Lee Jordan had had a very boring summer. Without his friends, the days had dragged by. He had felt as though the summer would never end.
Standing on the King's Cross platform, he was surprised it was September 1 already. It had been so dull and uninteresting that he could not believe today was really the first day of his fifth year.
Because the summer had turned out to be so slow, Lee had ended up amusing himself by trying out different hairstyles and looks. He had grown several inches over the summer, too. The extra height had probably helped in fueling his need to try something different.
Now, he had his dreadlocks back. But he was proud that his different attempts at London fashion had produced some results. Even though Angelina Johnson might not notice him, which hurt a great deal more than he let on, Lee fondly recalled the times when other girls checked him out. Lee prided himself on how well he looked. Many girls - and women - had given him the once over. Most smiled at him appreciatively. Now, if only Angelina had seen...
Lee's thought process stopped. He sighed, melodramatically. Angelina Johnson. The prettiest girl in school. One of the smartest, too. The best Chaser, hands down. Angelina. If only she would see him and smile. Well, she did smile at him. But not in that way. In a friendly way. They had been friends ever since first year when the Sorting Hat had placed them both in Gryffindor.
Lee saw the way Angelina talked with the Weasley twins. He tried so hard to not let it bother him, but today it seemed that his feelings could not be suppressed. He felt a bit angry - and jealous - towards Fred and George. Angelina could be the girlfriend of either boy. So why didn't they ask her?
Unless she was dumping them, too, a small part of his mind said.
But if Angelina wasn't running to the twins, who was she with? Lee could not imagine that a girl like Angelina could be single for all these years. Lee tried his best not to think of the Official List of Guys Who Would Love to Date Angelina Johnson. It was a list that encompassed all the male Quidditch players, Head Boys, and Prefects, and basically every male in year five through seven. She was a role model to many first and second years, both boys and girls, and even some third and fourth year guys liked her. Lee groaned, trying to take his mind off of Angelina.
Lee knew that a guy like Cedric Diggory or Roger Davies would have the best shot to win Angelina's heart. Oliver Wood probably had dated her, though Lee had no proof of such an occurrence. Lee prided himself that Angelina would choose him over a Slytherin any day. But it still hurt that she rebuffed him at every chance he tried to take.
Lee sighed and straightened his robes. Today he would see all of his friends on the Hogwarts Express. And she would be there. He would tell her. Nodding his head and standing tall, Lee boarded the train.
Make it count, Lee, he told himself.
Walking through the various train cars, Lee stopped here and there to chat. He did have inter-House connections, even if he never got the spotlight. It made him feel important, knowing the younger kids knew him. It also gave him time to reach Fred, George, Angelina and Alicia. Lee saw Katie with that prat Roger Davies. Rolling his eyes, Lee passed them by quickly. They were snogging, a sight he had wished to avoid at all costs. Oh well. It seemed like his day could not get any worse.
Finally, Lee reached the compartment his friends occupied. Opening the door, he felt the tense atmosphere and hesitated. For a split second, Lee considered slamming the door and running in the opposite direction. Instead, he did what Lee always did: he put on a cheery smile and faced the problem head on.
"Hey! There's my favorite team!" he called out easily as he walked towards his friends.
Angelina, Alicia, Fred and George immediately brightened at Lee's entrance.
"Hey, Lee!" Alicia responded, getting up and hugging the Quidditch commentator fiercely. "How are you?"
She released him and he gave Fred and George a friendly handshake. The twins clapped their friend on the back.
"Lee!" Fred exclaimed, a huge smile on his face,
"Did you miss us?" George joked.
"Fred! George! It's great to see you again!" Lee replied in kind with a genuine smile.
Angelina smiled at him and his heart melted.
"Hey, Lee. It's good to see you again. How was your summer?" Angelina said easily.
Her voice was so soft and silky smooth, Lee couldn't respond. His throat closed up and all he could do was stare at her. She was so pretty and she had missed him!
Lee's mind was such a jumble, he didn't notice Fred and George waving their hands in front of his face.
"Earth to Lee!" Fred elbowed Lee in the stomach.
"Hey! Lee! You there?" George asked, a bit worried at his friend's unresponsive state.
Alicia collapsed into a fit of giggles.
Angelina frowned. "What's wrong with you?" she demanded of Alicia.
Alicia gasped, "Can't - you - see?" In between fits of giggles, she forced the words out. But neither of the other three understood.
Lee, a bit shell-shocked, snapped out of his reverie at Alicia's laughter. Producing a bouquet of red and yellow tulips, he proffered the flowers to Angelina.
"For you," he roughly explained, blushing. Although he had dark skin, his skin had turned a darker shade. Embarrassed at his evident blush, Lee coughed, trying to diffuse the situation. "What? Can't I get a pretty girl flowers?" he asked, trying to be the funny guy.
"Lee, this is really nice of you. But you should save them for someone you really like," Angelina said, handing the flowers back.
"No way! Keep them. If you don't like them, throw them out," Lee said, refusing to take them back.
Angelina's mouth turned into a half-smile, unsure of what to do next.
Before she could reply, the compartment door opened once more.
Oliver Wood stood in the doorway, unsure of what to make of the scene in front of him. Frowning, Oliver eyed the bouquet suspiciously.
"Johnson!" he barked. "Outside. Now!"
Lee, Fred, George and Alicia looked at Wood, eyes open in surprise and shock. Oliver had only shared their compartment once, when Angelina, Alicia, Fred and George had first made the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Since then, Wood had mostly spent his time up with the other Prefects and Head Boys and Girls. His visit this year came as a surprise to all of them.
"Oliver, what are you -" Alicia began.
"Not now, Spinnet," Oliver retorted.
"Hey! Cool it, man!" Fred finally got out, his composure returning after his shock.
"She didn't mean anything by it," George added, supporting his twin and friends.
Lee just stood there, mouth open, dumbfounded.
"Johnson! I said NOW!" Oliver shouted.
Alicia's mouth dropped open at Wood's tone. No matter what, Oliver had never been really angry at his team. He had been depressed that they had not won the Quidditch Cup, yes. But he had never been mad at any one of them individually before. This was a whole new situation.
Pondering the situation, Alicia suspected something else might be on Wood's mind. Seeing his eyes go between Lee, Fred, George, Angelina and the bouquet of flowers, Alicia put two and two together and got five. Alicia smirked and looked at Angelina.
Angelina stood rooted to the ground. Surprise, shock and anger mingled on her face. Her eyes, a dark chocolate brown color, now sparked with her emotions. Steadying herself, Angelina inclined her head, set the bouquet down on the table, and announced, "Fred, George, Alicia, Lee, I'll be back in a moment. Please, excuse me." Elegantly, Angelina left the compartment, allowing Wood to hold the door open for her.
Wood, despite his anger, was still a gentleman. He let Angelina exit the compartment first, gallantly holding the door open for her. Quickly, he closed and locked the compartment door and cast a skilled Muffliato charm so no one else could overhear them.
Just in case.