"What's that supposed to mean, Ol? Nothing?" said Dave, frowning.
"Nothing good, how about that?" I clarified. Oh wait, there was something good. "She said she likes me, but she can't be my girlfriend."
"Why?" asked Tom.
Geeze! Why so many questions? "I don't know!"
"Girls..." said Dave.
"You still want to go to Hogsmeade, right Oliver?" asked Dave.
"Yeah," I said, grabbing my cloak. "I'm sure as hell not going to stay here."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I left Tom and Dave a Zonko's. Frankly, I was surprised that Fred and George weren't there already.
So, I went to look for them. I sure needed a laugh or anything.
And I found them in Honeydukes, having a chuckle - which came as a relief to me. So I sat down in a chair while they were still laughing.
"What's so funny you two?" I asked.
"Did you- did you see - see -" started Fred, but he began.
"See what?" I asked, smiling.
"The look on -" and he was off laughing again.
I looked questioningly at George, who was patting Fred's back.
"He told Alicia that the cockroach clusters she was eating were almonds or peanuts or something. And she believed him!" said George smiling broadly.
I could only imagine. "Fred, you idiot! What happened?"
Fred finally managed to speak. "She was so disgusted she had to leave!"
Now I was laughing. That's good. I snatched up a chocolate frog from the batch sitting in the middle of the round table. "Thanks, boys," I said standing up.
"Hey!"
"We had to pay for that!"
I laughed again. "Yes, I know! That's why I said thanks, yeah?"
"Fine," said George. "We'll let you have just one. But I want the card, alright?"
I took the card out, and handed it to George. "Mad Eye Moody! I haven't got this one yet!"
"So anyway," said Fred. "Have you been to that gift shop yet? They've got little models of Quidditch pitches."
"You don't say?" I said.
"Oh, but I do."
"OK, bye!" I said and headed out the door through the swirling snow, as soon as I heard about this Quidditch pitch. I was going to get myself one.
It was so lifelike, it was almost scary. Except... "Why is there kettle corn on the field?" I asked the sales witch.
She just rolled her eyes and said, "Are you buying?"
"Yes, ma'am. Just the pitch today, thanks," I said as politely as possible.
"Do you want to take it home today or shall we send it to you buy owl post?" she asked.
"Owl post, thanks."
"That's going to be five galleons, please," she said. That's equal to fifty knuts.
I took five galleons and gave it to her. "Where shall we mail it?"
"Er...Oliver Wood, Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts..." I stated.
She nodded and said, "Very well, enjoy the rest of your day!" with a fake smile.
"Thanks," I muttered and walked through an isle.
I swear, what I saw next made my heart slam against my rib cage. Katie was standing in front of a display case with rapt attention. Her eyes were staring in amazement at whatever she was looking at, but I was too busy watching Katie. Her jaw hung open just a tiny bit as a smile played at her lips. She put a hand on the window, like a little girl in a pet shop. How can she make me feel like that?
She plunged a scarlet and gold gloved hand into her pocket and frowned at the contents. She glanced at the case on more time before turning around abruptly, running right into me, causing me to loose my balance and knocking me to the floor.
She jumped to her feet quickly and laughed. "Er, sorry about that!"
"No, it's ok. Help me up?"
"Oh sure!" she said and pulled me up with her hands.
"Are you ok?" I asked.
"Yeah, fine, you?" she said, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Fine. You?"
She smiled, laughing, "You already asked that, Oliver."
Stupid, stupid, stupid. "Oh, right, oops. What are you looking at?" I asked pointing to the display case, where a bit of gold was flitting around.
Her face lit up, "Oh! This really, really cool model of my broom, except for it's gold and necklace sized!"
"You should get it," I said.
Katie sighed. "I know! I really, really want to, but I don't have enough money."
"Do you want to borrow some?" I asked, going through my pocket when I realized that I had spent all my money on the little Quidditch pitch. I would look so stupid if I told her that I would help pay for it when I had no money left!
