AN: finally, after 3 months of really hard slog, I have finished my final term of grade 11 and have started my 2-month holiday. Hopefully, this means that I will be able to update more regularly as I do not have vital assessment taking up my time. Assessment has been the main offender behind my slow updates as has deciding where to continue the story. The big picture is planned, it's just getting to those plot climaxes that is getting to me. For instance this chapter has undergone 4 rewrites and after penning approximately 10,000 words, I have finally decided where to start and what this chapter will hold.

Sorry for those who are beginning to suspect that Laven Wood is a Mary Sue. This has not, and will never become the ideal behind introducing and creating Laven. I wanted to make that 100 clear.

WARNING: there is some pretty harsh swearing in this chapter. I don't want to change the rating because it is only for THIS chapter. You have been warned so please do not be offended….

"A little Late for all the things you didn't say,
I'm not sad for you,
But I'm sad for all the time I had to waste
Cause I learned the truth.
You heart is in a place I no longer want to be,
I knew they'd come a day
I'd set you free
Cause I'm sick and tiredOf
always being sick and tired…" Sick and Tired, Anastacia.

CHAPTER EIGHT: MY CRAZY CRAZY LIFE

THAT EVENING

The wind caught amongst the trees, sending cascades of leaves tumbling towards the earth in the background of the cool evening sky. I gently pulled my jumper tightly around me, trying to salvage some warmth. Down in the Common Room, an almightily celebration was taking place, with the victory of Gryffindor the main inspiration behind one of the biggest celebrations of the Gryffindor Quidditch season. Ashamed of my actions, I had retreated to the Astronomy to regain some perspective and in all honesty, wallow and cry in private.

Self-pity found me effortlessly after my argument with Angelina. I loathed it when I lost an argument and I detested it when others could pick out my faults. Angelina had of course been right, I was definitely a 'loose cannon' and I undeniably needed some perfecting. But that was up for me to decide not anyone else. Another landslide realisation was that Cedric unquestionably now hated me. That wasn't necessarily a dire realisation, I now detested him anyway, whether the rumours about him and Cho were true, but it was a consequence after all. All in all, the damage toll from the Quidditch game had been a grand total of loosing Angelina, Cedric and most of all, my on again off again alliance with Oliver. Goddamn I knew how to go out with a bang and if I do say so myself, a hell of a lot of tears.

Clutching my waterlogged tissue to my chest, I wiped the most recent tears from my eyes and attempted to settle myself with a deep breath. This was unsuccessful, and almost immediately, I noticed new tears prickling at my eyes and streaming down my cheeks once more.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I questioned my self quietly. "What the hell have you done?"

"Do you always talk to yourself?" Laven asked, opening the door to the tower balcony and stepping out to meet me.

I didn't look round to greet her and instead dropped my head to rest on my hugged in knees. "Yes," I said sadly. "It often helps me to feel worse."

Laven tutted and sat down beside me. She handed me a blanket and draped it over the two of us. "Are you okay? I saw what happened from the stands. You caused quite a stir."

I shook my head and wiped at more tears. "No, I'm not okay to tell the truth," I said. "I actually feel rather rotten and wish that I could head to bed and cry myself to sleep."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Laven frown. "Did you get in a lot of trouble?" She asked. "I wish I hadn't had mentioned anything. That's what obviously got you in this mess."

"That's reminds me, Oliver's hunting around for you. I kind of let it slip that you told me about Cedric…he wasn't overly impressed."

Laven nodded undisturbed. "He never is quite happy with me Katie, it doesn't faze me," she said reassuringly. "I'm sure I'll be fine. What's your damage? Did you get detention or anything?"

I frowned. "3 match suspension and 3 weeks detention. Angelina has threatened to replace me on the team, and I don't doubt that she will follow through. So basically, I fucked everything I possibly could up. Just for a cheap shot at showing Cedric what I really think of him."

Laven smiled sympathetically and wrapped a friendly arm around my shoulders. "Look on the bright side," she said happily.

"And that would be?" I asked indignantly. Frankly there was no bright and happy light at the end of this rather traumatic tunnel.

Laven counted the 'bright side' factors off on her fingers. "One, you've shown Cedric that your not going to take any more of his crap. Two, you've become one of the most talked about people in the school – even if it is just gossip and three…" she paused. "Uh, number three….you won't have to get up at the crack of dawn to go to training." Laven smiled, mildly pleased with her self. "Sounds like a pretty fair trade off to me."

