Chapter Seven! This chapter came out faster than usual as I will be going on holiday from Friday to Monday. So I will not be updating at the period of time. I will still be writing of course! But I would probably only update next...Wednesday? So I will be leaving this chapter for you guys to chew on. Exciting things coming up! HUGE thanks to my lovely reviewers: OceanSapphire, Toolazytologin, Karma Lynn, williammoseleysgirl, Kenya, StarletSpotlight, Hurricane Rachel and StormXBringer. But ohmygosh, where is RUKIA23????? Aw, I'm so hurt. Haha but thanks you guys!

So I have decided that at the end of the chapter, I will have this sort of 'campfire' thing where if you guys have any questions for me, I will answer them at the end of each chapter. And if you made any interesting comment in your review, I might also just address it! I got the 'campfire' idea from NCIS, my new favourite crime show. Haha so think about it and ask me your questions in your reviews!

Okay enjoy Chapter Seven!


Ashlyn tapped her foot, leaning against the pillar of the courtyard. Today, all those who went home for Christmas were coming back to Hogwarts. Soon, groups of students poured into the courtyard. Waving at a few Ravenclaws, Ashlyn stood on her tiptoes to see above the crowd. Cursing herself for her average height, Ashlyn jumped up and down lightly on her feet; hoping to catch a glimpse. She stopped when she caught sight of Raine cutting through the crowd. Smiling, Ashlyn hugged her best friend. "Thanks for the Drooble's Gum!"

"And thanks to you for the Sugar Quills," Raine grinned. "Had a good Christmas?" Ashlyn nodded affirmative.

"What did you get for Christmas?"

"Oh this and that," Raine said vaguely, smiling uncertainly, "You know my dad," Raine was a Half-Blood; her mother was a witch and her father a Muggle. Instead of being shocked at his magical wife, Mr. Lee had taken the whole thing very well; nearly like a child during Christmas. So when Raine was born, he spoiled her and lavished many gifts on her.

Mr. Lee was extremely affectionate of his only daughter; occasionally making Ashlyn jealous of Raine. Her father was an Auror and was barely home whenever she was. The smallest consolation was that whenever Mr. Spencer was home, he would pay his full and undivided attention to Ashlyn. "Where's George?" Raine asked casually, unable to hide the red appearing on her face.

Ashlyn grinned knowingly, "He's waiting for you outside the Ravenclaw Tower." Raine smiled happily and quickly bid her best friend goodbye. Ashlyn smiled as she watched Raine depart, wondering if she has ever seen Raine so happy before. Barely paying attention to her surroundings, Ashlyn did not catch Cedric detaching from the crowd and approaching her.

She only snapped out of it when Cedric slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her briefly on the lips. "Nice to see you too," Ashlyn commented. "I trust you had a great Christmas, Mr. Diggory?" He steered her towards the Black Lake; their usual place.

"If you would so kindly as to define 'great'," Cedric muttered as they strode across the courtyard. "If 'great' means thinking of you all day, then I had a brilliant Christmas." Ashlyn reddened, shivers spreading from Cedric's light weight on her waist to all over her body. "What about you?"

"I had a wonderful Christmas," Ashlyn said as they settled down on the cool grass, the snow already melting. "Thank you for the roses, they're really beautiful," She smiled up at Cedric. He leaned forward and kissed her deeply, his arms circling her waist. Inching onto his lap, Ashlyn enjoyed the warmth Cedric's embrace provided. He gently pulled away after a few moments.

"You're welcome," He breathed, his warm breath on her forehead made her skin tingle. Moving their limbs, Cedric shifted their position to make Ashlyn more comfortable. She slid her arms around him and laid her head on the crook of his neck and shoulder. Sighing contentedly, she pressed her lips on his neck before returning her gaze to the Black Lake. "Are you cold?" Cedric asked as he absentmindedly played with the ends of her hair.

"Not so much," She reassured, closing her eyes.

