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A/N - Oliver/Roger Davies– 7th year
Katie/Angelina/Alicia/Fred/George/Lee – 6th year
I've changed it a little from what it is in the books, I hope no one minds too much, just don't tell J.K.!
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Beeep, beeep beeeeeeeeep. Whack. Beeep.
"Owwww" I groan. My hand throbs after taking a whack at my incredibly obnoxious alarm clock and missing. I open my eyes and try again, only to realize that it has scurried away. Yes, my alarm clock has legs, and I swear a mind of it's own, even if it is only a charm that I put on it and have to keep renewing every few months, occasionally because it's worn off but more likely because I've beaten the alarm clock into submission until it gives up and no longer has the will to continue beeping. I'm a bit violent in my groggy early morning half awake state. I guess the point is I'm not a morning person. I trip out of bed, literally and fall on my face and feel an alarm clock shaped hunk of plastic digging into my ribcage and a sad "beep, beee . . ." emanating from that same area.
I get up, wincing a little as my eye throbs; I somehow managed to land my face on the edge of my transfiguration book. I stumble to the mirror in the bathroom and look at the damage. I grimace at the image before me; a lovely purple bruise is forming just below my right eyebrow. Fantastic, really. Bloody effing brilliant. It's my first day of 6th year at Hogwarts and I'm going to have a black eye. The twins are going to love this.
"Katie! Are you up yet? You're going to miss the train at this rate!" My mother calls thunderously up the stairs. I heed her warning, shower quickly and pull my strawberry blonde hair into two braids that swing just past my shoulders. My mother says I look like Pippi Longstocking with braids, but I don't really care, I like it. I don't do anything about the eye, I'll get Alicia to fix it on the train, I've never been very good at healing spells anyway. I gather a few things scattered around my room, including my wand and run downstairs. Luckily I packed all my things into my trunk last night. I scarf down my breakfast, receive multiple warnings from my mother to try to eat a little more ladylike, smaller bites dear, chew slowly dear. I listen vaguely to words that I've heard all my life but have never really cared for. I'm polite enough, and my friends like me for who I am, isn't that all that matters? My mother has never quite understood that, she is the beauty pageant type of mother, and I think she's been mourning the fact that from a young age I refused to participate in any pageants and instead played sports, constantly. She loves me; she just doesn't understand me or where I came from. Admittedly I don't exactly fit in with the rest of my family. I'm the youngest, an anomaly, and a mistake as my brother Darryn likes to call me. It's true though, there's hardly any denying it, my own mother told me I was a mistake, not that she doesn't love me, just that I wasn't exactly planned for. My brother's 24 and a successful lawyer, working for big corporations around the country. My sister, Cecily is as prissy as they come, she's 21, drop dead gorgeous and completely aware of it. Both of my parents work fulltime and have pretty much left me to my own devices for most of my life. Oh did I mention that no one else in my family is magical? Yeah that definitely sets me a part.
After finishing my breakfast and managing to break a dish, I'm hustled out the door and into the car by my mother so we can drive through the London traffic to King's Cross Station. We arrive with about ten minutes until the train pulls out of the station, I kiss mother goodbye and hurdle through the barrier to the other side and of course straight into poor Neville Longbottom, knocking him to the ground.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" I stammer as I attempt to help the poor boy up. I hear laughing and a slow clap behind me; I turn to see Roger Davies standing behind me, chuckling and applauding my klutzy behavior.
"Yes, ha ha, very funny." I say sarcastically frowning at him.
"Oh come on now Bell. You've got to learn to laugh at yourself! It makes life so much more enjoyable."
"I can laugh at myself! Just not when you're laughing at me too!" I retort. I turn back to continue helping Neville gather his belongings that I scattered around the station ground only to find that he disappeared.
"You're going to miss the train at this rate," Roger comments matter of factly, strolling towards the train.
"Yes thank you for that helpful observation," I snap back, pushing my trolley ahead of me at a faster pace when I hear the warning whistle go. "Why are you still here?"
"Well I just thought you might need some help," he replies cheerily.
"Well, I don't. So you can go now." I struggle to lift my trunk onto the train, and then drop it on my foot. I glare at Roger. "Fine you can help me." He lifts my trunk easily onto the train, jumps up and then offers his hand to help me up. At this point the train is starting to move, so I grab it and am pulled up into the train.
He strolls off to find his compartment calling over his shoulder, "Oh and Bell, that black eye really suits you." I make a face and his retreating back and I proceed to drag my trunk down the train, looking for a place to sit. I trip, again, and as I'm picking myself up from the ground I hear two familiar voices.
"Oy Klutzie Bell!"
"Klutz McGee! We've been looking for you!"
I look up to see the Weasley twins thundering towards me down the train. They reach me and I am immediately smooshed into a Weasley sandwich. My klutziness is a well-known thing among my friends, and well quite frankly anyone who's ever met me, thus the nicknames of the ever-clever Weasley twins. It's all in good fun, but honestly, it gets on my nerves sometimes, when that happens then they stop, well . . . usually. The one place that I'm not a disaster waiting to happen is on the Quidditch pitch. As odd as it is, when I have a broom between my legs and I'm flying about, I'm surprisingly, well, I guess graceful is the best way to describe it. I've been on the team since my 2nd year and that's where all my best friends are.
