'Afternoon y'all, Violet here. This is just another crazy story written by me about Katie and Oliver's relationship…I will update if I get reviews, people!
"I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes you are! You have to!"
"Why?"
"Because you bloody well like him!" Angelina shouted in exasperation, causing students to turn her way curiously. Katie flushed and stared icily at her porridge.
"Thanks a bunch, Angelina. Now everyone's looking." Katie gritted her teeth.
"Ah, don't worry, no-one cares," Angelina waved away the matter with a flick of her hand. She paused suddenly, seeing the look on Katie's face as she gazed into the deep and dooming realms of her porridge. "Why do you eat that stuff anyway?"
Katie stayed perfectly still, feeling Angelina's eyes on her. "Mum's orders. She wrote to Dumbledore, stating that I must eat porridge once a week. She doesn't even tell me what day that is! Once I tried reaching for the bacon, and there was some kind of charm put on it, like a force-field. Only thing I could touch was this," she scooped some of the porridge into her spoon and let it fall back down with a splatter, "this sloppy oat mix." She looked up, only to see Alicia arrive for breakfast and Angelina greeting her.
"Hey Kat!" Alicia poked her head past Angelina to say hello to a glum looking Katie. "What's the matter…? Boy blues gotcha?"
Alicia was a bubbly girl and most certainly a good and trusting friend. Sadly, she was not always known for her subtleness.
"Not you too Alicia! Why can't everyone get off my back?" Katie swallowed a spoonful of porridge unwillingly and scowled.
"Whoa, Katie, chill out," Angelina scooted over to Katie, glancing at a worried looking Alicia. "All we're trying to say is that…well…today is Valentines day."
"Yeah…" Katie questioned, sort of already knowing what was coming.
"And we know how you feel." Alicia added wistfully.
"Excuse me?" Katie frowned, suddenly spotting a certain person enter the Great Hall for breakfast. She gave a dry gulp, and Alicia and Angelina saw her. They smirked.
"Don't lock yourself up, Kat – be bold!" Alicia smiled encouragingly. Angelina winked.
Katie grunted and kept her eyes on the finally empty bowl of porridge. No one, not anyone in the whole world, could make her tell him how she felt. She would not only completely humiliate herself by declaring her love for him, but she would also ruin the Gryffindor Quidditch team by the awkwardness that would obviously follow not long after her declaration.
"But then again, Potato-head loves Angie and we still won the last match." Katie muttered out loud, still pondering. Suddenly a loud voice interrupted her.
"Alright team." Oliver Wood plopped down next to Fred, who was sitting opposite of Angelina and next to George. Most of the team (Alicia, Angelina, Fred, George, Oliver, and Katie) was in close proximity, so Oliver thought he might as well brief them on the next match.
"We won our last match, but it was a close call. Now, our next game is Ravenclaw. They've got a new Seeker – I'm not sure who it is but the word is that he has-"
"Or she-" added Angelina.
"Or she," he added, "Has been the best Seeker Ravenclaw's ever had." Oliver finished, waiting for a dramatic reaction.
"Ah, we'll be fine," said George airily, "Because-"
"-Ravenclaw's got as much chance of a good player as-" added Fred,
"-me becoming Minister for Magic." finished George.
"That's a high chance, is it?" mused Angelina sarcastically. Katie grunted.
"Now listen, you two!" Oliver said angrily. "We can't drift off like this again! If we win this match we will be in the lead. It's the most important game until the final!" he slammed his fists on the table, causing the several bowls and plates to jump.
"Okay Oliver…" George said, looking alarmed. "We won't slack off…"
"Good." Oliver said in his lilting Scottish accent, reaching for a piece of toast. Katie rested her chin on her hands and watched Oliver spread butter thickly on his toast. Fred saw her watching him, and he looked at Katie knowingly. Oliver wolfed down his toast and jumped up.
"Well, must go and finish Snape's essay." He wiped his mouth clumsily. "See you all on the Quidditch pitch tonight!" Oliver waved and departed. Fred waved back at him cheekily. After Oliver was out of sight, he pounced on Katie.