"How touching," A sneer came from behind the two of them. Cedric and Ashlyn sprang apart and glanced around. It was Professor Snape; his black eyes as dull and dark as ever. "I would advise the two of you to prevent yourself from showing such displays of affection in front of the younger students." They got up, an awkward silence hanging over them. "Get back to the castle," Snape snapped. "That will be five points from Ravenclaw, Spencer." His dark eyes that moved to Cedric, "Five points from Hufflepuff as well, Diggory,"

Daring not to meet Snape's eye, Ashlyn bent her head down and quickly hurried back to the courtyard. She was biting down hard on her lip, trying to hold back her laughter. It was only when Cedric caught up to her and took her hand; she laughed. "You heard him," She chided but laced her fingers with his instead.

"He's probably jealous," Cedric muttered. Punching his arm lightly, Ashlyn giggled as they strode across the courtyard. Entering the castle, Ashlyn caught sight of Oliver. He was walking in the opposite direction; towards them. She looked away in embarrassment, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. Cedric's arm slipped around her waist, bringing her closer to him protectively. Everything seemed to be in slow motion; the two boys glared at each other before breaking eye contact.

Willing herself not to look back, Ashlyn glanced up at Cedric. A muscle leapt in his jaw and he was mutinous, his grip on her had tightened and he was half-dragging her by the arm. Swiftly, she tiptoed and planted a kiss on his cheek. The anger faded and he slowed his pace. "You know if looks could kill, you would have left a bloody trail behind." Ashlyn teased.

Cedric relaxed, "I guess,"

"There's no need to be mad at him," Ashlyn pointed out.

"You've forgiven him?" Cedric's jaw tightened.

"No, it's just that it shouldn't concern you," Ashlyn shrugged, "It's between him and me, really."

"You were upset," Cedric said, stopping on his tracks. "You were crying and he did not even apologize for it. I can't forgive that," He said seriously, gently taking her hand. "Don't you understand?"

Ashlyn tilted her head to the side and stepped closer to him, "You're such a bleeding heart," She murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck. Pressing her lips to his briefly, Ashlyn murmured, "Thank you," Cedric grinned and wrapped his arm around her, gently guiding up the stairs towards the Ravenclaw Tower.


Oliver stared glumly out at the Black Lake. He was playing various scenarios in his head, or at least trying to. The memory of Ashlyn barely able to look him in the eye kept barging into his mind's eye, making his heart ache. Shaking himself out of it, he concentrated hard, "I'm sorry," He said aloud. Mulling it over, he tried again, "Forgive me, I was a prat-" Everything sounded foreign to him; apologizing was not the easiest thing to do, even if it was just practicing. "I'm sorry," Simple and straightforward; just the way he liked it.

"The first sign of insanity: talking to yourself," Angelina's voice floated from behind him. Glancing behind, Oliver saw his fellow Quidditch player approach him. Angelina took a seat next to Oliver and looked at him in amusement. Truth be told, out of all three Gryffindor Chasers, Angelina was the one who knew Oliver well enough to be comfortable around him.

Oliver sighed, "I've been thinking about it throughout Christmas-"

"Her," Angelina corrected. "Ashlyn isn't an object, Oliver."

His mouth stretched into a grim smile, "Right," Sighing in frustration, Oliver rested his head on his fist as he glared out at the water. "Are you here to yell at me or something?"

Angelina raised her eyebrow, "How could I ever yell at my own Quidditch captain, Oliver?" She asked innocently. Oliver snorted incredulously, failing to anticipate Angelina's next move. Her hand slapped the back of his head. His head jerked and his jaw dropped open. "You deserved it," Angelina reminded coolly. "I wouldn't yell at you but I can hopefully knock some sense into you."

Rubbing his head, Oliver muttered something inaudible along the lines of "Bet you've been waiting to do that all Christmas."

Angelina's eyes flashed but she decided to let it go. "Anyway, what have you got?"

Oliver glanced at her in confusion, "Got what?" He echoed stupidly.

