My story has been getting more and more hits everyday and I'm definitely grateful for that. But reviews are still occasional. So please do review as it means the world to me. This chapter is shorter compared to the first three chapters as I want to stretch the story out longer. Secondly, I also realized, why write such a long chapter and get so few reviews for it? However I still remain grateful to rukia23, williammoseleysgirl, Kenya, undermyumbrella, starletspotlight and Toolazytologin. It is because of people like you I know I have to update as soon as possible. This chapter I have started to put in more Oliver insight so that you guys can see what really goes on in his head.

So I hope you like it and review.

Ashlyn had her head bent over her parchment, frowning slightly as she tried to concentrate on her Potions homework. It was a sunny afternoon in Hogwarts; study period. Ashlyn was thinking of the Gryffindor – Slytherin match that was to take place soon. To be precise, she was thinking of the Gryffindor Keeper who was playing in the Gryffindor – Slytherin match. Ashlyn thought back on the night of the Ravenclaw – Hufflepuff match; she just could not keep it out of her thoughts. Realizing she just blotted her homework, Ashlyn groaned softly in frustration. "Hey," Ashlyn glanced up to meet Cedric's grey eyes. He smiled at her, gesturing to the seat across her. "Mind if I sit here?" He whispered, oblivious to the stern look Professor McGonagall shot at their direction.

"Go ahead," Ashlyn said, grateful for the company. Raine and George had become basically inseparable and Ashlyn was left alone on several occasions. She did not mind; Raine was happy and that was all that mattered. "Did you get trouble for you know…checking up on me during the match?" Ashlyn asked uncomfortably.

"A bit of heat, but that's all," Cedric said lightly. Taking her essay, Cedric drew out his wand and muttered, "Tergeo," The ink blots on the parchment were slowly cleaned off. "Here," He slipped the essay back to Ashlyn.

"Thanks," Ashlyn said quietly. Unable to take it any longer, she put down her quill. "Can we get out of here?" Cedric looked at her in confusion, but hoisted his bag onto his shoulder. Ashlyn gathered her things as well and they left the Great Hall together.

'Are you crazy?' Her mind yelled at her. 'What are you going to say???' I don't know! Ashlyn thought in panic. 'Oh nice, drag him out of the Great Hall and then realize you don't know what to say? Nice move,' her mind jeered at her. Don't blame me! Ashlyn thought angrily, I've got to know! 'Know what exactly?? You're going to sound like a complete nut-job!' Shut UP! Ashlyn mentally yelled at herself. I am already a nut-case for listening to a VOICE in my HEAD! 'Fine, make a fool out of yourself; I don't care anymore.' The voice sneered. Ashlyn nearly tore her hair out of her head until Cedric grabbed her arm. Jerking out of her stupor, Ashlyn found a pillar right in her face that she could have smashed into if it was not for Cedric's quick timing.

"Hey, hey," He said gently, pulling her towards him. "You nearly hurt yourself there," Mortified, Ashlyn quickly slid out of Cedric's grip; flushing deeply in embarrassment. "What's wrong?" He stared at her with those grey eyes she dreamt about the night before.

"N-nothing," Ashlyn quickly stammered. She resumed walking towards the Entrance Hall, down the front steps; and before she knew it, they were both in front of the calm Black Lake. 'Why are we here again?' The voice spoke up in quiet wonderment. It's the only place I can think clearly.

"Funny that we always end up here," Cedric commented casually, as if reading her thoughts. "Here makes you think better, more clearly, right?" Ashlyn could only nod. "Yeah, same goes for me." Cedric agreed as he took a seat on the grass. "So I guess I know where I can find you if I ever need to-" Ashlyn could barely bear it any longer.

