Chapter One – A chance meeting

"Oh, Shoot!" She cried, her voice full of discontempt. She squatted down to pick up her fallen books.

At the same time, just down the corridor, he was strolling towards her, his nose buried in a book.

His leg met with her side, and he flew over, landing flat-faced on the floor.

"Oh my gosh!" she cried, jumping up and running to him. She knelt down beside him and put a hand on his back. "Are you alright?" She asked, trying to look at his face.

He kept his face on the cold floor of the corridor. It smelt strongly of floor wax and the uniform shoes of the students. He opened his mouth to speak and got a mouthful of dust. He coughed it out and said, his voice entirely muffled so she could barely make it out:

"Yup."

"Are you sure?" She verified, reaching over and grabbing the shoulder furthest away from her, trying to pull him into a sitting position. "You don't seem okay. Are you positive?"

He hesitated for a while, then mumbled into the floor,

"Nope."

She made a soft sound of pity, still trying o pull him up. Aw, come one. Let me help you." At last she succeed and he was sitting upright in her arms. She looked at his leg and gasped in surprise. "Your ankle! It's all swollen and red! You must have sprained it, or…"

But the rest of her scentence was droned out as he looked up at her. His heart began to beat so quickly it felt like it was swimming up his throat. His stomach tickled with butterflies. He could feel his mouth hanging open, but couldn't bring himself to close it. Time halted. He could see her lips moving in slow motion, her long auburn hair falling across her worried face, set with two, deep, thoughtful emerald eyes.

Suddenly, he was rising into the air as she lifted him with her arms around his waist. She put an arm around him under his shoulder blades and held him up by the armpit. The other arm clutched onto his textbook.

He studdered.

"You-you're…you're…"

"Lieca," she finished for him. "Lieca Patterson."

He swallowed hard. He was going to say beautiful, or mesmerizing, or angelic, or something. But he was satisfied with her beautiful name. He began to choke out his own:

"R…um…Weasley…"

"Your name is Weasley?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He shook his head dumbly.

"Ronald!" He shouted, his voice much, much louder than her had intended.

She chuckled light-heartedly and began to drag him along. "Well then, Ronald," She said cheerily, "Let's get you to the hospital wing to get that ankle checked out, hm?"

"Y-yeah…"

He stared at her as they walked (Well, she walked and dragged him along) down the corridor and through the door to the hospital wing.

"Ronald Weasley!" Said Madame Pomfrey as they entered. "What did you do to yourself this time?"

Ron began to studder, but Lieca intervened.

"He twisted his ankle, ma'am. Well, it was my fault, but… I think he may have sprained it!"

Madame Pomfrey shook her head, slapping him hard on the back above Lieca's arm. "Nice going Weasley," She said. She suddenly looked at Lieca. "Well? What are you waiting for? Go! Lay him down on the bed! I'll get some bandages."

So Lieca hurriedly began to drag Ron towards one of the farthest beds. "This one's near a window," she explained.

He smiled warmly. How thoughtful of her!

She laid him down onto the bed carefully, her face set in concentration as though if she were too careless she would brake him.

Then, Ron started. "Oh, Lieca!" He said. She turned her gaze towards his and he struggled not to fly into her arms and kiss her passionately then and there. "You forgot your textbooks in the corridor!"

She shook her head. "No, silly," She said with a giggle, "I left them there so I can carry you!" At his expression, she reassured him, "I'll go back for them later, don't worry about it!" She shot him a blushing smile, and he fell back into his pillow, warm all over.

"But…" He mildly protested, sinking further into his bed and smiling dreamily at her.

"Okay, Weasley!" Came Madame Pomfrey's harsh voice all of the sudden as she appeared at the foot of his bed. He started, sitting up quickly; he had completely forgotten he was even in the hospital… he was so lost in his dreamland. "Drink this and go to sleep!" Madame Pomfrey continued as she shoved a spoonful of something green and bubbly in front of his face. It smelt awful, but he closed his lips around the spoon nevertheless, and allowed the icky goo to slide down his throat. He shuddered.

"Yuck!" He said, sticking out his tongue in disgust. He heard Lieca giggling and he beamed at her.

"Oh, and here." Madame Pomfrey waved her wand at her open office door, and roll of bandages wrapped themselves around Ron's ankle tightly. Then, a panel in the ceiling opened up and a sling came down. The suspended sling slipped itself under Ron's leg and lifted it up.

"Woo!" said Lieca in awe. "That was cool!"

Ron laughed. It certainly was! He meant to say this out loud, but his eyelids were becoming heavy and he was getting very sleepy.

"I-I dunno how I can ever thank… thank…" But his scentence turned into a yawn.

Lieca smiled, walking over to the end of the bed, where his foot was still suspended by the sling. She put a hand on his bandaged foot and moved her hand across it. "It's okay," She said. "You can go to sleep, I'll still be here!"

He felt her touch through the bandage. It was like her very touch was healing him, like she had some sort of magical touch. Her touch on his foot sent shivers of pleasure through his body. He smiled and sunk back into his pillow, drifting off into a deep sleep.

