Chapter 4
Amelia did not sleep that night, spending her hours tossing and turning, thinking about what happened in the astronomy tower. She had been staring at the ceiling of her dorm, trying to figure out what to do about the whole situation, but no answer had formed in her head.
"Lia, are you okay?" Katie nudged her, making her elbow shoot out from under her head. Amelia shook her head, trying to get her head clear.
"Nothing. Why'd you ask?"
"You look like a bloody zombie. No offense." Amelia let out a sigh.
"None taken. You're probably right. I didn't really sleep last night."
"How come?" Just as she was about to say that it didn't matter, Oliver stepped through the doors of the great hall, making his way towards their group. They locked eyes for a second, before Oliver looked away and let himself fall down next to Lee, as far away from Amelia as possible. And she was not going to lie to herself, it hurt. Really bad. Her best friend was avoiding her because of some stupid kiss that was never meant to happen. She was so absorbed by the fact that Oliver gave her the cold shoulder, that she didn't notice Katie looking between the two of them with raised eyebrows, until she seemed to make the connection.
"Eh... Lia? I need to use the loo. Would you mind coming with me?" Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Amelia looked at Katie with confusion. They had made fun of girls like Lavender Brown and the likes of her for doing the same thing... So why- oh bloody hell.
X- Harry Potter –X
"Something went on between the two of you! Tell me!" Katie's face told her that she would not get out of it, so Amelia started telling about the night before. With every second of the story Katie got more and more excited. Her excitement, however, turned to shock when she heard about Amelia running away from Oliver after they kissed. "Are you out of your bloody mind? You kissed the handsomest guy this school has ever seen and then you run away?" Amelia sat down on one of the stone benches that lined the wall and put her head in her hands.
"What am I going to do? I ruined everything! Oliver will never talk to me again! And I don't even know how I feel about him." Katie gaped at her.
"Do you mean to tell me that you might have feelings for our own Ollie?" A deep sigh made it's way out of her throat.
"Maybe. Or maybe not. I don't know!"
"Maybe I can help you figure it out. McGonnagal is away today, so we have our first two hours off. Let's go out to the lake."
"Katie, it's snowing."
"I've been practicing my heating spells." Amelia let out another sigh.
"Fine, let's head out." They made their way through the fallen leaves that covered the grounds and sat down at the edge of the lake, Katie's spells making sure they stayed warm enough. It took Katie all of five seconds to bring the subject back up.
"So, where to start... Oh I know! Let's start at the summer. Did you miss Oliver more than you missed... Me for instance? Or the twins? Mason?" Amelia thought back to the nights spent on the swing set in their backyard, thinking about her friends.
"Yeah. I think I did."
"How about how you feel when he's near? Do you feel good when he's near you?"
"Yes. Of course."
"Butterflies?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you have butterflies when you see him?" Katie smiled, obviously knowing what the answer was going to be, before Amelia knew it herself.
"I- I think I do. Oh dear Merlin! What the bloody hell is wrong with me? I should not be having these kind of feelings for my best friend!" Katie, still with a smile on her face, put her hand on Amelia's shaking fingers, which were tracing figures in the grass.
"I know I'm not one to talk, since I didn't actually have a boyfriend yet, but I think you'll be happier when you take this chance. Oliver is a great guy. He'll be good to you. Now stop sighing, and go find him."
"I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet. I still have to come to terms with the fact that I actually like him." Katie couldn't help but chuckle.
"You'll be fine."
X- Harry Potter –X
It took Amelia two weeks to start feeling like herself again. It was the day before Halloween and she had spent another dinner not talking to Oliver. He had tried to reach out to her a few times, but she had ignored and avoided him. As their group was heading up the stairs towards the common room, they suddenly came to a standstill, just behind Harry, Ron and Hermione. The sudden standstill made her crash into George's back. When she pushed both of the twins aside to see what happened, she gasped. The portrait that gave access to the common room had been ripped up by someone. Large cuts, seemingly made by a knife, were scattered all over the painting and there was no sign of the fat lady. There were frightened sounds coming from several students and it didn't take long for Dumbledore to show up. With a little help from Filch and the other paintings they found the fat lady several paintings down, hiding behind a cow and crying her eyes out, muttering Sirius Black's name over and over again. Dumbledore did not hesitate for a moment and ordered all students to head back for the great hall, where they would spend the night while the teachers would search the castle for the escaped prisoner. Their group found a spot in a corner of the great hall, where they laid their sleeping bags close together. Most of them were out like a light within ten minutes, leaving only Katie, Amelia and Oliver awake. Oliver had made his way onto one of the tables that had been moved to the sides, leaning back against the wall and looking up at the enchanted ceiling. Amelia couldn't help but look at him. Katie, who had been dubbing over how to get the two stubborn figures together for a while, nudged Amelia softly, pointing over to Oliver. Amelia shook her head.