Laughing half-heartedly I shook my head. "I won't get the chance to sleep in. My bet is that the hours I used to train in will be given to serving detention. That is certainly not a very comforting thought," I said, smiling grimly through my tears.

"Well, if it means anything, I still love you," she said, giving me an encouraging squeeze. "That's got to account for something."

I nodded. "At least it's something," I repeated. "At least it's something."

THE FOLLOWING DAY

"At least it's something," Alicia said hurried as she threw her Quidditch robes over her three quarter canvas pants and Gryffindor lion shirt. "I mean she admitted that it was going to be hard to find your replacement."

I frowned, picking at the hole in my bed cover. "That hasn't stopped her has it? She posted a notice about tryouts, straight after the party last night."

Alicia smiled sympathetically; the same pitying smile Laven had given me last night. I looked away, folding my arms across my piglet pyjamas. "Katie, you did what you thought was right. Who cares what everyone else thinks? I don't think any less of you and from what you said you and Laven talked about last night, neither does she. Angelina is just putting on a strong front, she's trying to act like it doesn't bother her not being able to talk to you, but I know it is."

I sighed. "Right, I'm sure. Did you know that she and Oliver have been talking about me behind my back?"

Alicia, who had moved across the room to gather her lip-gloss and apply it, shook her head as she glanced in the mirror. "No I didn't. Why is it a big deal?" she asked tactfully.

I shrugged offhandedly. "Wouldn't you find it strange that your ex-boyfriend and your best friend had been 'discussing your welfare' with out actually including you? Like you were some ditzy blonde who couldn't think for yourself and needed their assistance to make your decisions for you and watch over you like babysitters?"

Alicia glanced away briefly, offering me a perplexed look, and then twisted back to the mirror. "I thought you and Oliver were on the war path again. Why is he worried about you? Doesn't conversing to your friends about you go a little above and beyond the duty of care required of him?"

I was actually wondering the same thing. "Maybe my parents put him up to it. You know what their like-" I said, reminding myself that he had become their 'son'.

"Why it is really a problem?" Alicia asked suddenly, turning quickly, her hand firmly planted on her hips. "I mean maybe you're blowing everything out of proportion and things aren't really as they seem."

"Like everything currently going on in my life?" I asked earnestly, cocking an eyebrow at her.

Alicia hesitated and then nodded earnestly. "Well, you do have a tendency to stretch the truth just a little. Maybe you've got your wires crossed or something."

I nodded. "I'm fully aware of my faults," I said acceptingly. "And we weren't technically talking about me directly. Remember Angelina and Oliver? Why have they suddenly struck up an almighty alliance to make me feel like a complete nutcase?"

"They don't think you're a nutcase," She lulled, putting her lip-gloss away and adjusting her clothing to give herself the final once over to head to training. "What you need to do is stop worrying about it." Alicia glanced at her watch. "And what I need to do is head to training. The last thing is we need is for both of us to be in Angelina's bad books."

Sighing, I nodded. "I understand."

She smiled at me. "Well, I'll see you at lunch then?"

"Yeh, if I make it. I have a meeting with McGonagall this morning about my detention. If I make it out alive, I'll meet you about noon in the Great Hall."

Alicia nodded. "Sounds fine with me," she said, trekking towards the door to leave.

I got up from my bed and moved around the side to begin making it when Alicia threw a pillow at me that had been residing beside the door. "Why are you really upset about Oliver and Angelina chatting about you?" She asked.

I stopped suddenly, pondering Alicia's question. She raised her eyebrow at me, encouraging an answer.

"I'm not upset that they have been talking…that would be stupid….but I'm…" I began, stumbling over the fault connection between my brain and my mouth to form a legitimate response to the question. I sighed. "Oh fuck Alicia, I don't know. I can't explain everything that goes on in my brain with valid state of reasoning. I just am."

"Are you jealous?" She asked coyly.

Was I? I was a little envious of Lindsay McLean, but jealous of Angelina and Oliver? Come of it. "I don't think so," I said quietly. "I just thought that if Angelina had something to tell me that she would come to me as my friend and discuss it. It wouldn't be a problem if she had trusted me with my own life. But now that she went to him, I just…I feel inadequate of being able to make my own decisions in my own life."

"Maybe, she was just worried about you. We all love you dearly Katie, you know we do. Perhaps she thought that she could talk to Oliver about you because he was much closer to you that the rest of us."

