Disclaimer: I do not own these characters... except Chris.. Don't flame me!!

Oliver and I have been best friends pretty much since the time we met about ten years ago. I guess you could say my childhood wasn't normal, whatever normal is. My brother, Chris, and I were adopted when I was one and he was ten. He always took it unto himself to look after me. He didn't want me to be beat by our foster parents like he was beat by our real ones. He still tried to look after me when he was accepted to Hogwarts when he was eleven. Just like any other Muggle-born wizard, he had no idea he had magical powers until he got his letter.

I always knew he was a smart boy, even when I was only three, but even I believed him when he said he got into a Muggle boarding school. He was away at Dulwich College for males age ten to eighteen from September to June even though he came to visit a lot and sent me chocolates. I missed him, but our foster parents were nice, even if they were a little strict.

They raised me to be a polite girl who shouldn't trust anything out of the ordinary. This caused some minor problems because unordinary things just seemed to happen around me sometimes. I would get punished even though I really couldn't explain things like why my English teacher went temporarily deaf when she said I was being too loud.

I didn't really think anything of those unordinary things until the summer I was seven, when I heard shouting from downstairs. I went down to investigate and found the fosters yelling furiously at Chris. One appeared to be holding a screeching owl and the other was brandishing a piece of parchment and an envelope with a seal I had never seen before. They were both shouting rubbish about magic and how Chris was a dangerous delinquent. He grabbed my wrist and dragged me upstairs as soon as he saw me, taking out a funny looking stick and saying something funky while pointing it at the door as soon as we got in his room.

He then proceeded to tell me he was an actual wizard and had magical powers. I have to admit, I probably wouldn't have believed him if it wasn't for the owl who zoomed in through the window bearing a letter. It was from the Ministry of Magic, stating that he had performed an illegal underage charm causing the door of his room to become locked and soundproof to our fosters. He showed me his wand and all his spellbooks, and he explained about Hogwarts, where he really went.

We both knew that we were going to be punished because he was a wizard (so out-of-the-ordinary) and if he was, I probably was too. He told me that if it got too bad, or if they started beating me, to walk to a house just a couple of blocks away where Mr. Nileo lived, and tell him you wanted to send a letter to him at Hogwarts. The grown-up wizard would know what to do; he and Chris would be able to figure something out.

The next day he left for Hogwarts. We were right about the fosters not being to keen to keep me after that. They started, slowly, getting more distant from me until even a seven-year-old could tell. What really set them off was "the incident", as I like to call it, involving pie. It was my foster mother's birthday and she had bought a cream pie to celebrate. We all sat down to enjoy it and she commented- without a thought- how it wasn't being polluted by a wizard any more. I guess my temper got the better of me and suddenly the cream pie was flying through the air, heading towards her face.

When they started beating me, soon after the pie incident, I went to Mr. Nileo's, just like Chris said, and sent him a letter. The next day he showed up, packed up all our stuff and moved us to Scotland.

Scotland, of course, meaning right next to Oliver and his family.

Chris had to go back school, so I was pretty much left in the care of Oliver's parents. I even lived in their huge house, even though I was supposed to be in the run-down shack next door.

Even though the Woods lived in a mansion, they only had one child. Oliver and I became the best of friends, almost like family. Chris could only visit over Christmas and the summer, so Oliver was the brother I could always have by my side.

When he was eleven and I was ten, though, he got his letter and joined Chris at Hogwarts. I was terribly sad for that year) with both of my "brothers" away at school. I made some Muggle friends at the school in town. They all thought I was funny because I lived in Scotland but had no accent, probably because I had lived in England for he first seven years of my life.

Life was totally boring until I finally got my letter to Hogwarts the summer of my eleventh birthday. Yes! I was going to join the two people I cared about most all year long! At Hogwarts, life definitely began to improve: I had Chris near me, and Oliver was always by my side. Ol' and I also made a new group of friends who we've become close to in the last few years. Of course , it helps that we all play Quidditch, Angelina, Alicia, and I all being Chasers, Fred and George being Beaters, and Oliver being the Keeper. But Ol' and I will always be the closest. We rely on each other for everything. There are no secrets between us. Never have been, never will be. For example, if one of us is in a relationship, the other is supportive throughout and after. We're always there for each other. We know each other so well that they understand and accept

each other through everything.

I found out that I had strengths at Hogwarts as well as weaknesses. I seem to have a knack for Herbology and Divination, while Ol' is best at Potions, easily my worst subject. We all helped each other out, each person having their own class that they excelled in. At least, most people had a class. If making trouble was one, Fred and George would have aced it for the next ten years to come.

Now, during my sixth year, I've come to mostly forget all the struggles of my non-normal childhood, and focus on what I'm doing now. We are sitting in Divination, and I'm reflecting on my life because this class is so easily boring. Why did I decide to go N.E.W.T.? We're not doing anything new and I could probably discover anything in the future if I actually applied myself. I just have a knack for this subject. Angelina and Alicia are trying to make a star chart. Boring. I'd rather do something constructive… like sleep! Stupid dawn practices.

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Katie Bell put her blond head down on her completed star chart and began to drift off. The breeze blowing through her hair made her feel cool, even in the stifling hot classroom. She dreamed about the upcoming Quidditch game. As Lee called her name, she walked out next to Oliver and her friends and teammates. Then the dream changed.

"Oliver," Katie started in an uncharacteristically serious voice, "we need to talk."

"Kates… we talked at dinner."

Katie stared Oliver down, begging him to tell her the truth.

"Not about schoolwork or Quidditch… What's bothering you?"

"Nothing's bothering me," Oliver said sharply.

Katie just stared. She knew Oliver too well to know that nothing meant something.

"It's just Quidditch," he said slowly.

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"Katie! Katie!" Alicia squealed, trying to wake her wonko friend.

" What happened?!" Katie panicked, coming to her senses.

"Well, you sort of went into a kind of trance, and Professor Trelawney said you were having a vision or something," Angelina offered, confused.

"My dear," Trelawney whispered mistily, "What has the aura shown you? Tell us."

"No…" Katie didn't know what her vision meant, but she would talk it over with Oliver; they would figure out something. They always did.

Instead of revealing her vision, she decided to go with what she had randomly seen in the crystal ball earlier that day. It was true, after all.

"I saw the Weasley twins. They were playing a prank on Hermione Granger. She had green eyebrows and seemed unaware, even thought Ron Weasley was gaping at her and Harry Potter was laughing."

Trelawney looked disappointed, but gave in and walked back to the Hufflepuff table since they were in dreadful need of help.

Angelina and Alicia glanced at each other quickly before turning to look at their friend, who seemed to be spacing out.

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Katie's thoughts: Oliver avoiding me? When has this ever happened? I wonder why he wouldn't talk… He's never done anything like this before, has he? We've always confided everything in each other.

She knew him too well to know in anything was wrong and what nothing actually meant in what circumstance. And nothing didn't just mean nothing right there. What is so important that he can't confide it in me? Even if it is a girl, we've through it! He was the only one there when Cedric and I broke up… we don't keep secrets from each other…

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Hey all! This is my first ever fanfic and I'm really happy that I finally got one up. ) Just a few side notes: I tweaked the ages just a little bit. Oliver is one year above Katie. Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia are all in Katie's year. Also, please don't flame me for having OC s. And last of all, thanks to Lúthien, my beta, for doing a wonderful job editing and for having faith in me all along. )