Chapter 2 - The Talks

Ariel stared at the ground to avoid eye contact with the man she just tackled after tripping down the stairs.

"Huh...This is my good friend Oliver Wood, Ariel." David said, gesturing to the now confused man. "He's plays for the Puddlemere United's reserve team with me."

"Hello." Oliver said, giving a small wave. Ariel was still too embarrassed to speak, and continued to look at the floor. Oliver began looking around to David to tell him what to do next. David quickly started to guide his parents to the next room, giving Ariel a What-In-The-World-Is-Wrong-With-You look. Everyone started to follow, meanwhile Ariel took a step back in attempt to go back up to her room slowly, but to her luck, she tripped again, falling backwards onto the stairs with a loud thud. Everybody turned to her again as she pushed herself up slowly.

"Heh heh, these stairs...you'd swear they move." Ariel said, awkwardly brushing her hands off. "I'm just gonna...I have to..." Ariel then ran as fast as she could up the stairs, to her room and closed to door behind her. That was the worse experience ever, she thought walking over to her bed.

Knock, Knock. Someone knocked on Ariel's door 10 minutes later.

"Hello, dear." It was Ariel's mother, sticking half her body in, the other half covered by the ajar door. "My, my, it's a wee bit untidy in here, love." Her mother looked around the scatter clothes on the floor.

"I wouldn't think you'd understand, mum. It's a wizarding thing. Uhh...the more clothes and rubbish on the floor...the better protection against...gnomes." Ariel lied, terribly.

"Gnom-"

"They're real."

"Uh huh. Like the more helpings of dessert gives you a better force field when sleeping?" Her mother crossed her arms, "Regardless; how are you, love? Rushed up here so fast thought your trousers were on fire!"

"I ran down the stairs and tripped, falling onto David. Who happen to be not David, but adding on I hugged him. Did you see the look on his face? He had no IDEA what to do after that awkward incident! So, I tried to save myself but seeking away, but I trip again going up the stairs. It was awful! On top of it, I pretty sure that he went to school with me. I looked like a bloody fool." Ariel said so quickly her mothers mouth was open registering what Ariel had said seconds later.

"Don't you think your over reacting, dear?" Her mother crossed the room and sat next to Ariel. "To be perfectly honest, your so clumsy I would have been more worried if you didn't tackle the lad."

"Muuum -"

"I'm serious!" Her mother started laughing. "You fall onto all of David's mates.("I do not!" Ariel gasped) Why is this one such a big deal?"

"I don't want to talk about it.." Ariel said with her elbow on her legs and hands on her face.

"Oooohhhhh!" Her mother said, getting excited. Ariel peeked through her fingers. "I think you fancy that chap! He is quite handsome(Ariel was scoffing), I could ask him on a date for you! ("What?"). Then he'll see that you're not as dangerous as you come off ("What is that suppose to mean?"). Oh! After all that, you could get married! I want loads of grandchildren so you guys better -"

"MOTHER!" Ariel yelled embarrassed at the conversation. "No to dating. No to 'getting to know I'm not dangerous'. No to marriage. And... hell no to that last part!"

Her mother was too lost in the idea of it all to listen to Ariel. Ariel grabbed her mother's arm, pulled her off the bed and guided her back to the door and out. She closed the door and shaked her head to get that whole conversation from her mind.

"She's mental!" Ariel said herself. She looked at her wand thinking of the spells she could do to erase what just happened out of her memory. Oblivating herself seemed worth it right now.

Knock, Knock.

Bloody hell, when does it end, she thought.

The door opened up, and her brother walked in this time. He was a rather tall, handsome man, with brown hair like their father's and green eyes like both their mother's and Ariels's. He wasn't too thin or too big, and with his perfect teeth and personality one would think it was a mystery why he wasn't married, but Ariel knew. He might have been really intelligent, but he wasn't very smart when it came to women.

"Just because you knock, doesn't mean you can just walk in."

"Sorry, I was just - oh blimey.." David said after taking a look at the state of Ariel's hair now, and clothes on the floor. "What happen to you?"

"Yeah, girls love to hear that."

"Just saying, look at all this rubbish on the floor. Merlin's Beard, can't be that hard to wave your wand and clean it. Wouldn't even know you were a witch if we weren't related." David said, pulling out his wand and giving it a flick. The clothes came to life and started to put themselves in the laundry hamper, and towels back on the rack.