I shrugged, realising that Alicia may have been correct. "Still," I agued. "It feels like she just rubbed salt in the wound by expressing her conversations to me."

Alicia grinned. "In the bottom of your heart, are you still hung up on Oliver? Is that why you are so goddamned distraught over yesterday evening? Usually you admit and accept that you're an idiot and get over it. This time you've spent at least 10 hours pining, crying and wallowing over what you did, and the fact that Angelina and Oliver are mad at you and you've received punishment."

I blinked. "Where did that come from?" I said stunned. "I thought you were content that you had just solved the predicament."

"I'll pretend that you did not just answer with that. Let me spell it out for you in case you missed it…A-R-E Y-O-U S-T-I-L-L I-N L-O-V-E W-I-T-H-"

I held up my hand to stop her and gulped down some air before continuing. Whether or not I still have feelings was a hot topic between those I classed family and friends. The only real complication was that I was unsure of the answer as much as I was unsure as to why I had struck Cedric and why I was alarmed to find out about Angelina and Oliver's topics of conversation.

"Yes," I said softly. "I think I am." That was significantly easier than I thought it would be. It was cliché, but I felt like a large weight had been lifted.

Alicia opened her mouth to speak but shut it again. "Okay, well that solves a lot of things," she said leaning heavily against the door like it was holding her up from the shock that I had just delivered. She studied me, an expression of astonishment on her face.

I nodded. "I guess it does," I said sheepishly. "It also creates a few too – but I'd prefer we didn't talk about it. I've figured out enough about hidden emotions this morning."

"Except for the being pissed off at Cedric thing," she added, ignoring my plea. "Why did you hit him if you aren't the jilted envious ex-girlfriend you made out to be?"

I shrugged. "I don't really know anyone who could explain that," I began, but stopped short as Angelina bustled in looking for Alicia.

"Are you coming? I need you're help deciding who is to take…the vacant position," she asked Alicia.

Alicia nodded awkwardly, "Yeah, I'm coming now," she said offering her a friendly smile.

Angelina nodded grimly and made to close the door. I noticed gloomily that she was not her usual bubbly self. I was entirely to blame for that.

"Ange," Alicia said, looking at me carefully. I silently begged her not to do what she was going to.

In response Angelina reopened the door and paused. "Yeah?"

"The Chaser position is not vacant. You need a sub to take Katie's place during her suspension. Don't forget that Ange, you're not replacing her for good."

Angelina frowned, and crossed her arms defensively across her uniformed chest. "Alicia I need you help in deciding who to give the position to…not to tell me how to do my job."

Alicia nodded diplomatically and followed her to the door. "Of course. I'm coming now."

Krystal Stehbens, a raven-haired fifth year, sped up the pitch, dodging Fred, George and Ron, to score from 50 metres out of goal. I took a sharp breath, realising that she had pulled off a shot it had taken me at least a year on the team to master. Furthermore, in the next 10 minutes of the practice game, Krystal scored roughly 12 times. She was good, exceptionally good.

Grinning from ear to ear, Angelina applauded Krystal from the ground and called her down. She then sent Drew Brookes, a spiky blonde headed 3rd year, up to the others, and their game resumed. Drew was clearly not as good as Krystal, and his nervousness showed that he knew it. Ange didn't give him the same liberty as Krystal, pulling him off the pitch only 5 minutes in. By this time, the team were growing restless. Ron and Harry had lost interest and were racing each other up and down the pitch. They received a strong reprimand from Angelina when I too became distracted. I caught the movement of someone out of the corner of my eye and turned quickly to see Oliver step onto my platform. I had been sprung. I looked away sheepishly, cursing myself that I had dropped by instead of heading straight to McGonagall's office.

"Hi. I know I'm not supposed to be here but…"

He shrugged it off with a quick wave of his hand. "I remember telling you that you weren't to be on the pitch and this isn't the pitch. How are they doing?" he asked, grabbing a seat beside me.

I shrugged. "Krystal is good. Drew not so much. I missed the first two and I think the other is too young to even try out. My bet is on Krystal Stehbens taking my position," I replied grimly.

Oliver nodded. "More importantly, how are you doing?" he asked coyly.
So he was finally coming to me to find out. I wondered arrogantly if he had spoken to Angelina.