"How are you going to apologize to Ashlyn?" Angelina prompted impatiently.

"No idea," Oliver muttered. "She could not even look at me," Gloom descended down on him again.

"You did say some hurtful things," Angelina pointed out stoutly. "Come on, Oliver; you have never treated her so harshly before. I would have hexed you if I were her," Angelina concluded to herself thoughtfully.

"Are you here to help me or not?" Oliver growled.

"God, Oliver," Angelina threw her hands up towards the sky, "Just say sorry! Is that so difficult?"

"It isn't exactly very easy," Oliver defended, "She can barely look me in the eye, so how can I apologize that way? She probably hates me now," Oliver muttered; the guilt overwhelming his being. "And judging by the way Diggory looked at me earlier on; I'd have better chances facing a dragon than approaching Ashlyn."

Angelina rolled her eyes, "It's not like Ashlyn can't think for herself; Wake up, Oliver, do you even know Ashlyn well enough?" Angelina demanded incredulously.

"Of course," Oliver shot back, offended. "Diggory's just got-"

"He's YOUNGER than you, Oliver!" Angelina exploded. Her hand descended down on his head again. "You're going to let a YOUNGER Hufflepuff stand in your way from patching up your friendship with Ashlyn??" Fueled into the regular spit-fire she was, Angelina ranted at Oliver while assaulting his shoulder simultaneously. "You-" She smacked him. "Are-" Another smack; "Such-" Smack; "A-" A punch she delivered this time; "PRAT!" Angelina groused.

By then, Oliver was chuckling in amusement. He fended off Angelina's blows, laughing. Realizing she was not getting anywhere, Angelina dealt a final punch on his shoulder before bursting into laughter as well. "You prat," Angelina said, a small note of affection in her voice.

The two settled into a comfortable silence. "Thanks, Angelina," Oliver finally said. The dark girl smiled to herself; Oliver usually addressed his peers by their surnames. But by calling her by her name, it showed his obvious sincerity. Scoffing at him jokingly, Angelina got to her feet and left Oliver to his thoughts.


Raine lay in bed, wide awake. She knew all of her roommates were already asleep. Estimating the time, she threw off her covers; still fully dressed. Pulling on her robes, Raine crept around the room; making sure Ashlyn and the rest were sleeping. Then she slipped out of the dormitory into the common room. She exited the Ravenclaw Tower and into George's arms.

"If we get caught, I'll kill you," Raine said breathlessly, excitement bubbling inside of her. George scoffed and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I realized you tell me that whenever we do this," George frowned. Whipping out the Marauder's Map that Raine grew accustomed to seeing, George tapped the parchment with his wand, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Slowly the lines and ink stretched across the blank surface. Raine studied the map over George's shoulder.

Filch was skulking at the second floor; Professor Snape was patrolling the third floor; Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout were walking along the Ground floor. "Alright," George stowed the map back into his robes. "Lumos," He muttered. His wand lit up; taking Raine's hand, they descended to the fourth floor.

It was not the first time that Raine and George had a short moonlight walk around the castle. Although it was against the rules, Raine loved the rush of adrenaline as they escaped the close shaves. It was pointless but at the same time, they enjoyed their time together. "So what's going on with Diggory and Ash?" George asked casually, remembering Oliver's request- threat- for George to find out what Diggory and Ashlyn's relationship was like.

Raine immediately caught on, "Tell Wood to mind his own business," She muttered as they walked along a corridor of sleeping pictures. Keeping his wand down so as to not wake up the portraits, George pulled Raine closer to him. "The nerve…" Raine growled.

He laughed quietly, "How did you know?"

"Because you wouldn't really want to know," Raine pointed out, "You're the type who wouldn't want to get involved."

"But he threatened me with more Quidditch practice," George whispered, "I can feel my arm muscles cramping up already,"

"Aw," Raine cooed sarcastically. "Honestly, Ash's relationship with Cedric seems pretty clear to me. He seems to really like her, treating her with respect and care," Raine sighed happily, "And he makes her happy, that being a key factor."