"It's Valentines Day, you sour flobberworm!" Fred cried. Katie shot up from the table, shocked and flushing.
"I DON'T CARE!" Katie cried, shrinking under the knowing eyes of her friends.
"Oh I'm sure you don't care," Fred said quietly, but loud enough for Katie to hear, "After all, Ollie doesn't want a weakling for a girlfriend."
"Fred-" Angelina gasped, but it was too late. Katie leaped over the table, her hands flying to meet Fred's throat. Fred laughed, until Katie got a firm grip on his throat. Then he choked.
"Katie…erk…don't…gark…" Fred tried to drag Katie's hands off him, but she wouldn't budge. Fred pinched her hand so she would release him, and soon they were rolling on the floor, slapping and hitting and choking each other relentlessly.
"Katie! Fred!" Alicia came to their aid as a large crowd had gathered to watch the fight, chanting. She grabbed Fred's collar and tried to tug him away. But it was no use.
"Kat…sorry…please…" Fred groaned. "I didn't mean it-"
"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT! WHO TOLD YOU?" Katie shrieked loudly, slapping Fred across the face.
"Break it up!" Angelina yelled, quite shocked. Katie was normally very rational and calm.
"Fred, don't provoke her, or we are through." She looked at Fred sternly, who was massaging his throat. He caught her eye and looked away, ashamed. "And Katie," she continued, looking at a breathless Katie, "Don't hit people, girl! You need to relax!"
"What's going on? Someone let me through." A sensible yet stern voice was heard, and the suddenly silent crowd made way for Professor McGonagall. She spotted the inflamed marks on Fred's neck, and the scratches on Katie's arm. McGonagall's mouth tightened. "Explain yourselves – Weasley! Bell!"
"Please, Professor – it was just a small argument." Angelina said quickly. "Nothing's happened."
"Nothing?" repeated McGonagall loudly, storming over to Katie and holding her scratched arm up. "These two have been muggle duelling…and they will see me tonight for detention at 8 o'clock!" she stomped off, leaving Katie, Fred, Angelina, Alicia and George alone as the crowd slowly backed away.
"I guess you two have no Quidditch practice then." George said dully. Katie stared at the floor in dismay.
"Tell that to Ollie, it'll break his heart." Fred muttered. He looked sideways at Katie. "I'm sorry Kates. But it really is Valentines Day, and we all know."
"Who told you?" Katie said quietly, looking at Angelina. She gulped.
"It doesn't matter who told me," said Fred, "All I know is that if you keep it bottled up inside any longer, you'll die."
"Look at me, for instance," added Angelina, "I didn't know Fred liked me until he had twelve bouquets of roses delivered to my dormitory, accompanied by a singing trio. It was scary for him and for me."
"So don't take out your frustration on us, Kat!" Alicia said distractedly. "Go and relieve yourself of your worrying and compassion!"
"He'll never go out with me. He's the Quidditch Captain, for god's sake; every girl must be after him. Catching his every fallen pencil, giggling whenever he speaks to them; saving his every tissue in a gold and silver box…" Katie sighed dramatically.
"Don't be so hard on yourself." Angelina said. "There are only half as many girls after Ollie as before anyway."
"Why?" said George mischievously.
"Well, you know how Oliver went out with Sakura Takahashi a couple of months ago?"
"The most beautiful girl in school…" Fred said dreamily. Alicia slapped him for Angelina.
"Anyhoo," Angelina smiled, "she thought Ollie was the most dedicated guy she'd ever seen. But then she realised he thought she was a pansy, someone who was vain or whatever. And she dropped him like a hot potato, warning other hopefuls to back off because he hated girls. But it wasn't true – and now poor Ollie's alone!"
"How do you know so much about ol' Woody?" George grinned. Angelina rolled her eyes.
"I have my ways…" she pouted cheekily.