"I thumped my ex-boyfriend, pissed off my best friend and Quidditch captain therefore giving her the illusion that it is fine for her to refuses to talk to me, lost Quidditch maybe for good and I even got you so angry that I'm betting you hate my guts right now. So all in all, things are looking a little painful in the fresh light of day."

"I don't hate you," he replied sensitively, shifting his body towards me. "I was angry at you – still are – but I don't hate you. Hate is a steep exaggeration."

I frowned. "Still angry at me? I must have really pissed you off. The only real person you hold a grudge against is Cedric."

He smiled. "For good reason. Yesterday a part of me wanted to help you thump him."

I grinned, but Oliver didn't seem too enthusiastic. "But that was the old me," he said half-heartedly. "It's an axiom, but I have learnt more than my share of the consequences of letting your feelings get in the way of your game. There are some things that should get left in the changing rooms. Consequently, relationships and personal biases towards others shouldn't be anywhere near the pitch."

I cocked an eyebrow at him, partly in confusion. "Oh?"

Oliver nodded and reached down to his injured leg. He gently and ever so slightly rolled the pants of his black trousers up to his knee. From the bottom of the kneecap, stretching up across and over it, was a long thick purple scar. It wasn't a horrible scar…nothing like you'd see marring Moody's worn skin, but it appeared painful. Not just physically painful either. "This," he said softly, "is the result of heated competition on the pitch."

I looked at him, mildly astonished. "Another player did that to you?"

He shook his head. "Not necessarily. This was from one of the chasers in my team. We'd had a couple of altercations prior to the game and in the end he knocked me off my broom," smiling sadly, he rolled the leg of his trousers back down. "And the rest they say is history."

"Guess I'm just lucky I didn't get into the air during that game – Angelina would have done the same thing to me…except I think she may have tried to put me in a coma. An injury wouldn't have been enough."

Oliver laughed softly. "The scar isn't entirely from Mark…it was more a blemish that the healers at St.Mungo's left during the surgery after my fall. I had 3 operations in a matter of 4 days. Two on my back and one on my knee. If you think this is a scar, imagine the others I'm supporting," he said, smiling sadly.

"You know, I never really heard the story of what happened during that match. I was going through a…busy time," I said lamely. "George and Fred briefly discussed it and that's gave Angelina the idea to try and get you here to set up Quidditch. Did Mark get any penalty for what he did?"

Oliver shook his head. "Not enough to make up for the matches and money I would have received if I was able to play. He was fined ten thousand Galleons and 4-match suspension. I lost out."

I sighed. Oliver had grouped me in with the guy who had all but ruined his career. "You gave me a 3 match suspension for whacking Diggory. I think I lost out," I said subdued, folding my arms across my chest.

He smiled knowledgeably – a gesture that made me feel like he could see straight through my feelings. "That behaviour is beneath you Katie. You have a temper, but before you broke my nose, it had never been at the surface of your communication. I don't want you to fall into a habit like Mark McKenzie's. Using physical force to communicate. I would have been happy for him to tell me where to go and bicker about it then have it cost me my career."

Not quite knowing how to reply, I nodded understandably and glanced out at the pitch. The team had packed up the gear and were sitting cross-legged on the pitch talking about what looked like next weeks match. All the extra players had left, leaving the originals, excluding myself, inundated in tactic conversation.

"Do you think Angelina will ever forgive me?" I asked softly, bringing my knees up to my chin and hugging my legs into my body. A soft breeze brought goose bumps to my skin.

Oliver eyed me carefully. "She's be naïve not to. You've been there for each other through worst things than a 3 match suspension and 3 weeks of detention. Or a Quidditch incident all the same."

I nodded, hoping he was right. It was then I decided to stab at the Angelina and Oliver issue I had created with Alicia this morning. "She said that you've talked about me. The pair of you. Have you been catching up on what silly Katie's been doing and how's she's ruining her life?"

Oliver shifted uncomfortably and made to speak. I lifted a hand to hold his reply off. "Am I really that bad Oliver? Am I that poor at looking after my own welfare that my best friend and ex-boyfriend have to discuss my wellbeing behind my back?"

Oliver frowned, sitting forward in his chair and resting his arms on his knees. "It wasn't like that," he said breathlessly. "I was a little worried about you-"

"So you though that talking about me behind my back was the best way to go about it?" I paused. "Wait…you were worried about me? It wasn't Angelina?"

"Katie," he said exhaling deeply.

