The streets of Hogsmeade were uncomfortably cold – Angelina had wrapped the lower half of her face in her emerald scarf, and I had magicked myself some black earmuffs.
This was the only problem with living in Scotland – the climate. An integral part of the draw of a country, and Scotland totally fails in it. It's wet and freezing cold from autumn through to spring. And there's even freezing days through summer!
In Angelina's hands was a white paper bag with Quality Quidditch Supplies' logo on the front. She had bought new red Chaser's gloves from the new branch that had just opened. I hadn't bought anything, seeing as I had just bought new Chaser's gloves the summer previous.
"It's too cold," I told her, shivering.
"I know," she answered. "I wonder how Alicia and George are."
"They're probably cold too," I said.
She laughed and shook her head at me. "So, are you going to tell me what happened with Oliver earlier, or not?"
"Not," I answered promptly.
"Katie," she reprimanded.
I sighed. "He was being an arse."
"That doesn't explain the luminous face."
I blushed, wrapping my arms around myself.
"What happened?" she persisted, her curiosity obviously piqued.
"I fell off the bed and he laughed at me." I stared at the ground, waiting for the laughter. I glanced up to look at her when she didn't laugh. She was staring at me, confused. "What?" I asked.
"You fell ... off the bed?"
"Yes..." I said, looking at her worriedly. It wasn't that complicated a sentence. Why didn't she understand that?
"So ... you were on the bed? In the bed?" she asked, smirking.
I flushed.
"Well? Were you?" she pressed, glee in her voice.
"Nothing happened."
"Bloody hell, Katie!"
"Nothing happened!"
"Even so! You were in his bed! How did that happen?"
"He pulled me down so that I would stop pestering him to get up." I glanced at her grinning face. "Shut up," I muttered.
"And I'll presume, like most boys, he was sleeping partly naked?"
My face must have betrayed me once again, because she squealed and hugged me.
"Seriously, just ... shut up, Ange," I said, pushing her off of me. As I said this, I noticed someone walking towards us. A boy, with a white jacket and dark jeans. He had dark hair, too.
Roger Davies flashed a grin at me as he stopped in front of us, effectively stopping me in my tracks.
"Katie, you look beautiful today," he said softly. Then he turned to Angelina. "Pretty and lovely as ever, Johnson. What a gorgeous team Wood has. I'm quite jealous."
"You team won't appreciate comments like that, Davies," I said coldly.
He flashed another grin and handed me a white rose I hadn't noticed in his hands. "For you, beautiful."
"Thanks," I said dismissively, taking the flower.
"Can I buy you lovely ladies a drink?" he asked, smiling again.
"Sure!" Angelina said at the same time I said, "No."
He looked wounded and he dropped his dark blue eyes from mine. "Please?" he said gently.
Angelina looked at me incredulously.
"Davies..." I began. He looked up at me, and I looked at Angelina. "Can I have a minute?" She nodded and entered Zonko's, which we had just passed. I looked back at the Ravenclaw. "Davies..." I began again, then struggled to find the right words.
He met my eyes once again with his deep blue ones and took a step closer to me. "Katie, I'm really ... really trying, here. I've never tried so hard for a girl to like me before. I don't know what else to do."
I sighed. He looked so wounded, I had to stop myself from placing my hand on his arm.
"Davies ... It's not like you're not trying hard enough, it's that ..."
"That I'm not the one you want?" he said softly, dropping his gaze from mine. "That I'm not Wood?"
I felt anger bubble up in my chest at that, but let it slide, knowing better than to slap the Ravenclaw Captain in the middle of Hogsmeade. "Oliver and I aren't like that," I said calmly.
He threw me a sceptical look.
"Look, up until very recently, you haven't been the nicest of people to me. Admittedly, today you're much more tolerable, but that doesn't erase what you've done in the past."
"Don't you believe in second chances?"
"Yes. But you've had yours. And your third, fourth, and fifth ... Davies, I'm tired of you playing these games. It's not fair to me at all. I feel like I'm trapped in a three-way war."
"I'm sorry, Katie. I really didn't ever mean to be such a ... –"
"Pig," I finished, scowling at him.
"I didn't mean to be such a pig, and I'm really sorry."
I sighed. "It still doesn't take back these few months. And it doesn't take back all the fighting."
He dropped his eyes from mine.
"But I forgive you as much as I can," I said softly.
His eyes met mine again. They really were beautiful eyes.
"Really?" he asked, a smile brightening up his whole face.