George scowled, "You're right; I don't want to know,"

Raine brushed it off, "Plus, he thinks of her first; the reason Diggory will always be better than Wood." Raine declared.

"Then doesn't he sound a bit too perfect?" George said. "Calls for a bit of suspicion, doesn't it?"

Raine rolled her eyes, "Are you jealous?" She asked playfully, "Or are you thinking like Wood and saying that Ashlyn does not usually inspire such good treatment from males?"

"No, no, of course not," George said hastily, "Just that Diggory seems a little too flawless; I'd be on my guard."

"A little too late, Weasley," Filch's greasy voice came from behind them. George and Raine stopped on their tracks, a swooping feeling filling Raine's stomach, "Tsk, tsk, tsk," Filch approached them, "What do we have here…?" A grim smile stretched across Filch's wrinkled face.

Busted.


"Out of bed," Professor McGonagall's voice trembled with fury. George and Raine were standing in front of her desk of her Transfiguration classroom. "Do you know how dangerous it is to be out of bed at night, unaccompanied by a teacher??" Her voice rose like a whip, making Raine and George flinch. "TWO helpless students and a cat lie in the Hospital Wing, PETRIFIED and the two of you walk around the school as if nothing is going to harm you," Professor McGonagall's face was drawn tight, the lines of her face more pronounced.

"Professor, we-" George tried to explain.

"Weasley, it is difficult enough taking care of the younger students; Hogwarts cannot have older students making rash, foolish decisions!" Professor McGonagall snapped. Professor Flitwick's unusually stern gaze landed on Raine. "The two of you have behaved in a way that is unacceptable to both Houses of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw." Professor McGonagall said. "Forty points will be taken from both Houses and there will be detention for the both of you,"

"Yes, Professor," They said in unison meekly, not daring to meet each other's eye. Professor McGonagall swept away while Filch returned to patrolling. George and Raine turned to go.

"Miss. Lee," Professor Flitwick called, "I would like to have a word." Raine glanced briefly at George before walking back to the desk. "If you would so kindly wait outside, Mr. Weasley," Professor Flitwick said. George obeyed, closing the door behind him. Raine raised her eyes to meet Flitwick's blue ones and quickly averted her gaze. Disappointment was apparent in Flitwick's eye. "Please explain your actions," Professor Flitwick said.

Raine shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "I-I was just- It was just a walk, Professor," Raine gave up. Flitwick's face did not change. Instead, he sighed heavily.

"Disappointing, naturally," He said, "Off you go, Miss. Lee," Slightly confused, Raine said goodnight and hurried out of the classroom. George was leaning against the wall, waiting for her.

"What happened?" George asked anxiously. "What did he say?"

Raine shook her head, "He just seemed really disappointed." She said as they hurried up towards the Ravenclaw Tower. "And he wanted to say something but he decided not to," Raine said thoughtfully. "Oh and George…"

The Weasley turned pale, "…You're going to kill me for getting up caught?"

Raine blinked. "Oh that-"

"I know, I know," George said in resignation, "I should have kept a closer eye on the map and if you were with Fred, you would get by without getting caught-" He was interrupted by Raine kissing him fleetingly on the lips.

"But I'm not with Fred," Raine murmured. Kissing George again, she drew back, "And it's high time you remembered that," Patting George's cheek, Raine slipped out of his grip and returned to the Ravenclaw Tower, a small smile playing on her lips.


'Maybe it's just me,' Ashlyn thought to herself. 'But I could have sworn…' Lost in her thoughts, Ashlyn doodled idly on a piece of parchment. She was sitting in the library, attempting to complete her History of Magic homework. Not surprisingly, something about Raine that Ashlyn noticed occupied her mind. Raine seemed to be hiding something from her. Unsuspecting, she failed to notice another presence behind her.

"Ashlyn," Just a whisper was enough to catch her attention; but her name was said right in her ear, the speaker's warm breath stroking her cheek. She let out a squeak, blotting her essay. Whipping around, she stared up at Cedric who was clearly amused. He drew a chair close to her.