I shook my head. "We've had some problems – both before and after the summer apart, but I really didn't think that YOU would have steeped so low." Now I was really upset. I breathed deeply pitying myself that I had flying privileges taken off me – I needed the stress relief.

He rolled his eyes angrily. "Me? Come off it. I just had to punish YOU for a stunt that any other teacher would have taken a gazillion points off you for. You got off lightly Katie…I didn't have to do that!"

Great, now he was yelling at me again. Smooth. I wanted to hit myself.

"Really? Well remind me to say thanks but NO thanks next time you try and do me a favour," I yelled back at him. Arrrrhhh, stop it! You're making it worse!

Angrily, he pushed himself out of his chair and trudged over the side of the stands. We grew quiet for a moment before he turned to me, the most devastating expression on his face. "Don't you dare lecture me on loosing something you love Katie. In case you've forgotten I know exactly what it is like to have something taken away from you…. don't you dare think that I haven't."

Fuuuuuccccccckkkkk! It was harsh but… oh fuck. It was quite possible that I had done it again. If only I could shut the big gapping fissure that was my mouth. Now I'd done it. "Oliver-"

"Katie," he said sternly, glancing away from me again.

I rose and softly walked towards him. "I'm sorry," I said, trying to apologise. "Yesterday is still a raw issue. I didn't mean-"

This time he silenced me with a flick of his hand. "Yes you did, Katie. We both know it."

"Fuck," I cursed, sitting back down. "Now you hate me again."

I heard him groan and shift uncomfortably. "That comment doesn't even warrant an answer," he replied.

I nodded, even though I knew he couldn't see me. "Have I lost my position on the team for good?"

He paused thoughtfully before crossing his arms against his chest. "Is there any reason why you shouldn't be able to go back on the pitch after your suspension has finished?" he said tightly.

"Only the thought that you may have fed me to the squid by then," I said trying to give some much needed comic relief.

Oliver laugh quietly but still remained distant. "The squid doesn't eat humans. Sadly. I've already thought about it."

I smiled. "Alert the authorities, Oliver made a joke."

He turned towards me. "The ministry wouldn't particular care. Is there any other reason that you wouldn't be able to claim your position on the pitch after you've completed what you've had to?"

"If Angelina still isn't talking to me by then…I don't know. I may not want to step out there."

He frowned. "Kates, I think you underestimate Angelina's understanding of what you did yesterday. She's just a little on edge at the moment. She's not about to throw away a friendship based on something really petty."

I pondered those words for a moment thinking just how much I stuffed up the friendship Oliver and I had because of something petty. I could have just said "No" and told him that we should keep things as they were. Instead I broke his nose and told him I never wanted to talk to him again for as long as I lived. "We threw our friendship away based on something petty," I replied. "And I really regret it. I'm sorry for what I did then and what I did just now. I can see how that gap emerged between us and I don't want that to happen again."

Oliver shook his head. "We're both to blame for our relationship breaking down. However you were the one with the sole responsibility for what you just accused me of. I did what I had to yesterday Katie, and I don't need to have you criticise me for it."

I nodded. "I know, I'm sor-"

He nodded. "I know you are, but I can think of someone who doesn't," he replied, gesturing out to the pitch.

Sadly, I shook my head. "Actually, she does. She just doesn't want to hear it."

"Then," he said diplomatically. "Don't push it. Angelina will come around. When she's ready to see that you did what you thought was right."

"Do you think I did what was right?"

He frowned. "No, I don't."

"Just be brutally honest…I can take it." I said sarcastically.

He grinned. "You should know that being brutally honest doesn't come easy for me. I've learnt enough lessons about lying that the idea has tarnished."

I had just witnessed one of the biggest shifts in topis that I had seen in a long time. "How cute…and to think that I broke it off with you when you were being 'brutally honest' with me."

He smiled softly. "There was a lot some truth behind what I said that night. I did love you and I did want to have you in my life. I thought about growing old with you."

"And things have changed?" I asked boldly, focusing entirely on him. I waited, regretting the question to a greater extent as each second passed.

His expression was unreadable. Gob smacked, Oliver opened his mouth to speak - only no words emerged. He did this twice before gulping down a fresh mouthful of air. "I have moved on Katie. You've moved on. You're still apart of my life…"

"But we're friends. Or something less actually. You a teacher, I'm a student. I understand." Did I? Why was I suddenly concerned about that? Until yesterday I had hated his guts. Now I was talking about our failed relationship and maybe even how much I still liked him. I refused to make a fool out of myself again.

