Chapter One: Only One

Dear Katie,

How's France? Dad talks about you loads and how the team is suffering without your medical help. All he thinks about is Quidditch, but I guess that's why he's coach of Puddlemere. I still can't believe you two played on the same Hogwarts team and professional team. I wish I could have someone to do that with, it would make going professional easier. The only one who wants to go pro is James Sirius Potter - and I can't stand him.

Speaking of Quidditch, you will not believe what happened! I got named the Quidditch captain for Gryffindor's team! I'm really so excited, I've been dreaming of this moment since I've entered Hogwarts. The badge is so pretty and I can't wait to see the look on Potter's smug face when he realizes I'm captain. I have all these plays already written up, but I could use your retired Puddlemere trained eye. I would ask Dad, but he's busy divorcing the she-devil. I knew she was a mistake. Shelia was absolutely horrible. Dad has the worst taste in girls. That's the third divorce and counting. Fourth, if you count the time he went to the States and got married in Vegas for a day under a fake minister.

I can only imagine the headlines. You're going to be back for the Charity ball with Dad, right? He's been stressing over planning parts of it. You better come back to calm him down. He really goes crazy without you.

I've got to go, Theo and David are arguing over something so I'll write later.

Love,

Willow

The steam rising out of the Hogwarts' Express filled the sky while the bittersweet autumn breeze floated down to make me pull on tighter to the thin jacket that covered my arms.

"Bloody hell, Willow," Theo, my brother - a second year - said, while racing around the platform with David, the other brother. They were fraternal twins, so it was quite easy to pick them apart. David and Theo didn't cause trouble, they were just overhyper kids with permanent sugar rush. "Look at that!" I turned my eyes to see a huge clan of redheads and a few brunettes and white blonds. The Potter - Weasley families. They were extremely easy to find, just look for the giant love fest of "Promise to write!" and hugs and "I love you". Not like I was envious of that.

Maybe just slightly. It's nice to feel loved, you know? Not like I would know.

"Harry Potter," David whispered to us. I rolled my eyes at their fascination with the Potters. Not only did they worship James more than they liked me, they happened to be good friends with his younger sister. "Do you reckon we can talk to him?"

"No." I stated flatly before picking up my luggage. "You probably can't." My eyes caught the bright brown eyes of James Sirius Potter. He seemed to have gotten slightly more tan, probably from Quidditch while his black hair stood messily as always.

"Shall we go in the train or are you two going to stand there ogling Harry Potter?"

"Ogling Harry Potter sounds more fun than being with you," David told me, like the prat he was.

"Whatever," I grumbled. "We have a famous dad, too."

"He's not here, though," Theo said sullenly.

"Get used to it, boys," I replied simply. "He never will." I hoisted the luggage up, onto the train before promptly coming face to face with Fred Weasley the Second. His freckled face and red hair made him the ideal Weasley, but his jokes and pranks made him the detention king along with James. He and James were inseparable and always were stirring the pot.

"Willow! My favorite Wood!" Fred immediately burst into laughter. "Have you ever gotten the wood jokes before like - "

"Yes, Fred," I smiled slightly. "I have." My smile grew wider on my face. "And, have you heard the news?"

"What news?" He cocked an eyebrow. "Roxanne, my dear twin, and the deadbeat she was dating cheated on her? Your best friend Taylor breaking my fragile heart? There's a lot of news."

I grimaced at the Taylor comment, knowing though Fred may joke, he was genuinely hurt. Why else bring it up?

"The news that I'm the Quidditch captain!" I blurted excitedly.

"What?" I turned my head to see none other than the infamous James Sirius Potter, whose eyes were widened to saucer sizes and mouth agape.

"I'm the Quidditch Captain!" I exclaimed again, darting around James and Fred to see their reactions. So far - James was shocked still while Fred was smiling slightly. "And guess what, Potter?"

I stole a quick glance at Fred who was watching James with careful eyes while James stared at me hard, glowering almost. I walked slowly over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder before whispering into his ear, "I got chosen over you."

"You're real cool, Wood," James managed to choke out, before turning back to me. "We all know Kang chose you because you screwed him on the last day."

"And I thought you were above all of that, James," I shook my head. It was a little bittersweet to find out that's how James thought of me. I always thought he didn't think of me that way. "Guess not." I made my way to the next compartment that contained my friends. The true ones that didn't think of me the way everyone else does.

When I first got to Hogwarts, within a few months, a reputation of mine was built up: the girl who lives and breathes Quidditch. That all changed in second year. Not only did was my dad newly wedded to Shelia Gagman, a journalist who was less than nice and motherly to me, but I made friends with the wrong people. I distanced myself from the other second years and hung out with the older years.

By the end of my second year, a new reputation was handed my way: Willow Wood, the slag. Comments about my Quidditch position fitted me("Chaser because she chases every guy!") slowly turned into ostracization from the students. It got better, but it still lingered even after four years.

"Taylor!" I gave my tall best friend a quick hug before moving on to Emma Longbottom and Roxanne Weasley. "I missed you all, so much."

"I like your new hair," Roxanne beamed, showing off the hair that once was a foot longer. Emma looked down, rearranging her bangs and prefect badge, always the nervous one.

"I can't believe you two are prefects," I groaned, looking at Taylor and Emma's gold badges.

