'll find happiness with me."

"Don't you think I should decide that for myself?" Katie moves closer to him, cupping his cheek with one hand. "You don't know how things will turn out. But if we're really willing to be together and work through any problems that come up, then I think we'll be alright."

Katie closes the remaining distance between them, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. When he kisses her back, she knows she's convinced him. Finally, she's broken the last barrier between them.

Oliver awakens to darkness. He can hear a few birds chirping in the trees outside the window, but he can't detect any light. The first light of the sun must just now be bringing color to the dark of the morning. Maggie barks quietly at the foot of the bed, probably dreaming about chasing a squirrel or rabbit. Next to him, Katie breathes softly.

He loves waking up to this each morning. It has been nearly a year since she first kissed him and a month since she moved in with him. He has to wonder now why he was so afraid. She was right. Things haven't been perfect all the time, but here they are, still together. She has brought a sense of completeness to his life, even though he hadn't realized anything was missing from it.

Reaching for her, Oliver pulls her to him. She snuggles close to him, her head resting on his chest. She sighs, but sleeps on.

He wishes he could watch her sleep, but tries not to dwell on it. His blindness seems more like a blessing than a curse these days. He used to hate the memory of that last Quidditch match at Hogwarts, but now he is glad things ended up the way they did. If not for his injury, he would never have known how much she cared for him or how much he needed her in his life. Given the opportunity, he wouldn't change a thing about that fateful day.