"Cedric," She blurted out. "What are we?" She asked point-blank, refusing to sit down; to avoid eye-contact. Cedric blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean; you're nice to me, you lost the Snitch to check on me, and you are probably getting trouble for doing so," Ashlyn pointed out in tired frustration. "What am I to you? A friend or a sister you never had?" Biting her lip, Ashlyn continued, "I'm sorry I'm so blunt, but I can't stand not knowing anymore." There was a short silence before Cedric took her wrist and pulled her down on top of him. Ashlyn sucked in her breath as she found herself nose-to-nose with Cedric. His eyes seemed brighter than usual; bright with quiet amusement and something she was not sure of.

"Can't you tell?" Cedric breathed. Ashlyn shook her head stupidly, her head in a swirling mess. "Then let me put it this way," He tucked a lock of her red head behind her ear. She could feel his hot breath on her cheek, "I am very interested in you, Miss Spencer…" His lips curved into a smirk. Then, he lifted his chin and pressed his lips to hers.

Ashlyn felt a swooping effect in her stomach as the kiss deepened. She sank into her own sweet dreamland; oblivious to her surroundings. Ashlyn shoved all that was clouding her head aside and concentrated on Cedric. After some time, he pulled away; another smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "Did you get that?" Cedric quietly teased. Ashlyn quickly slid off his lap to the spot next to him, afraid she was going to fall over. Swallowing in anticipation, Ashlyn leaned closer to him.

"No, not really," She breathed. "You could try again," Cedric let out a small laugh before he leaned in again.

So that was it; Ashlyn and Cedric was an official couple. Ashlyn was blissful and in much better moods. Cedric was the loveliest person besides all her friends; he was a gentleman and most of all, he loved her as his other half. During the day, they would write notes to each other; study and do homework in the library or meet at the Black Lake to talk. Cedric was understanding, attentive and armed with a good sense of humor which Ashlyn adored. He could sooth her anger, ride out her frustration and best of all, make her feel better in the end. Ashlyn herself; was amazed that she could be so in love with someone. But the thing was: no one else in Hogwarts knew about them.

She found it strange, but chose not to question it. Cedric wanted it; he wanted the relationship to stay secret. 'For now,' her mind reminded her. Still, she found herself wondering why they could not show everyone else the special bond they had. Ashlyn thought back on the day she and Cedric kissed for the first time:

Cedric was holding her hand; they were lying on the grass at the Black Lake. "Listen," He suddenly spoke up, "Can we just keep this," He gestured to themselves with his other hand. "Between us; for now…?" Cedric glanced at her.

"…Why?" She could not help but ask.

"Because I want to keep you to myself for a while," Cedric replied; a genuine smile spreading across his face. Letting the charm of his words wash all over her, Ashlyn could not help but nod and agree. Cedric then sat up to kiss her forehead; making all the feelings bothering her fly away.

Ashlyn sighed; slumped on her desk during the History of Magic. She doodled idly on her parchment. Hearts, rainbows and suns; she was eating herself inside out with frustration. After that day, whenever she and Cedric saw each other along the corridor with friends; they would exchange polite conversation before parting ways. No kiss on the cheek, no holding hands, no sign of intimacy whenever they were surrounded with people. She found it strange, suspicious maybe. But something held her back from confronting Cedric; herself. It had seemed such a wonderful dream, one she never wanted to wake up from; yet, she still wanted to find out the real reason why Cedric did not want the school to know about them. Deciding on her course of action, Ashlyn scribbled on a piece of parchment: I need your help. Ensuring Binns was not looking, Ashlyn passed the parchment to Raine next to her.

Raine blinked in curiosity before writing: What's up?

Why didn't you tell me about you and George before?

Okay, that was REALLY random. Why do you ask?

I am just curious. I mean, why did you want to keep it as secret?

I was not going to keep it as a TOTAL secret. I was going to tell you.

When?

Well…okay, so I didn't tell you immediately. What's wrong with that?

Why? Why is it such a huge thing?

Ash, George and I started out as friends. If it didn't work out, can you imagine what will happen if all our friends start taking sides? We – okay, maybe only me, wanted to keep it quiet; see how it goes before confirming it.

