Chapter Three: The Big Schemes

(second year)

Dear Katie,

I miss you.

Love,

Willow


Fred Weasley II had a plan to get Taylor back, and it was overtly complicated and not going to work.

"Here's this," I offered him. "Ask her out. Literally, just ask her to the first Hogsmeade! Say some stupid cheesy stuff about love and then boom! You get to shag her!"

"You think like a typical teenage boy," He stated.

"Sorry?" Was that a bad thing?

"I need to be sentimental, Willow Wood!" Fred narrowed his eyes at me. "And I don't care about shagging Taylor, I just...I'd like her back."

"You're asking the worst person for advice," Roxanne cut in, coming from nowhere. "Literally, Willow doesn't believe in love or romance. Just snogging and shagging."

"There's good reason to that," I gathered my books up. "How about I tell Taylor that I want to ask you to Hogsmeade? Make her a little jealous. And if she acts like she doesn't care, I'll go to Hogsmeade with you and get her jealous." Taylor was very possessive of her friends and her exes.

"That's brilliant!" Fred exclaimed loudly. "You're brilliant!"

"Try telling that to Slughorn," I rolled my eyes. "I've got to go to bed anyways. I need to wake up early for my run."

"Yeah, you and James both," He sneered. "You should join him."

"I'd rather die," I said cheerfully.


The run was simply tradition. I did it all the way until winter came, and once that snow storm blew over and spring was there - I'd start my run again.

Of course, James ran as well, but we never crossed paths, thankfully.

The cold weather nipped at my exposed bare skin but I kept going. I always got extremely hot and sweaty when the sun came out which is why I opted to just wear minimal amounts of clothing.

"Hey, wait up!" The voice of Grant Manet carried its way to me. I looked back to see him sprinting to me. "Willow!"

"Nope," I shook my head and sprinted faster. Manet was someone I cared not to talk to, especially after he was the one that dropped me first. He played for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team as a Keeper and we used to be good friends until fourth year when he told me he couldn't be my friend anymore because his girlfriend got jealous.

He chose a girlfriend over a good friend, so I followed through his girlfriend's wish for him not to talk to me. They lasted a month.

"Come on, Willow!" Grant called after me but I ran even faster. I kept running even if I had thought I lost him and ran straight into James Sirius Potter's back.

"AH!" He shouted as I cursed. "What the hell?"

"Sorry," I apologized. "I was just running away from someone."

"Now, you have to explain the story of that," James laughed.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," I said, surprised to find myself having a pleasant conversation with James."Old fight."

"Oh, so let me guess." His brows furrowed. "Uh, Roxy?"

"Not Roxanne," I shook my head. "I love her now."

"Finn?"

"God, I hope not. I'd probably be dead." Finn Wilde was a burly former Hogwarts student who I never wanted to tangle with - although I had small feud with him.

"Well, that's all I know besides that Slytherin who got expelled."

"Yeah," I shrugged awkwardly. "It's no big deal. How was your run?"

"Good, until you ran into me," James laughed. This was weird and strange. We were being polite.

"This is weird," I blurted. "Why aren't you insulting me?" Before James had a chance to respond, Grant Manet came out of nowhere.

"Willow!" James smirked while I started to run but unfortunately, the prat grabbed my arm and spun me around to face Grant. I would have been more mad if James' hand wasn't so bloody warm and comforting.

"You kids talk," He said excitedly. "I'll just listen."

"Shut up, James," I glared. "And I'm not going to talk to Manet."

"But Willow - " Grant began to talk. "I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me! We could catch up and -"

"Why?" I looked at him curiously, forgetting that I proclaimed that I wasn't going to talk to him.

"That lasted long," James sneered.

"Shut it, Potter!" Manet and I said in unison. He grinned at me.

"Do you wanna or no?," Grant shrugged. "It'd be fun, just the two of us like the old times."

In a time of my old life, this would have been the best proposal ever. A date with Granet Manet! A beautiful date! However, for the current me, it just seemed like an opening for him to try to stick a hand down my pants. That's what most guys asked me out for, anything more wasn't suited to me or offered to me.

"No," I tightened my ponytail, mumbling. "No, it wouldn't be fun or anything like the old times." I took off running while light footsteps followed me.

"Why'd you say no?" James, the owner of the footsteps, inquired nosily - like the blunt meddler he was.

"Because I don't want to," I stated while jogging at the same pace as him. We were so close to the castle.

"Is it because he used to fancy you a lot?" James asked. "And you're creeped out by that, because trust me, it was strange when he had that crush on you - "

"No, and I wasn't aware he ever fancied me," I said, slightly taken aback from the news. "I'm going to Hogsmeade with Fred."

