Chapter 4 – The Dream

•~•~•~•

It was pitch black as I walked down the corridors of the castle, searching for any sign of noise or movement.

I moved slowly and lightly, my bare feet curling from the cold stone beneath me. I turned the corner and saw a sliver of light.

"Nox," a voice whispered, and immediately, the light went out and the darkness returned.

"Ginny! Ginny wake up!" A voice yelled.

"What...?" I mumbled, cracking my eyes open.

"Ginny, come on!" Olivia yanked me out of bed. "We're going to miss breakfast!"

"Okay, okay!" I conceded. "I'm up!" I pulled back my covers and hopped out of bed. I really hated early mornings. They did not, in the slightest, agree with me.

I grumbled a few incoherent words as I changed into my uniform and robes, before heading over to the bathroom to brush both my teeth and hair.

Tying my hair back into a pony tail, I slipped on a black headband and walked out of the bathroom and down to the common room.

"Hey," I half smiled at Liv, still groggy from sleep.

"Hey!" she yelled excitedly, pulling me in for a hug. "Merlin, I haven't seen you in ages!"

"I know! It's been forever!" I agreed, taking a step back.

Olivia Linxon was a fifth year Gryffindor, like me. But that's where the similarities stop. While I had flaming red hair that reached half way down my back, and brown eyes, she had dull blonde hair that came just below her shoulders, and dark blue eyes. I guess you could say our personalities were almost the same, but we did have our differences in that, just like we had with everything. But somehow, we made it work.

"So, how were your holidays?" I asked.

Liv shrugged. "Boring, mostly. Mum and dad worked a lot of the time, so it was very quiet. But I enjoyed the relaxation. What about you? You wouldn't have been bored; you have too many siblings to keep you entertained." she grinned.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Yeah, yeah. At least you can have some peace and quiet. It's almost impossible to get that in my house."

"I can imagine," she laughed. "So, should we start heading down to breakfast?"

I smiled and nodded my head. "Let's go."

As we walked through the common room, my eyes absentmindedly glanced over to the boy's staircase. I bit my lip to contain a smile as I saw Harry coming down the steps. With no one following him. Now was my chance to talk to him.

"Hey Liv?" I asked, coming to a stop.

"Yeah?"

"I just realised I forgot something," I lied.

"Okay, I'll wait here for you."

"No, no." I waved her off. "You go. I might be a while; I forgot where exactly I put it."

"Oh, are you sure? Do you know where it is? I can help you look for it," she offered.

"No, really." I assured her, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice. "I'll meet you down in the Great Hall."

Olivia shrugged. "Okay then."

As Liv made her way through the portrait hole, I turned around and my breath hitched when I saw Harry walking towards me.

Why was he walking towards me? My breathing quickened when I realised that I actually had no idea what to say.

Oh, Merlin, what do I do?!

"Hi," he smiled, stopping in front of me.

"Hey," I breathed.

"You look exhausted. You okay?" He asked, looking the slightest bit concerned.

I shrugged. "I've been better. I think I just need some energy in my system."

"Let's go have some breakfast, then," he smiled. I smiled back, and together we walked to the Great Hall.

•~•~•~•

As Harry and I stepped inside the Great Hall, Dean paced up to us.

"Ginny, what are you doing?" he said, directing a glare towards Harry.

"Coming to eat breakfast," I smiled. "What are you doing?"

Dean gave me a look.

Gee, what got his wand in a knot?

He glanced at Harry, then settled his gaze on me. "Let's go, Ginny." he said, tugging my arm as pulled me toward the Gryffindor table.

I looked back at Harry and smiled sympathetically when I registered the frown etched across his lips.

"Sorry," I mouthed to him, and then I let Dean pull me away.

•~•~•~•

The bell for first period rang, and Dean pulled me in for a kiss before he headed off to Defence Against the Dark Arts… Where Harry must be...

Damnit, Ginny! You're not with Harry, you're with Dean! Get a grip!

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and I continued my path to Charms.

"Hey, Liv," I sighed, stopping in front of her.

"Hi!" she smiled, then smirked. "I saw you walk in with Harry Potter this morning. What's going on with that?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Nothing." I replied, a bit too aggressively, may I add.

Wow, smooth, Ginny. Smooth...

"Okay, okay! No need to get defensive." Liv put her hands up and laughed. "I was just asking."

"Nothing's going on," I assured her. "And besides; I'm with Dean."

Liv frowned a little. "But you don't want to be, do you? You want to be with Harry."

I sighed. There was no point in denying it, she was Olivia Linxon, my best friend, she always knew when I was keeping stuff from her, but, at least I knew she could keep a secret.

"Yes," I sighed again. "But I don't even think he likes me."

"Rubbish!" Olivia scowled. "How could he not? You're smart, funny and pretty. How could any guy not like you?!"

I shrugged. "Not every guy goes for that." But I smiled anyway. "Thanks, Liv. You always know how to cheer me up."

"Of course, I do," she laughed, pulling me along with her as we entered the classroom. "We're best friends!"

-
A/N: OC (original character) is finally introduced! What do you guys think of Olivia Linxon?

So, guys, I really value your opinions on my story, and if you enjoyed it, it'd be amazing if you could leave a quick vote or even a short comment!

Thanks for reading!

-DauntlessFeather xx

*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*
~Written in March 2016~

~Edited as of the 20th of January 2017~
*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*