Misery Loves Company: Chapter 2: Misery really does love company
A/N: Hello again! Merry Christmas! Or happy Christmas. Or whatever your religion or belief is. I am so sorry about the long wait, because I was actually planning on updating a bit sooner (yeah, right) but when I went to upload it, it turns out that the bloody computer had deleted the file or something, so I had to start all over again. From scratch. So that's probably why this chapter has so much swearing in it. Because I am not a happy chappie.
And thanks to lucid-03-days for reviewing not once, but twice! You're my new best friend. (Joke. Joke. It's okay, I'm kidding… no need to be frightened.) And thanks also to LilJester, DraclingCaregiver, MotherCrumpet and shadow929 for reviewing! I really appreciate it, especially since I didn't expect to debut so well, especially since shadow929 mentioned that there aren't very many Lee/Katie fans. But that's ok- all us have to stick together, right? Lol. And anyway, this story isn't just about Lee/Katie; it's also about Alicia, Angelina, Fred and George… kinda. But they're in it, anyway. So anyone who likes them can read it, I guess.
October 5th (late)
Damn Snape! Damn him to hell! Do you know what he made me do? Yeah, collect fricking spiders from the Forbidden Forest to help him with his twisted version of a pepper up potion. Seriously. And why is the Forbidden Forest forbidden, Snape? Because it's dangerous.
Unfortunately, when I mentioned this fact to him, he sneered as if that were the stupidest idea in the world (a forest with dementors and escaped convicts and death eaters dangerous! Never! Ha I can just imagine the front page of the Daily Prophet: GIRL ATTACKED AND ROASTED TO DEATH BY SPIDERS WHILE UNDER FORMER DEATH EATER CARE. Well. It could happen.) and gave me an extra hour in the forest for 'obvious statements'. What the hell?
And on top of that I swear I saw a really freaky looking black thing. It might have been an extraordinarily large rabbit, but one can never be too sure. (God, I'm even starting to sound like Percy!) Anyway, I dropped the one spider I managed to kill (I certainly wasn't going to be collecting them alive!) and then a bigger spider came up and ate it. And then it pointed its freaking pincer things at me, and so I screamed and ran away.
The moral of the story is, Snape knows I suffer from arachnophobia, and he still made me go and get them. He knows this because of that time in third year when Lee, being the ignorant fricking prat he is, dropped his bloody tarantula down my back and I fainted into my measles-simulating formula. And because I was working with Alicia, it was extra good. So I spent the next week in the hospital wing, and the next two after that itching and scratching like crazy. Believe me, Lee sucked up to me for about a month after that.
And then because I started hyperventilating as soon as I was a safe distance away from the spider, it took me ages to calm down and by then it was too late and I hadn't gotten any spiders. Not that I would have anyway, but still. So now I have another week of detention, and our freaking Quidditch obsessed, has no life captain will kill me. So shoot me already.
So now I'm sitting on the common room couch, trying to decide whether or not to eat the chocolate in my hand because the other day at Quidditch practice Wood told me to 'lose a kilo or two'. I mean, it's bad enough that girls tell each other that they need to lose weight, but a guy? When he stoops that low, you know he's a bimbo-chasing man-whore. Or a bastard. But I don't think he is a bimbo chasing man-whore, because he doesn't have time for bimbos, he has to think up incredibly complicated plays so we can actually win this year.
And I'm all alone and wallowing in my misery. I mean, I can practically feel the spider still looking at me… ugh. I really need a new phobia. Like corners. God, that would be funny. 'Excuse me, miss! I can't come into the classroom because it has corners and I'm afraid of corners!' … whatever.
I was just snickering to myself quietly (well, more like guffawing…) when I heard a voice behind me.
"Katie?" it quietly asks.
I whirl around; that voice sounds familiar. Oh… of course. It's Alicia, because she's the only one that EVER calls me Katie. To everybody else I'm 'Bell'. God, that could almost sound perverted, if you squint your eyes and turn your head to one side…
"Can I have some of your chocolate?" Alicia asks meekly. Maybe because of the expression of my face, but it's downright sad when even your best friend is intimidated of you.
I move over so that she can sit beside me, and break off a hunk of chocolate and give it to her. God knows she needs it- she's as skinny as a stick. I bet Wood's never insulted her about her own weight.
"Thanks, Katie," Alicia sighs and flops down on the couch. It's an unspoken rule in our group- chocolate cures everything, from dementor winters to a boo boo on your finger. It makes you feel better. Fred reckons we just think it does, but I know better. It has secret healing powers, which magically make you feel better, so it's always best to keep some handy.