Oh.

Why do you ask? Are you and Diggory together?

No. But just a hypothetical question: what if George wanted to keep the relationship quiet? Say you two never started out as friends; and he expresses interest in you. But he said he wants to keep it quiet for a while. How would you feel?

Well firstly, I would be a bit suspicious. I mean, why initiate a relationship and then keep it quiet? It will be a bit suspicious to me; could be that he has someone else. But we're talking hypothetically, right?

Ashlyn deflated as she read Raine's answer. She trusted Raine with all her life and what Raine said seemed to match Ashlyn's insecurities. Crumpling the parchment, Ashlyn wondered what she going to say when she met Cedric. Ignoring Raine's inquisitive looks, Ashlyn sank back into her bored stupor; her stomach churning sickeningly of the possibility Cedric was not as perfect as he seemed to be. Burying her head into her arms, Ashlyn let out a soft groan.

It was lunchtime and before Ashlyn could search for Cedric, she found herself being dragged by the Weasley twins to the courtyard outside. Finally deciding to ditch her original plans, Ashlyn found herself heading towards the Gryffindor Quidditch team, minus Harry, who were sitting in a group. Oliver had his arms crossed, a serious expression on his face. Angelina, Alicia and Katie seemed to be reassuring him constantly. As Ashlyn and the Weasley twins came into view, the three Chasers brightened. "You're here," Angelina said in relief. "He's not listening to us." The twins pushed Ashlyn forward.

Throwing them a 'what-the-heck-can-I-do' look, Ashlyn sighed and took a seat next to Oliver. His furrowed eyebrows never even relax one bit even when she sat down; he seemed to be thinking hard. "Oliver," Ashlyn said gently. He remained silent. "Oliver." Ashlyn said in a louder voice. "You're going to fine for your match, alright?" He still refused to listen. Knowing he would not give up so easily, Ashlyn pressed on, "You have a great team who will never let you down. You know that,"

"Yeah Oliver," Angelina soothed, "We'll beat Slytherin. We've practiced so many times-"

"In all types of weather-" Fred interrupted.

"Rain or shine," George finished.

"We want this as much as you do, Oliver," Alicia piped up.

"We have to win," Oliver finally spoke, worry evident in his voice. "I want to see that look on Flint's face when we do." Ashlyn glanced around the courtyard, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cedric. "Alright, let's go get changed." The Gryffindor Quidditch team rose with a small cheer and headed towards the changing rooms as the school started to make their way to the Quidditch pitch. Oliver hung back, noticing Ashlyn hesitance. "Looking for someone?" He asked curiously.

"Oh I'm looking for Raine," Ashlyn lied quickly. "Good luck." She hugged Oliver briefly before joining her House to get to the pitch. A hand clamped down on Ashlyn's wrist; belonging to Raine herself. "Oh there you are," Ashlyn sighed in relief.

"What was that during the History of Magic?" Raine demanded as they hurried along. "What was the hypothetical question addressing?" Ashlyn quickly dismissed it with a vague wave of her hand as they went up to the seats. Getting a front row seat, Ashlyn let the wind run through her hair; making her relax a great deal, it was like she was back playing Quidditch.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor – Slytherin match of the season! Last week we remember the exciting Ravenclaw – Hufflepuff match where Ravenclaw took the win; making Ravenclaw the front runner for the time being." Lee Jordan's boomed in the stadium. "But today, let's welcome the Gryffindor team! Captain Wood – Johnson – Spinnet – Bell – Weasley – Weasley and finally, Potter!" Loud cheers erupted from the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff sectors; matched by loud boos and jeers from the Slytherins.