"Well," Taylor laughed. "I can believe you're the Quidditch captain. That's all you talk about - "

"Wait, oh, my God - you're our Quidditch captain?" Roxanne's eyebrows shot up. "James was stressing all summer about it, like - wow! I wouldn't think of a better choice, and don't tell James I said that. It's just, you're a lot more...Leader-like."

"I'm hurt, Roxy," We all turned our heads to see James and Fred standing in our compartment - James acting like Roxanne shot him in the heart.

"You broke his heart, sister," Fred commented before pretending to care for James' wounded heart. James faked a gunshot to the head while Fred let out an exaggerated wail.

"Shut up," Roxanne giggled. "You two exasperate me." I looked at Taylor who was suddenly extremely interested in a chocolate frog card that ironically - had Ron Weasley on it.

"What's so interesting on that card, Taylor?" James abruptly said, having noticed the same thing I had. He had his classic smirk plastered on his pratlike face. He knew exactly why she was staring so intently at it. "Besides my uncle."

"Okay, we get it, your family is famous," I defended my best friend. "Sorry, we're all mere mortals in presence of James Sirius Potter, the firstborn of Harry Potter."

"Wow, thanks," James rolled his eyes. "And don't act so innocent yourself, don't you remember last year?" He then proceeded to mock me. "'Hey, Kang, you should chose me for captain, since my dad, is, you know, like, the Quidditch player. Oliver Wood's my dad, it's be, like, Quidditch hate crime if you chose someone else over Oliver Wood's daughter. Also, Kang, my room's open to you anytime - '"

"I never said that, God," My eyes were rolling to the back of my head. "It was more like you, 'Oh, Kang, my dad's Harry Potter, he defeated the Dark Lord. If you don't chose me, it'd mean you're a deatheater.'"

"I didn't say that!" He said, now completely steaming.

"And I never, ever, screwed or even snogged Kang." I glowered back. "And can you please get out of our compartment? There's two prefects here and - "

"Three, actually." I heard Fred correct. I was suddenly aware that Roxanne, Taylor, Fred, and Emma were all listening to the argument.

"And whose the third one?" I snorted. "You?" Roxanne burst into a hearty laugh, knowing there was no way her brother could ever be prefect.

"Roxanne," James said smugly.

"Wait, seriously?" I whipped my head back to look at the girl in the eyes.

"Guilty." She shrugged. "I guess they thought I had potential. Speaking of prefects," My friends looked at me apologetically. "We have to go the meeting."

"You're going to leave me alone? With them?" Taylor gave me an unhelpful shrug as they filed out of the compartment.

I slumped into the red velvet seat while looking out the window. A quick jolt near my thigh caused me to shoot up - James and Fred giggling like ten year olds - and pull up my robe to see in bright red ink written on my leg "WHORE." My mouth dropped and I snapped up to look at Fred and James furiously.

"Wasn't us!" They said at the same time. "I solemnly swear!" I could tell the two weren't lying. They'd never do anything like that even if James and I despised each other.

"But..." I looked around. "How would anyone do - " I pulled my robe back down angrily. It wasn't the first time I dealt with this stuff. Fourth and Fifth year were the worst. I really thought this year would be better.

I didn't say anything for the rest of the train ride and opted to stay out of Fred and James' excited conversation of the incoming year and watched the window instead.

I realized with a small ache in the heart how badly I needed my best friends, and how ironic is it that when I need them - I get stuck in a train with the two most obnoxious gits in the history of Hogwarts.

"Are you okay?" I opened my eyes lazily (the ride was quite long, and I guess I had drifted asleep) to see Fred, all alone, sitting across from me.

"Yeah," I yawned. "I'm fine. Rough summer."

"Oh," Fred shrugged his shoulders. "I heard about your dad's divorce. Sucks."

"I guess. Good for me though. She was a bitch."

"Hah." Silence filled the compartment. "Can - Can you help me do something?"

"What do you mean?" I really hoped this wasn't a set up for a joke or whatever.

"I want Taylor back. Could you, I don't know, maybe, mention to her that you think I deserve a second chance?" For a minute, I couldn't believe I was sitting across from Fred Weasley. Where was the Fred I knew?

"Tell her during Quidditch practices, I went shirtless and you were like 'Damn, that twelve pack!'" There he is.

"Maybe not those words," I leaned my head against the window. "But sure."

"Hey!" James ran into the compartment excitedly. "The trolley lady went to every compartment but ours! Do you think she hates me because - "

"I'm Harry Potter's SON!" Fred and I chorused together. And somehow, a smile crept up on my face and I had forgotten all about the stupid leg ink.

"Oi, bugger off," He took a seat next to Fred and they immediately started to ramble on about their plans for the year once again and I drifted back to the window.

A/N: This is a revised, re-uploaded version of Nobody's Perfect - a story about Willow and James - under a different name and definitely better written.

I chose the name Dear One, because Willow writes letters to Katie Bell who we find out more interesting drama about(if you've read this before, please don't spoil - you'll find out in chapter three or four so it's not a long wait). It's also that Dear One happens to be a song by Mary Lambert, who is such an amazing singer/songwriter. The song is like a love poem and it's so beautifully written.

Every chapter will be opened with a letter from the correspondence of Willow and Katie Bell.

If you read Nobody's Perfect, I will say I was writing freely, no plot intended or character developement. Hopefully, this story is better! Feel free to ask me questions if certain characters will appear or be the same.