"WHAT?" James stopped running, his eyes expanding. "Fred? Really? My cousin! As in the one that is obsessed with your best friend?"

"Yeah," I nodded, walking into the castle while breathing heavy from the run. "I'm exhausted."

"As am I," James was just as sweaty and panting just as hard as me. He edged closer to me. "You realize there's a group of second year boys looking at your body?"

"Oh, yes," I eyed the preteens, who all were in my brother's grade. Suddenly I felt extremely exposed in just shorts and a sports bra. "I'm very disturbed."

"Not too discreet about it either," James shrugged. "But wow, that one is really into your boobs."

"Yeah," The little boys were really grossing me out. "Let's not talk about this." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Is Fred going to be jealous?" He teased with a smirk on his face.

"No," I rolled my eyes. "Fred and I just pretending," I widened my hazel eyes for emphasis. He nodded, seemingly that he already expected this. "You know, Taylor? We might not, though, he might just end up asking her and if she says yes - "

"Oh," James shrugged. "Well, I - uh - never mind. Our match is near, you know!"

As James chattered on about Quidditch, an uneasy feeling in my stomach grew. Why was he being so friendly?

"Okay, but seriously, Potter, why're you being so nice to me?" He looked at me briefly before settling into a toothy grin.

"We are friends, aren't we?" I thought back to the events that had recently happened to everything before. We did share the same friends and we did have some moments where we were nice to each other. I mean, we said we hated each other - but there were so many times where we would support and have each others' backs.

Maybe we were becoming friends.

"Friends," I repeated. "Yeah, of course."

Friends. I liked the sound of that.


"Taylor!" I chased down my very blonde friend who happened to be walking down the hallway. The Hogwarts outfit was too small for her, so the skirt hit midthigh and the shirt was too short for her tall figure. She was taller than most guys, leading most to not want to date her - I had to say, the fact that Fred didn't care about height made me have respect for the guy.

"Oi!" I called out. "Taylor Hart!" This time she heard me, and she turned around.

"Oh, hey!" She greeted me with a wide smile and hug. "What's up? The whole castle is talking about how you rejected Davies."

"Yeah, really?" I wasn't surprised to hear the castle has taken another interest into my love life - or as they kindly called it, "the slag life". "That's strange, uh, because I actually shot him down not just because he's an insufferable douche, it's because I wanted to ask someone else to Hogsmeade."

"Really?" Taylor's eyebrows were up to her hairline. "You want to ask someone to Hogsmeade? Who?"

"Uh," I tried my hardest to keep a straight face. "Fred." Taylor burst out laughing, I bit my lip to keep me from busting out.

"No," She giggled. "Seriously, who?"

"I'm being serious!" I protested. "I really am!"

"Willow, that's - " Taylor looked at me deeply. "You're serious? But - well - the thing is - "

"You want to ask him to Hogsmeade?" I could read my best friend's mind so fast, as she could for mine.

"Maybe," She blushed. "I kinda regret breaking up with him."

"Then do it! Ask him to Hogsmeade!"

After Taylor ran off to do so, I wondered if what they had was love. I'd never experienced that, nor will I ever. I realized that some people aren't cut out for hope and dreams and love - and that was me. Love was for suckers like Taylor and Fred.


"Willow!" Grant Manet called out to me the same night.

"What, Manet?" I asked harshly.

"I've been meaning to ask you this, I wanted to ask you this morning but James Potter was there and I would've asked you about it during Hogsmeade if you said yes, but - uh - did your dad ever find out?" Immediately my stomach dropped. Grant was the only one who knew about the spying and snooping and researching we did to find out who my mom was.

"No," I said softly. "He didn't."

"Does he - "

"He doesn't know and he's never going to find out, okay?" I dropped my voice. "Keep your voice down, I don't want people to know."

"Who your birthmom is?" Grant whispered. "Do you and Katie still write?"

After I found out who my birthmother was, and the fact that it was the lady that my dad was good friends with - the woman I used to call my aunt Katie, I didn't know what to do. Grant had stopped talking to me once I confronted Katie about it. Maybe he just wanted me for the adventure, who knows?

I never forgave him for leaving me at a time I really needed a friend.

"Yeah, we do."

"Has she told your dad?" I paused before deciding to tell him the truth on a lie I told him years ago.

"I never told Katie I knew," I muttered. "Can you please leave me alone now?"

"Alright," Grant nodded slowly. "Goodnight, Willow."

"Yeah," Keeping this a secret from everybody was so hard. Talking to someone about it was slightly refreshing. "Grant, wait!"

He turned around, his blue eyes never strayed from my face.

"I'll go to Hogsmeade with you."