"And the lousy- Sorry Professor," Lee apologized to Professor McGonagall. "Slytherin team led by Flint – Pucey – Montague – Derrick – Bole – Bletchley and Malfoy, Slytherin's new Seeker," Loud rowdy cheers rose at the Slytherin sector. "Seems Flint is rather going for size rather than skill-" Even louder boos greeted Lee's statement. "Both teams take their positions as Madam Hooch enters the stadium…"

Oliver flies off to the three golden hoops at one end. His mind was barely on the Quidditch match at hand, surprisingly. He was frustrated at his lack of concentration; after all, he was Oliver Wood. Quidditch was supposed to be so important to him that nothing else should matter. But now, he could not help but think of Ashlyn and the Ravenclaw – Hufflepuff match last week. Something stirred deep down inside of him when he saw her get hit by a Bludger; and something else even more foreign roared inside when Diggory flew straight to her. He could not place a finger on it. 'It can't be jealousy,' Oliver had reasoned with himself. After all, Ashlyn was just a friend to him; nothing more than that.

Still, he had his doubts.

A whistle jerked Oliver out of his thoughts. He watched as the Quaffle was thrown into the air. Gripping his broom more tightly, he saw his Chasers scatter; the Quaffle in Katie's possession. Fleetingly, for a moment, he thought he spotted Ashlyn in the fray; her hair windblown, her green eyes flashing determinedly, her lips curving into a smile as she scored…Oliver mentally smacked himself and saw that the Quaffle was taken from Katie, now in Flint's possession. Oliver cursed mentally and braced himself. Flint hurled the Quaffle; at the same time, Oliver thought of how Ashlyn's green eyes seemed to be a better shade of green compared to Flint's green robes. Oliver missed the Quaffle and Slytherin scored ten points.

Flint sneered triumphantly at Oliver before returning to the game. Biting his lip, Oliver struggled to get over himself, fuming.

Ashlyn's face fell as Flint scored. Something was wrong today; it was a fairly easy shot that Oliver missed, he was just a several seconds late. Borrowing one of her Housemate's binoculars, Ashlyn pressed her eyes to it and aimed it at Oliver. He had a peculiar look on his face, like he was thinking of something else other than the match. Wishing she could go up to him and give him a good whack on the head, Ashlyn forced herself to watch the action at her end. She winced as Angelina was fouled by Flint and Montague. However, something else caught her eye. Fred and George kept hovering over Harry, whacking a Bludger that kept doubling back to unseat Harry.

Alicia took the shot and failed to score against Bletchley. Groans sounded from the Gryffindor area. "What's happening to the Gryffindor team?" Raine said in disbelief.

"Beats me," Ashlyn replied shortly. She crossed her fingers as Pucey got past Oliver to score another ten points. Ashlyn wondered what had come over Oliver, letting in the goals. The score quickly rose to sixty – zero, Slytherin in the lead. Ashlyn and Raine were clutching each other, terrified as they watched the rogue Bludger attempt to take Harry's head off. They breathed again when Oliver called for a time-out. "About time," Ashlyn muttered as the Gryffindor team huddled together. The Slytherins jeered even louder.

"Anyway," Raine said casually, "What's going on between you and Diggory?" Ashlyn shrugged, ensuring she was completely emotionless. "Come on, Ash," Raine coaxed. "There really isn't anything?" Ashlyn nodded quickly and lifted the binoculars, searching the crowds of Hufflepuffs. She found Cedric, talking to a very pretty Hufflepuff who was definitely, judging by her body language, flirting with Cedric.

Putting the binoculars down quickly, Ashlyn blinked so that the sector of Hufflepuffs was just a square of squiggling black dots. She knew it was too much of a cliché, so typical. Focusing on the Quidditch match, Ashlyn watched as the Gryffindors flew back to their positions. She did not need Raine hissing in her ear, "Why is Harry alone? Where are Fred and George??"

"Elsewhere; Harry wants to be left alone." Ashlyn concluded shrewdly as they watched Harry swoop, swerve and zigzag all over the pitch.

