Chapter Eight
Midnight

Five minutes to twelve, and the Bell house was bursting to the seams. The Wood's, the Bones', the Macmillan's, and the Weasley's had gathered in the Bell's sitting room, rearing to ring in the New Year. Poor Katie Bell found herself squished into the corner of the room, unwilling to play with the seven-year-old Ginny Weasley, one of the only female children still left awake. Instead, she was content to sit and watch Charlie Weasley and Oliver play game after game of Wizard's Chess, waiting until midnight just to prove she was old enough to play with the big kids. She still missed Oliver, and had been ecstatic when he came home for Winter Break. He had been ecstatic too -- second year, he told her, was even harder then the first. A small smile graced Katie's lips as she watched Oliver, brow furrowed in concentration. He glanced up at her, smiling, and patted the floor beside him. Clambering down from the chair she was in, Katie settled on Oliver's side of the board, resting her head in her hand, precariously close to the pieces. The minutes ticked by slowly, and Katie's head began to droop.

Midnight chimed, and Katie Bell was sound asleep, head knocking over Oliver's remaining chess pieces as she nestled into the floor. He smiled, shaking Charlie's hand and offering his mum a kiss on the cheek. As Oliver's mum walked away, both Oliver and Charlie looked down at Katie, Oliver with a confused smile on his face.

There had always been something so incredibly peculiar about that Katie Bell. He just couldn't figure out what it was.