"It's not about my job Katie…we didn't work out twice before. We have our differences, things about each other we have no hope in changing. There is too much water under the bridge to just turn back. Things could never go back to how they were, even if we wanted them to."

I nodded. He was completely and utterly right. Damn I hated that. "And you and Lindsay? Will you guys make it do you think?"

Oliver sighed. "Who knows? The good thing is…I don't have to worry about Lindsay hitting me with her broom or breaking my nose."

I smiled amused. "Why?"

He grinned. "She'd break an nail."

I got to McGonagall's office strangely more light-hearted than I had felt all week. I pulled the door open with such unintentional force that she jumped out of her chair as I entered. I was eager to see her, hoping that the meeting with her would go as good as the talk with Oliver. Questionably she raised an eyebrow. "Everything going okay?" She asked, lowering her glasses.

I nodded. "Fine Professor. You wanted me to meet you." I said.

She nodded, gesturing for me to follow her out of the office. Struggling to keep up to her striding steps we ventured towards the Hospital Wing. "I've decided to grant you some lenience Miss Bell…providing that you don't make me regret it."

I nodded. "Professor, I'd do anything to get back on the team," I said desperately, "But I do understand that it will take work and I am prepared for that." I quickly glanced around the Wing hoping to all those who watched over me that the 'work' did not involve cleaning bed pans. "What exactly are we doing here?"

"That I will leave for Madam Pomfrey to announce," she said happily, as Madam Pomfrey emerged from her office.

She gave me a weak smile as she approached. "It would be a first Miss Bell to have you in here without actually being hurt. But I guess I'll have to get used to it."' Madam Pomfrey then turned to McGonagall. "Is everything sorted out Minerva? Albus has approved it?"

McGonagall nodded. "He was quiet open to the idea. Thought that it was an amazing stroke of genius on your behalf."

I tapped my foot impatiently. I hated being talked about like I wasn't in the same room. "Mind filling me in?" I asked hopefully.

"Do you remember what you decided for a career path last year during your career talks Katie?"

I tried to think…I had a slight suspicion that I hadn't made a decision last year and I was told that a follow up would take place this year. "Why?" I asked. "I don't remember deciding Professor."

McGonagall shook her head. "No, you didn't. I think you were too preoccupied with a certain Quidditch player. But, luckily things have changed and an opening has developed to help you on your way to a career very suited to you." She pulled bound book from her robe and handed it to me. The cover read 'Magical Medicine'. I looked at her.

"You think I can become a healer?" I asked miraculously. The thought had never come to me. I always believed that you had to exceptionally smart to do medicine. I was bright but not overly so that I would be able to make it straight in to healing. It would take a lot of work…but…I hadn't even heard what McGonagall's plan was.

"A nurse in the least," Madam Pomfrey added with a large proud smile on her face. "Your potions grades are exception."

I shook my head, laughing. "Are you kidding? Snape hates me. Always marks me low and never misses a change to rub that in. if I need substantial grades in potions to make it as a healer…then frankly…I won't be able to do it."

McGonagall shook her head. "You are the highest ranking student in potions in the 6th year Katie. Your marks are exceptional. If anything Professor Snape has been lying to you. You deserve much more credit that you are obviously getting. I read over your assessment myself Katie. You do have a natural flair for potions."

My mouth was open wide in shock. I stood staring at them both for a few moments before registering that I was completely off in space. I shut it promptly and shook my head. "Are you absolutely sure that you haven't got the wrong marks?"

"We're more than sure Katie. And that's why Professor McGonagall and I have decided that instead of spending your evenings in meaningless detention, you will commit yourself to working here in the hospital wing at nights and weekends for the period of your three-weeks detention to gain some valuable training. If you decided that you like it, and medicine and healing is the career for you then we can arrange for you to do some extra study to prepare yourself. If not, then you've served your three weeks and don't have to worry about tales of cleaning armoury or floors."

Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined myself as a healer…but now that I consciously thought about it…. it wouldn't be such a bad occupation. Caring and healing sick people who needed my help. Talk about a hero complex but it sounded like something I could try and see if I liked it before totally making up my mind. I grinned at them both and nodded. "Thank you!" I said brightly, hugging them before I could stop myself. "This is much more than I expected."

McGonagall smiled grimly. "I suggest you thank Miss Johnston and Oliver Wood, Katie. They are the ones who got you out of cleaning with Mr. Filch."