"No, it's OK, really," she said, smiling.
"Are you sure?" I asked. Shut up, Oliver! You have no money!
She glanced at the necklace again, and shook her head shrugging, "Thanks, but that's ok."
"OK, if you say so..."
Again, she grinned and shrugged, "No, Christmas is around the corner, maybe Santie will bring it for me."
Aha, I remember the days of Santa Claus, leaving him a wish list, "Only if you bake some really good cookies."
"Oh that won't be a problem," she said smartly.
"You bake?"
"When I'm inspired, I bake great double chocolate chip cookies. No magic involved!" she bragged, a broad smile on her gentle features.
"Wow. That's a feat I'd never be able to accomplish." I said laughing. I'm horrible at brewing potions, imagine me trying to bake cookies?"
She shrugged, and said, "Well, I have to be great at something, don't I?"
This again? All you have to do is talk to her once (when she's in a good mood) to see how great she is. "Kates, you're a superb chaser! You're funny and pretty, too. How many times do I need to tell you that?"
I could tell she was fighting not to just hug me for being so sweet to her as she said, "A billion."
I started speaking without thinking at all, "Look, I know that...nevermind."
"What?" she asked, begging me with those gorgeous brown eyes. "Tell me."
"I was going to ask if you wanted to walk with me to the Three Broomsticks and have a butterbeer." Shut up, Oliver! You still don't have any money!
"Oh!" she smiled. "Yeah. Let me get Alicia."
Ahh. Alicia! Damn it, I thought frowning slightly.
"What? That's OK, isn't it?" she asked with those eyes.
"Er, yeah. That's fine." I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck, slightly embarrassed that I thought Katie would go with me alone.
Alicia appeared and we started to leave the store when I realized that I forgot once again that I was lacking in the money department. "Oh, wait...I...er...need to get something. I'll catch up."
So stupid! I spent all of my money on the Quidditch pitch. I ran up to the witch at the front desk. "Actually, I'll need to cancel my order," I said. The Quidditch pitch can wait for now. This money is going to more important things.
"Fine, then sir..." she said looking suspiciously at me.
Then I got a brilliant idea. Buy Katie the necklace! "D'you think I could have one of the mini-nimbus necklaces instead?"
She nodded, and went off and brought back a necklace dangling from her long bony fingers. She cleared her throat. "Shall I put it in a box or would you like to wear it home?"
Wear it home? What the bloody hell? "Box it. Please."
She draped it into a jewelry box and handed it to me, saying "That will be two Galleons and five knuts, please."
I pocketed the box and the money and met Katie and Alica standing outside of the store.
I walked next to Katie the whole way thinking of the perfect time to give the necklace to her. When we sat down I took full responsibility with my new found money. "I'm buying. Three tankards, please," I said to Madam Rosemerta.
Katie frowned at me. "Oliver, you needn't do that."
I frowned back. "I wanted to."
Alicia grinned. "Hey, if I don't have to pay it's fine with me! Just don't get tipsy, Katie."
Katie glared at Alicia. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," she said with an air of superiority.
Suddenly confused and interested, I asked, "Do I want to know?"
Alicia shouted "Yes!" at the same time Katie shouted "No!"
This was funny. There was something obviously a little embarrassing in Katie's recent past that Alicia enjoyed tormenting her about. "I don't want to be responsible for a cat fight." I said. Then I added, just to see what Katie would do, "Don't get tipsy, Kates."
Her jaw dropped, shocked. "Oliver, you prat!" she hissed and punched my shoulder.
Was that supposed to hurt? Cause it kind of did. "Ow."
"You deserved it!" said, smiling playfully. I was so unbelievably glad that she wasn't ignoring me. And we were acting well...like friends, right?
Maybe not, because right then Alicia laughed. "Newly weds shouldn't argue!"