"You have to. I can't take the two of you not talking to each other anymore. You're the moodiest I've ever seen you and Oliver's practices are harder than ever. You are going to talk to him right now. Or I will do it for you." Amelia's eyes widened, knowing that Katie would not make things better. She took a deep breath and crawled out of her sleeping back. Sending one last glance at Katie, looking for a bit of encouragement, she started slowly and carefully making her way over to the lonely figure.
"Can I sit next to you?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but he seemed to hear her anyway, judging by the silent nod. They turned to each other, looking the other in the eye in silence for a while. When they spoke, it was at exactly the same moment.
"Oliver I-"
"Lia I-" They laughed softly at themselves. "Ladies first."
"I want to apologize."
"What for?" His eyes gleamed in the light of the moon and stars shining on the ceiling.
"For avoiding you. For being distant. For ruining everything." She could've gone on and on, if he hadn't stopped her in that moment.
"You don't have to be sorry for anything. I wanted too much, too fast. Lia I like you, a lot. But if that means that I will lose you, then I'll do everything I can to stop. You're my best friend and I don't want you to avoid me the rest of the school year." Amelia was silent for a moment, trying to make sense of the words that were forming in her head.
"What if I don't want you to stop?" Were the words she finally settled on. His eyes grew a little bigger and he slowly, as if testing the waters, bent forward. Rolling her eyes Amelia grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him closer, pressing her lips on his. His reaction was quick and overwhelming to her senses. She felt his arms circle her waist and wrapped her own arms around his neck awkwardly, not used to being kissed like this. Oliver was not known as a player or ladies' man, but he'd had his fair share of flings and kisses. It all came with being a great quidditch player she figured. It was no secret that, despite being the same age as her, the twins were enjoying quite a lot of female attention as well. She never liked publically showing her affection, so it made her feel a little insecure sitting there, in the middle of the great hall, Oliver's lips moving and playing with hers. What if someone woke up and saw? It was like he had read her mind, because he slowly pulled back and took his arms away from her waist, choosing to just hold her hand instead. They stayed quiet, both knowing that their problems might be out of the way, but there was still an escaped murderer on the loose. They kept sitting on that table, hands clasped together and joined by Katie at one point, until the light of the rising sun made its way through the windows and warming their faces.
X- Harry Potter -X
As several students started to wake up, the teachers started arriving at the great hall, one by one, signaling that the search was over. Oliver made his way over to McGonnagal, trying to figure out what they would have to do that day. When he came back, most of their group had woken up, save for Lee, who was still loudly snoring in his sleeping bag.
"We have the day off. McGonnagal said to catch up on some sleep or concentrate on homework." He had barely finished his words or the twins stood to drag Lee back to their dorm and catch up on some much needed sleep. Angelina and Alicia walked with them to get their bags, before moving on to the library and finish their essays for potions and charms respectively. Amelia and Katie started making their way outside, followed by Oliver. They sat down near the lake, once again warmed by one of Katie's warming spells.
"So how are you guys going to handle telling the rest?" Katie asked. Amelia looked at Oliver, who smiled down on her.
"Just tell them, I guess." Amelia bit her lip, but still gave a little nod. She wasn't sure how other couples handled telling their friends. Did they get a nervous feeling? Maybe a little panic, like she was feeling now? Come to think of it, had Oliver ever told the group about a girlfriend? It was no secret that Oliver had some experience, but he'd never really had introduced any of his girlfriends to her. Katie and Oliver were talking about what they thought their friends' reactions would be, while Amelia kept swimming through her own thoughts.