"Well come on Katie, we've got a compartment just a little ways on" Fred exclaims after releasing me from the bone crushing hug.
"We've found her!" George announces as we enter an already full compartment consisting of Angelina, Alicia, Lee and Oliver.
"Finally Katie, what took you so long?" Angelina asks in mock aggravation.
"What happened to your eye?" Alicia adds in true concern.
"Yeah I noticed that," George comments, " you've been fighting trolls again haven't you?"
I laugh, "Yes, clearly. You should see the troll! But no, actually Roger Davies –"
I'm cut off as Oliver stands up. "Roger Davies did that to you? The bastard, I'll get him back for that!"
"No you dolt, sit back down! Roger Davies is why I almost missed the train!"
"Ooooo, what were you doing with Roger?" Alicia inquires.
"Yes, do tell, I mean he's like, soooooo dreamy" Lee adds before getting a smack from Alicia.
"Shut up you lot and let me speak!" I yell, laughing a little bit. My head is spinning. To think I missed this bunch. "I got the black eye when I fell out of bed this morning." No one looks surprised, naturally. "And Roger was just being an obnoxious wanker and wouldn't leave me alone."
"Oh well that's much less interesting than anything we could've thought up." George pouts. I stick my tongue out at him and move to sit down between Lee and Oliver. Alicia leans across to fix my eye. I lean back and enjoy the chatter that surrounds me. I'm not sure why we're all acting as though we haven't seen each other in years, when in reality we spent a good month and a half of the summer together at the Weasley's and Jordan's house (A/N I made the Weasley's and Jordan's live really close to one another for convenience's sake) We spent that time playing Quidditch, swimming in the near by lake and hanging out with one another constantly. I can honestly say that it was the best summer of my life, as cheesy as that sounds. I turn to look at Oliver, his light brown hair sticks up in the back a little bit and thick eyelashes frame is chestnut-brown eyes. I can't help but remember the number of times I saw him shirtless this summer. Quidditch does a body good, that's all I'm going to say. So I have a bit of a confession, I might, possibly . . . well no, definitely, have a tiny . . . well actually, huge thing for our dear captain. Which means of course that I'm extra clumsy around him. He's probably my closest guy friend, we get on fantastically well. He understands my quirky sense of humor and I not only put up with his mad obsession with Quidditch but also share it with him. Our friendship was made even closer by this summer. Nothing bonds people together like skinny dipping at midnight and then having their clothes stolen by the Weasly twins and having to sneak through back into the house completely starkers, and then being caught by a bewildered . I'm pretty sure Alicia hasn't forgiven them for that. I have to admit, it was particularly traumatizing, but like I said, really bonded us together.
The point is, because we're so close, having this huge lurking massive attraction to him is a little uncomfortable. The biggest reason being Stephanie, or Stephy, as she likes to be called by her evil little gang of bimbos. Ugh, just the name gives me shudders. She's his on again, off again girlfriend. They've been dating intermittently for the past year and a half; right now they're on again. She's a 7th year Ravenclaw and seriously gorgeous. She's this curvaceous and petite girl with long black hair and unnaturally red and full lips. She looks like freaking snow white. How am I supposed to compete with that? Klutzy Katie Bell with freckles and the muscular build you can only get from playing Quidditch constantly.
Oliver must've sensed me staring at him and turns his head to meet my eyes. He smiles. His eyes get all crinkly and a tiny dimple forms in his right cheek.
"Nice braids Kates" he says, gently tugging at one.
I'm about to reply when train jerks to a stop and I'm thrown to the floor. The lights flicker once and then go out. The rainy day outside shed little light into our compartment. Oliver helps me back up onto the seat and I feel icy cold and watch as a dark hooded figure swoops slowly past our compartment.
"Dementors" I hear Lee whisper hoarsely. A minute later Draco Malfoy stumbles into our compartment looking like he's about to pee himself. The lights flicker on a second later and we shoo Malfoy out of the compartment again. I'm suddenly aware of Oliver's hand in mine. How did that happen? I wonder. We both look down at our intertwined hands and quickly release them before anyone else notices. As the train lurches forward another figure appears at the door to our compartment.
"Oliverrrrrr" whines Stephy from the doorway, ignoring everyone else. "Where have you been? I was so scared, why weren't you with me?" I feel Oliver shift uncomfortably beside me.
"I'm sorry Steph, I was here. You told me you wanted to sit with your friends." Oliver replies, getting up to comfort his simpering girlfriend.
"Well I want you to come sit with me and my friends." As she says this she hooks her arm through his and practically drags him out.
"Sorry guys! I'll see you all at the feast!" Oliver calls as he is towed down the train. I grimace and make a face at Angelina. She knows exactly how I feel about Stephanie, quite honestly it's how we all feel.
"What does he see in her?" Fred asks incredulously.
"Who knows" Alicia replies. We drop the topic quickly and continue on with our conversations. And yet I still can't help missing the warm presence on my left side where Oliver was just a moment ago. Eventful start to my 6th year so far.
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A/N Do you love it? Do you hate it? Let me know, review!