"Maybe I'm just really good at keeping my magic a secret from Muggles." Ariel replied in a sour tone.

"Well, you have me convinced. Might want to tone it down, with Muggle parents you might trick the ministry into thinking your a Muggle, too." David joked, crossing the room, and sitting next to Ariel on her bed. "Listen, I want you to know that you can come back down stairs. Oliver knows it was a accident and that it could have happen to anyone. No need to be embarrassed. You can go down with me and we can have a nice breakfast with everyone. Okay?"

"Hmm...no thanks. After mum's pep talk, I can't even look at him."

"What she say?"

"Remember when I brought over my friend Elizabeth, and you made the mistake of telling mum she was cute?"

"She didn't."

"She did. And went farther than that."

"Your not going to like what I about to say then . . ." David said under his breath.

"What?"

"I said your just gonna stay up here all day?"

"You got it."

"Ariel..." David said, patting Ariel on the back. She looked up slowly and wide eyed. Please tell me he's not going to say what I think he is, she thought. "I realized you're getting older and you're not my baby sitter anymore. I know the reason you got so flustered about the Oliver thing is because -"

"NOOOOO, no, no. NO! I know what you're going to say, and no! I don't fancy that lad Oliver in any way, shape, or form. What is WRONG with everybody today? You're all barking mad!" Ariel said flaring her arms.

She got up, walked to her bathroom and shut the door.

"You can go now." She called from inside.

David sighed before getting up and leaving, closing the door behind him. Ariel crack the door a little to make sure he had left. After fixing up her hair, and realized It wasn't her best idea to shake her head around. She locked the door so no one else would come in, sat back on her bed and began to read.

At first, Ariel did seem to be taken back by Oliver's appearance, but with all this buzz about her marrying him and "growing up" rubbish, she didn't even what to look at him. How dare they think she'd ever go and marry some stranger. She thought about how Oliver must really behave if her brother even thought she was in love with the bloke. Bet that Oliver fellow went around snogging loads of women. The git.

Knock, Knock

"What is with you people today?" Ariel said, throwing her book down. "You guys betting who can get me out of this room."

She got up and walked across the room to unlock the door.

"What do you want now" Ariel said swinging the door open. Half expecting it to be her father, but it wasn't. It was her brothers imposter, Oliver Wood.

"I'm sorry, hope I'm not interrupting. Can I come in?"

"S-s-sure." Ariel had no idea why she was stuttering. She gestured to let him inside and sat on the edge of the bed and Oliver sat next to her.

"Nice place you got here"

"Huh, thanks.."

"You're probably wondering why I'm up here." He began to rub the back of his head.

"I'm just hoping your not the third act to this ridiculous charade that's be going on. . ."

"I can honestly tell you I have no idea what you're talking about." Oliver said chuckling. "But, I just wanted to know if we could start over?"

"What do you mean?"Ariel said turning her head to look out the window. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of looking at him, trying to be all charming. She could see right through it all.

"Hello, I'm Oliver Wood," Ariel turn to face him again. "I play on a Quidditch reserves team, I'm 20 years old, and I went to Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry in Gryffindor house." He finished by sticking out his hand.

"Hel...lo. Ariel Kennis." She grabbed his hand and shook it slowly. "I'm 19, occasionally help my mother and father, and I also went to Hogwarts; Hufflepuff."

"Ariel? That's a really nice name." He said with a smile.

"Thanks." She shyly pulled a strand of hair behind her left ear. She felt her face turning red again. Blast, she thought.

"David and I were thinking of heading to Hogsmeade and have a couple butterbeers. How would you fancy going with us to the Three Broomsticks? Gives us all a chance to chat."

She pretended to think about it, but she knew her answer right away. Why would she want to hangout with some git who thinks his the greatest wizard in the world. Puh, When a Hippogriff grows fins!

"I'd love to." She said. What?, she argued with herself.

"Excellent!" Oliver got up, and started to the door. "Oh! Around 7:30 alright?"

"Perfect."

Why did I say that..

A/N Ohh, exciting :3

I have to say, my favorite person has to be the mother right now, haha.

Anyway! What's Ariel gonna do? Let's see if she'll make a bigger fool of herself!

But, I'm gonna need some reviews first ;D