I muttered, "We're just friends..." I said, hoping my face wasn't too pink. And if I didn't know better, I'd say that Katie cringed when I said just friends.
"Anyway, what are we all doing for the holidays?" Alicia said, ignoring me.
I could feel Katie's soft stare as she said, "I'm going home...doing nothing special."
"I'm spending Christmas with my Grandmother. Formal dinner, whoopie!" Alicia said. What was in the butterbeer? I didn't think it was that strong. "What about you, Oliver?"
"My father is taking me to a Cannon's match, and then I'm going back up north for the holiday." It's easy to get tickets to a Cannon's match, on the account that they always loose.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I didn't sit next to Katie at didn't that night, I didn't want her thinking I was smothering her.
But it was a great relief that she likes me, even if she's got a funny way of showing it.
And just to show that I'm a non-smothering lad, I didn't hound her that whole week.
Well, maybe I was playing a little hard-to-get. So, I spent my time hounding Harry about getting a new broomstick. I let him borrow my copy of Which Broomstick, to help him pick a new broom.
"Nimbus 2001, maybe? Eh, Harry?" I asked him following him up the seventh flight of stairs.
"No," said Harry flatly.
"What? Why not?"
"Malfoy."
And that's entirely understandable, really. He's almost just like Marcus Flint and I.
But this had to do with Quidditch. We walked into the common room and I said. "C'mon Harry this doesn't have to do with Malfoy!"
"To me it does," Harry said and walked off. I dropped my hands to my sides and gave up.
Alicia jumped off the sofa she was standing on and said "Oi, Oliver. What was that all about?"
"Potter doesn't want anything that Draco Malfoy thinks is good."
"You mean his broom? The Nimbus Two Thousand and One?" Alicia asked.
"That would be the one. Brilliant Seeker, but sometimes I wonder where his head is..."
Katie stood up from the sofa she was sitting on, "Cheer up, Oliver. It's the Christmas season!"
"Yeah, that's something to be happy about," I said grinning. And she grinned coyly back at me.
"Come on, now. When we leave tomorrow, how are you getting to your home?"
"Portkey. But I don't see why they don't just let me apparate."
Katie shrugged. "I don't know Oliver, I don't think they want you making an appearance in a ladies loo anytime soon."
Ah! So she had to bring that up, eh? "That was an accident. I suppose a portkey would be just fine."
Alicia stepped in, "I suppose it would," she said. "But for now, how about we have our last feast until the end of vacation?"
"Sounds good," I said stepping back from Katie, and out of Alicia's way.
At the feast, Katie sat across from me and in between Percy and Alicia.
Ignoring the knight suits singing offensive words, I sat quietly thinking to myself whether I should give Katie the necklace now or not.
The tenth time I looked up at her, we made eye contact and she smiled to me, and I smiled back, though weakly.
Katie looked down at her plate and frowned slightly. The Great Hall emptied when the food disappeared, and the Gryffindors made their way up seven flights of stairs. I was about to walk into the common room when someone tugged my robes.
"Yeah?" I asked. It was Katie.
She started walking off, and looked over her shoulder at me waiting for me to follow. "Is there something wrong, Oliver?" she asked.
I grinned. So, it seems, she cares about me. "How did you know?"
"I just knew...I guess. I just wanted to make sure you were ok," she said, pouting her soft lips.
"Thanks," I nodded.
"So...do you want to tell me?" she asked me, looking at me pointedly. Lips still pouted. Oh, sweet Snitches...
"No, maybe later. I'm tired, we should get some rest because we need to leave early tomorrow." I said. Glad I have at least some power over what my mouth says.
"Fine," she said, simply.
I didn't stay in the common room long before going up to the dormitory, because the only thing I wanted to do at the moment was talk to Katie. But stupidly, I forced myself not to.
-------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Stupid Fibula!
Oh and I'm sorry If the spacing comes out all crazy, it's really not my fault.