"He's mad," Raine cried, "The Bludger is going to kill him!" Just then, the mad Bludger collided hard with Harry's right arm. Raine screamed and Ashlyn flinched, biting down hard on her lip. "Oh god," Raine moaned as Harry started to zoom towards Malfoy. "What is he DOING???"

"Harry's spotted the Snitch!!" Ashlyn danced on her seat, craning her neck to see Harry dive towards the ground.

Lee confirmed the news, "POTTER'S GOT THE SNITCH!!! GRYFFINDOR WIN: A HUNDRED AND FIFTY TO SIXTY!!!!" Roars of celebration echoed around the stadium as all the Gryffindor supporters rose to cheer on the Gryffindors. Ashlyn hugged Raine in relief and the both of them hurried down. They pushed open the Gryffindor changing room, only to be greeted by cheers of triumph. Fred and George dragged her and Raine into a group hug. Ashlyn pulled away, coming face-to-face with a muddy Oliver who was grinning from ear to ear. He whooped and engulfed her in a huge hug.

Ashlyn laughed giddily, "You're all muddy! Get off!"

"No way, Ash," Oliver shot back, swinging her around before setting her down. Then his face scrunched in concern, "Your lip is bleeding." His thumb swiped over the small wound gently, making her heart skip several beats. "Are you alright?" He asked in concern.

Ashlyn bared her teeth in a smile, "I'm perfectly fine."

Ashlyn wandered towards the Black Lake; normally she would only go there to meet Cedric during lunchtimes. But today, she wanted to be alone and think. Pulling her knees to her chest, Ashlyn found a stalk of dandelion next to her. Plucking it, Ashlyn closed her eyes and made a silent wish before blowing the dandelion softly; watching as the fluff was carried away by the wind. "You believe in those?" A voice came from behind her. Ashlyn smiled; her wish came true, well part of it.

She glanced behind to see Cedric making his way closer to her. He took a seat next to her and he eyed the bare stalk that her fingers held. Ashlyn let the stalk go and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I guess I do, since my wish came true." The smile on Cedric's face broadened as he leaned forward for their customary greeting kiss. But this time, Ashlyn leaned back slightly; preventing Cedric's lips from pressing down on hers. He paused momentarily in confusion. "So who is she?" Ashlyn tried to sound casual.

Cedric withdrew, his confused expression deepened, "She?" He raised an eyebrow.

"She," Ashlyn said calmly, "Blonde…during the match just now…" A realization dawned on Cedric; she saw it on his face. "So who is she?"

Cedric understood, "I would never do that to you."

"I wouldn't know," Ashlyn shrugged. "I mean, nobody doesn't know about us; it makes sense for other girls to approach you." She tried to make herself found as nonchalant as possible so that it did not sound like an outright accusation or an insult to his honor.

Cedric was quiet. "You doubt me?" His question was unfathomable. Fearing the worst, Ashlyn reddened and searched her mind for a suitable reply.

"What I meant to say-" She was starting to say, but Cedric placed a finger on her lips gently. She immediately fell silent.

"One day," Cedric said softly as he let his finger fall, "One day, I'll prove it to you. Just," He paused for a while, searching for the right words, "Let it be only us; alright?" His grey eyes met with her green ones, "For now?"

Ashlyn closed her eyes and gave in to those two words she knew so well, "Sure," She said dully. As Cedric drew her into his arms, Ashlyn could not help but feel the familiar twinge of suspicion as she breathed in the scent of Cedric's robes.

And that's that. Please review!

And alright; just a tiny sneak-peek at the next chapter:

Taking her wrist, Cedric led her back into the corridor. Before he could slide his arm around her waist, Oliver came from around the corner. He looked taken aback at their appearance.

"What are you doing here?" Ashlyn cried; her face flushing.

Oliver smiled awkwardly and cleared his throat, "I was going to see if the Dueling Club meeting was worth going. Since the two of you are here, I guess it isn't." Nodding curtly at Cedric, Oliver turned on his heel and left.

You know what to do.

Review, I mean.