"That wasn't funny," Ashlyn pouted as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I could get banned from coming here for screaming out of nowhere," Cedric's thumb brushed her cheek as he glanced over her shoulder at her essay.

"Goblin rebellions," He scanned the essay, ignoring what she said. "Did you know you wrote the same sentence twice?" His grey eyes darted over the page to check for more mistakes. Covering her hand with his, he guided her quill to cross out the extra sentence. Then he plucked the quill out of her hand so that his fingers were able to lace together with hers.

"So you came here to correct my History of Magic homework?" Ashlyn leaned against Cedric comfortably.

"No, I came here to see you," Cedric murmured, his voice low in her ear. Feeling tingles spread throughout her body, Ashlyn sank into Cedric's embrace. Now she was certain she was not going to be able to concentrate on her essay.

"But you saw me this morning," She rested her head on the crook of his neck. "Isn't that enough?"

"Of course not," Cedric grinned. "It will never be enough,"

Unknown to Ashlyn and Cedric, they were being watched by three other people. The three eavesdroppers were separated from Cedric and Ashlyn by a bookshelf, a set of books pushed aside for them to see the couple. Out of the three eavesdroppers, one was a girl with blonde hair. "Oh that is so cute," She sighed. "Who knew Cedric could be so romantic?"

"That's the point," The blonde boy hissed in disbelief. "Cedric's never been like this before; which leads me to believe he has been Confunded or Imperiused,"

Another sandy-blonde boy rolled his eyes, "Give me a break, a fourth year performing one of the Unforgivable Curses on Cedric? As if," The three watched Cedric pull Ashlyn onto his lap and the two leaned forward to tackle Ashlyn's essay. "Can't you just accept the fact that Cedric likes her? It's as clear as day,"

"No," The other boy said stubbornly before turning to the girl, "You said you flirted with him; how did he respond?"

"He was normal, did not express interest at all," The girl said impatiently. "I told you already; Cedric has eyes for no one else but her. And I think it's sweet," The girl tore her eyes away from the blonde boy to watch Cedric and Ashlyn; Cedric's chin resting on Ashlyn's shoulder, his arm wrapped around her waist.

"That's your opinion," The blonde boy said, "But I intend to find out what kind of girl she is, and why he likes her so much."

"And how do you suppose you're going to do that?" The sandy-blonde boy asked skeptically.

"I'll just put a little heat on her; see how she handles it," The other boy said casually. "It's just a small test," Turning to the girl, he asked, "Will you help me?"

She shrugged, "Of course,"

"Good," The boy turned back to watch Cedric and Ashlyn who were conversing softly. Cedric's lips were pressed on her neck and Ashlyn had her head tilted back, a smile on her face. "Cedric will thank us for this…"


Oooh sounds interesting, right? What is going to happen?

This chapter was a mixture of Ashlyn/Cedric, Oliver&Angelina and Raine/George. I liked writing the Oliver and Angelina part; their friendship is really cute methinks. As he is always so engrossed with Quidditch, Oliver strikes me as the type who mixes with those who love Quiddich as well, the exception being Percy. By making Angelina Oliver's closest friend-who-is-a-girl, it might just help him understand girls. Keyword being 'might'; from the previous chapter, I hope you have gathered than Oliver is not the type to share his problems.

Just a taste of what a 'campfire' is!

Behave, williammoseleysgirl! Oliver and Cedric go out?? Haha I don't do slash but hey, you know what? It's a good idea. Which leads me to my next point: Whatever suggestions you guys have, just tell me alright? Anything you guys want to see in this story, let me know. Additionally, I intend to write this story from Chamber of Secrets all the way to Deathly Hallows and more. So rest assured that this story will be long! I long for the day to see my story reach thirty chapters and have loads of reviews! -dreams away- And the people who have that power to make that dream come true? You.

Okay please please please please do review. Give me a little treat when I come back, won't you?