"So. What's wrong?" I ask concernedly. I may not be known for my listening abilities like 'Lic, but I can still lend a caring ear when I need to. How generous am I? I mean, even with all my problems, I am still caring enough to listen to my best friend in her hour of need.
Alicia sighs loudly. "I think I'm going to fail my O.W.L.'s!" she wails.
Seriously. I am speechless. (The only other time that happened was last year in DADA with Lockhart, and he was telling us about how he "is a role model for teenagers in disadvantaged countries, such as America and the United Kingdom." Nobody actually TOLD him that we are in the UK, we just let him make a dick of himself.) I can't believe that Alicia is so worked up about a bloody TEST. I mean, it's just SCHOOL. All it does is decide on your future, which job you'll have, possibly your life partner, where you'll live…
I mention all this to Alicia, but it doesn't help. In fact, if anything I think I made it worse… She starts sobbing hysterically, and all I can do is pat her on the back lamely and say, "well, if you're going to fail, what'll happen to me? I mean, you're the smart one around here. You can't fail."
Did I mention I am the lamest comforter in the world?
"What's going on?" a voice asks.
Without even glancing up, I know it's Ange. And I have to admit- she sounds weird. When I turn away from 'Lic, I can tell- she looks shit. Her face is all blotchy and her hair is all messed up and sticking everywhere. That must mean she's been crying, and Angelina NEVER cries. I mean, I think I've seen her cry once, and that was in first year when the then current captain (Charlie Weasley) wouldn't let her on the Quidditch team because she was a lowly first year.
"Give me some chocolate," she commands, taking it and breaking off an absolute HUGE piece.
"Give it back!" I say, snatching it off her and moving over so she can sit down and pour out her terribly complicated teenage troubles.
Before I can even ask, she breaks down. "Fred and I had a fight!" she exclaims, like it's something unusual. I mean, they fight twenty-four/ seven. It's an hourly occurrence, practically. One time I went down to the common room in the middle of the night (I can't remember why the hell why) and they were at each other's throats, about a lost quill or something.
"So?" I say blankly.
Alicia momentarily stops crying and pats my hand sympathetically. "Katie, Katie, Katie." She says gently, like she's talking to an old dog or something. "Can't you see? Ange and Fred actually like each other, but they're both too stubborn to admit it. And this was a serious fight, not those stupid ones about quills." Hmm… so I didn't dream about the quills- the whole house must have heard it too.
Ange doesn't even start screaming at her, the way she would if anyone ever even suggested that. Alicia just exudes this 'be nice to me' vibe, and everyone seems to totally respond to it. God, the things I would do if I had that ability…
But anyway. "We were just having a normal argument," Ange says, eating some more chocolate. "But then he's like, 'I bet Roger Davies wouldn't argue with you all the time.' And I'm like, 'what's that supposed to mean?' and so he goes, 'I'm just saying you wouldn't fight with Davies all the time if you were with him.' And I'm like, 'I wouldn't want to be with him. And as far as I know, I'm not with you either.' And so he goes, 'whatever. You're so blind, Ange. Talk to me when you realise a few things.'"
Wow. She makes Fred actually sound mature. Ha. Never thought I'd see the day. And I'm willing to bet that there was a lot more to that argument than she's letting on. Still, I'd better play dumb. "Oh Ange," I say sympathetically, "I don't get it."
Ange ignores me and burries her head in her hands. "I can't believe how stupid I am…" she mutters. And then a whole lot of cursing follows.
I cross my arms indignantly. "Hello? Isn't anyone going to ask about my day?"
"Sorry darling," Ange looks up from her mutterings to say sarcastically, "how was your day?"
"Fricking shit," I reply bitterly. Lee hasn't talked to me the whole rest of the day, and I think he's ignoring me. I mean, when I walked over to him and Fred and George before, he's all, "I have to go to the library, guys." I didn't even know that the word 'library' was even in Lee's vocabulary. But if that's the way he's going to be, and he won't even hear me out, then fuck him. I won't be the first to cave.
"Aw," Alicia says, putting an arm around me.
Hmm. I'm starting to feel a little better. If only the spiders would go away…
So Angelina is still muttering curses, Alicia's still crying and I'm kicking the chair opposite as hard as I can. It doesn't make me feel better (it hurts), but knowing that my buddies had just as shit a day as I did make me smug. Ha. Misery really does love company.
Review please! Think about it this way; the more you review, the more people will read it, so the more reviews I'll get, and then I'll have to update the story sooner. And… reviews make nice xmas pressies! Lol.