When again he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Lieca, curled up, fast asleep on the chair next to his bed. She breathed deep. Her hair fell across her face. He wondered if she was having a good dream, because she was smiling in her sleep. Her entire body was bathed in the blinding white light that poured into the open window, and she was an angel.

Ron reached his hand up and softly touched hers. Her skin was so soft and warm, and at the touch of her skin, he felt that same gorgeous pleasure as before. He wanted to pull her hand so she would waken, crawl under the covers with him, and just lie in his arms forever, with no one but each other and the morning light pulsing thorugh the open window, the cool breeze on their faces and the sound of birds chirping in their ears.

And then…

"Oh man, I'm sorry, dude."

Ron looked around to find a large seventh-year walk into the room, his eyes on Lieca. He had wavy blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, and more muscles in one arm than Ron had in his entire body. He was carrying the books Lieca had earlier dropped in the hallway.

"So," He said with a hearty laugh, as he reached Ron. "So I see she's found another victim, huh?"

"V-Victim…?" Ron repeated, jerking his arm away from Lieca and pulling his sheets up to his chin, covering from the tall man.

"What's your name, guy?" The man asked.

"Ronald…erm…Ron. Ron Weasley…uh…Gryffindor Keeper, actually!" He added, trying to sound as buff as he could so this enormous guy wouldn't suddenly see it fit to use Ron as a weight or something.

"Quidditch Player, huh?" He said, grinning, "Same here!" I'm the Ravenclaw beater!"

"You're-You-re…Blake StClaire?" He was sweating now. Blake St. Claire was known for his amazing Quidditch skills. He was extremely popular because of it. And, Ron thought with another frightful gulp, he could hit a beater harder than any other beater who ever come to Hogwarts.

Blake nodded. "Yup! That's me!" He grinned broadly, shoving a thumb into his chest. His eyes fell on the sleeping Lieca.

"Sorry about her, by the way," He said, gesturing to Lieca. "She's too nice for her own good. You've gotta see how many times she goes through this with people. Look at her. She's worried about some kid she just met!" He shook his head. "She's crazy, I'm tellin' yah…!" Then his face broke into a smile. "I guess… well, I guess that's why I'm in love with her." Ron's blood ran cold. He froze, barely daring to breathe as he stared at Blake.

"I… I'm sorry…?"

Blake caught himself. He looked at Ron, laughed, and said while chuckling, "Well…heheh… we haven't exactly dropped the 'L' bomb yet… but well… I've been meaning to say it soon… We've been dating for almost a year now!"

Ron felt his heart plummet into his toes. His jaw dropped, and he felt like as his mouth hung open, all his insides were running out, followed by his heart, and then his spirit itself. He simply stared at Blake, his head spinning. He felt sick.

Blake reached over and grabbed Lieca's shoulder tightly. "Wake up, hun," he said gently, rousing her.

Before Lieca even opened her eyes, she said in a quiet, sleepy voice,

"You okay, Ronald?"

Then she opened her eyes and smiled at him sweetly, and he felt even more sick as his entire being still longed for her to climb into bed with him.

"Lieca, you silly thing," Blake chided with a playful smile.

Lieca turned around and beamed. "Oh, Blake!" She cried, throwing herself from the chair and into his arms. "Hellooo!"

She kissd him, smiling at his kiss returned to her. She wrapped arms around his neck , kissing him again.

When finally they broke apart, Blake said, "What are you doing? Don't you have homework and Quidditch and whatever else, Liec?"

She laughed, pressing her face close to his and replying with, "Ronald was all hurt and sad, and I had to help him!" She looked around at Ron, who felt his stomach tie in a knot. He had hoped her had disappeared by now.

"Poor guy, look at you!" she said with pity on her face.

"Okay well say goodbye and lets go. I'll wait for you outside, mkay, Pumpkin?"

Lieca nodded. "Ahuh! Go then!"

And with that, Blake left Lieca and Ron alone.

Ron swallowed. He wanted to die. Very quickly. Right now, please.

Lieca looked around at the door, "Good," she said, "He's gone!" After which she leant over Ron and climbed on his bed on her knees.

Ron's heart began to beat rapidly. Was she really crawling into his bed? For real?

With a hand planted on either side of his head, she lowered her face towards his. As her face drew near his, he felt his heart rate continue to speed up. He could feel her breath on his face as his lungs worked over-time to keep his heart pumping, air escaping his mouth in shuddering puffs. She hovered over his lips for a moment, and his brain began to positively burst with thoughts of closing the gap between them and pressing his lips against hers. He could see himself running a hand through her long soft hair that fell around his face in velvet curtains as they kissed passionately.

Her soft breath traveled up his cheeks and she pressed her lips gently to his forhead. His entire body tingled. He could feel her lips on his skin. She pulled her mouth away slowly, and in the moment between the end of the kiss and the time she said "See you, Ronald!", he actually dared himself forcefully to grab her by the shoulders and pull her back down for a long, soft kiss that would make her forget all about Blake St. Claire and stay with Ron forever.