I nodded.
"Thank you," he breathed, before kissing me lightly on the cheek. "Well, I'll see you around."
I nodded. "I suppose you will."
"Bye," he smiled, before turning and heading back the way he came. I watched him go, before I was pounced upon.
"Katie!"
I looked at Angelina and rolled my eyes.
"What?"
"Why the hell don't you say yes to him?"
I just stared at her incredulously.
"Well, if you don't want to date, Oliver ..." she said.
"I'm not dating Davies, Ange," I said, crossing my arms across my chest.
"He's one of the biggest heart-throbs in school!"
"So?"
"Katie, you have to date sometime in your life."
"I will. Once I find someone to date."
"Right, so let me get this right. You have three of the most gorgeous boys at Hogwarts chasing after you, all of which are ridiculously sweet and romantic, and you need to find someone to date?"
I just rolled my eyes at her. "Ange, just drop it."
She sighed and shook her head at me, before saying, "So ... Broomsticks?" whilst shivering and rubbing her hands together to keep them warm. I nodded and we made our way there.
--
We made our way back to the castle for the Hallowe'en feast. It was quiet, with most people already inside the castle, as we walked up to the Main Door. Quiet, that is, until someone shouted me from behind us.
"Katie?" Angelina said, turning around to look at the person running up the steps behind us. "It's one of your admirers."
"I know," I snapped, then sighed. "You go on ahead. I'll take care of this and meet you in there. Save me a seat ... and keep Fred and George away from my pumpkin pie."
"Will do," she grinned before leaving through the door.
I turned around and waited for him to reach the top of the steps. He was wearing a beige jacket and black jeans, with a white scarf draped around his neck. He flashed me a grin as he neared me.
"Katie," he said in greeting.
"Diggory," I said, folding my arms across my chest.
"How are you?" he asked, his head ducking slightly to look me in the eyes.
"I'm fine, thanks," I answered.
"Good," he smiled. He stared at me for a moment.
Too long a moment.
"What?" I snapped, becoming too self-conscious.
He blinked before smiling apologetically. "Sorry, it's just ... you're too beautiful today. I'm struggling to make coherent conversation."
I blushed lightly at that. I didn't think Diggory could be so ... sweet.
He smiled at my blush and reached into the breast pocket of his jacket. He took out a single yellow rose and handed it to me.
"I know it's not as endearing, since I notice it's the second rose you're received today, but ..." he said, eyeing the white rose already in my hands.
I smiled. "Yes. It seems you and Davies are on the same wavelength."
"Eugh, don't say that," he laughed. "Well, I'd better go. I promised the team we'd have a good-luck toast before the feast started ... and it sounds like I've missed it," he said, grinning. "Bye, Katie."
"Bye."
I waited at the Main Door to hear the Entrance Hall door open, then close, before following him into the Hall.
--
The two roses sat beside me on the table while we all ate at the feast. The twins, Angelina and Alicia all talked animatedly, shrieking with laughter at some rehashed joke of George's that he'd told Alicia on their date. The whole hall was buzzing with chatter and laughter and festivity.
I sat in silence.
And the boy across from me was equally silent, a tiny crease in his brow-line, staring determinedly at the grain of the oak table, barely touching the holiday feast the whole school were sharing.
I was confused. What was he angry about?
Scratch 'angry', actually. Hostility was rolling off of him in tidal waves.
I didn't want to ask him outright, in a hall full of people. And the Hogwarts population were notoriously nosey. So, I remained quiet, watching him through my eyelashes, barely touching my food too.
Eventually, after Dumbledore's speech, we all began to filter out of the Hall.
Oliver walked beside me on the way up the stairs. He didn't speak to me, or even look at me.
The flower stems clutched in my hand were slowly getting crushed as I grew more and more frustrated. Shouldn't I be the one that was angry? He laughed at me this morning!
The anger from earlier bubbled through me.
He hadn't even apologised. He was too busy being temperamental about nothing, it would seem.
"Katie." His voice broke through my angry thoughts about him.
"What?" I snapped.
He looked at me, obviously surprised at my tone of voice, before saying, "I don't think we're getting into the Common Room tonight."
I looked ahead of us, and sure enough, there seemed to be a pile up of Gryffindors on the stairs in front of the Fat Lady's Portrait, and we were at the end of a very long queue. I squinted up to the Portrait to see if the Fat Lady was refusing entry or something. But she wasn't there ... and her landscape was in tatters.
--
Love.
xx