"Whatever." Fred stood up. "There's only one way to match this unwilling pair." He looked at Katie – "I dare you to tell Oliver how you feel about him. This morning."
Everyone in the group went silent. Katie never rejected an opportunity for a dare. Well, today she might have rejected it, but she couldn't.
"Stupid oath." She grunted. Fred grinned and retrieved a tattered piece of parchment from his robes. Clearing his throat, he began to read in a sing-song voice what was inscribed -
"I, Katie Magdalena Bell,
Have vowed to accept (no matter how challenging or stupid) – any dare enforced by Misters Fred and George Weasley; during my seven year course at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Signed,
Katie M. Bell"
Fred rolled up the parchment and tapped Katie on the nose. "You know what to do."
Katie looked at Angelina, Alicia and George. Their knowing yet pleading looks drove her to borderline crazy, but she had signed the freakin' oath. She'd have to tell him now.
"Alright." She mumbled, leaving the table and heading up the stairs towards the Gryffindor boy's dormitories, the quiet cheers of her friends echoing behind her.
"Here we are." Katie said to herself, slowly turning the doorknob of the Boy's dormitories door. She entered a corridor with three doors on one side and four on the other side. Not knowing which room Oliver was in, she looked at the inscription on the first one. It said 'Second Years rock the Boat!'
"Not that one," Katie muttered, walking down to the last door. She knocked. No answer.
"Hello?" she called out.
A faint groan came from inside the room, and the door slowly opened a crack of the way.
"What do you want?" a cheeky looking boy peered out. Katie put her hands on her hips and stared at the rascal.
"I'm looking for Wood, you seen him?" she said loudly, causing another groan to come from inside. The boy shushed her, his eyes widening.
"Quiet, you!" he whispered, grinning. "Dan's trying out the time machine."
"Oh God." Katie wrinkled her nose. She did not want to know.
"Wood's next door…see you!" the boy quickly slammed the door in her face.
"That stupid git." Katie did the ups to the closed door and walked over to Wood's dormitory. The inscription on the door read 'Do not disturb – ever!'
Katie knocked twice. A thick Scottish accent replied – "Who's there?"
Katie knocked again, this time hearing a girlish giggle from inside the room. Hot anger boiled on her insides. How dare Oliver have a girl in his room? But then again, he didn't know she liked him.
Katie went ahead with instinct and opened the door. There was Oliver, sitting on his bed reading 'Quidditch through the Ages'.
"WOOD!" she yelled.
"What?" Oliver looked up. "Oh, hello Bell." He said quietly.
"You've got a slut somewhere here, don't you?" Katie said serenely, looking around. She heard a shriek coming from around the corner, and a voice saying "someone'll hear us, Cindy."
"It's only kissing, you silly man!" 'Cindy' said in a high pitched voice. The pair began to laugh, and Oliver looked at Katie strangely. Katie blushed.
"What's wrong, Katie?" Oliver said gently, standing up. "Why don't we talk outside?"
"Sure…I mean…if…you mind…" Katie stammered, letting Oliver take her outside to the corridor.
"So – what do you want to talk to me for?" Oliver said.
Katie squirmed. "Do we have to talk in the corridor, Oliver?"
Oliver smiled. "There's somewhere else we can go…" he led Katie to the staircase and they walked up to floor of the Room of Requirement. The pair walked past the door three times, thinking the same thought, and magically a wooden door appeared. Oliver went inside, Katie following behind him. It was quite dark inside, a single candle softly illuminating the room. There was a futon couch that Oliver was already sitting on. Katie sat next to him, trembling with worry.
"What's on your mind? Anything about the next match you want to know?" Oliver raised an eyebrow.
Katie gulped. "Look, it was a dare and I signed a stupid oath for Fred when he gave me firewhisky but I have to tell you anyway…" she paused, seeing the puzzled look on Oliver's face.
"Yeeeesss?" he said.
"I…I like you." Katie stuttered.
"What?" Oliver frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean like…I love you."
See you chickens next time! Violet