"Will you quit looking at her you stupid oaf?" George demanded irritably as
the students waited outside the front doors of the castle. "Looking at
whom?" Harry Potter asked as he stepped up beside Oliver. Ron and Hermione
had positioned themselves between Fred and George. "Aryianna Shelton,"
George answered through gritted teeth. "Why can't Oliver look at Aryianna?
I mean she is very pretty," Harry admitted, also glancing toward Aryianna's
way. "But you forget that she's Marcus's girlfriend," Hermione said,
sounding a little annoyed. "A little looking never hurt anyone," Oliver
mumbled absentmindedly. "It's more like ogling and having drool running
down your chin," Fred corrected Oliver. "I don't have drool running down my
chin and I am not ogling," Oliver snapped, but rubbed a hand over his chin
just in case to check for drool. "Whatever you say Oliver," Fred sighed as
the front doors to the castle finally opened. Professor Mcgonagall stepped
out into the freezing cold and greeted everyone with a stern smile.
"Welcome to Hogwarts first years, I hope you find your new year enjoyable.
To start off the year, we will have all of you sorted into the houses of
which you should belong in. Of course," she paused as her smile grew
warmer, "this is nothing to worry about so please do not feel nervous or
anxious," she finished. "First years, please follow me through these
corridors, and second years through seventh you know where you need to go,"
Professor Mcgonagall said, giving a firm nod to the majority of the people.
There was a shuffle of feet as the students starting making their way
towards the feast. The noise from the shuffling of feet was nothing
compared to the groaning of empty stomachs. "So who are we planning on
playing for the first Quidditch match?" Harry asked Oliver interestedly.
"Slytherin," Oliver answered simply, his gaze once again darting towards
Marcus and Aryianna. "You could always beat the crap out of them in the
game to let your frustrations out Oliver," Lee Jordan offered helpfully.
"That wouldn't be too hard, would it Oliver? I mean they always suck," Ron
piped in. "I suppose," Oliver murmured thoughtfully as they entered the
great hall. Oliver loved it in the Great Hall; the ceiling was enchanted so
it looked as though it were as real as the sky outside. There were
thousands of candles floating in mid-air which acted as lanterns. It lit up
the Great Hall really well. "I hope they get through the sorting faster
than expected," Oliver heard Ron moan. "I'm starving, I could eat a whole
horse," Ron stated. "I bet you could, you bottomless pit," George teased
his brother. He got a few smiles at that comment and a glare from Ron. The
Gryffindors sat themselves at their assigned table, as did the Ravenclaws,
the Hufflepuffs, and the Slytherins. They Slytherin table was directly
across from the Gryffindor table and so when Aryianna sat down, Oliver had
a good view of her. He also had a good view of Marcus, but that didn't
matter.
Once again, Aryianna glanced his way as if sensing his eyes were upon
her. This time, when Oliver offered a small smile, she actually smiled back
at him. She quickly glanced at Marcus to make sure he wasn't looking, and
then brought her attention back to Oliver. "Hi," she mouthed. Oliver was
surprised at that; she didn't seem to be as rude and obnoxious like George
described her. Oliver blushed and waved hello back at her. Marcus was too
busy being noisy and boisterous with his friends to even notice the secret
communication between his girlfriend and his long hated enemy. Aryianna and
Oliver kept each other's gaze for a moment before one of Aryianna's friends
came up to her and interrupted their secret communication. Compared to her
friend, who looked like a gargoyle in Oliver's opinion, Aryianna
practically radiated beauty. It was a wonder to him why she had Marcus for
a boyfriend.
Suddenly a hush came over the students as the first years entered the
Great Hall. Professor Dumbledore stood up, his snow white beard giving off
a noble appearance. A few of the first years gave the Great Hall and its
occupants a frightened look, but of the majority of them looked confident
and excited. Dumbledore nodded to the first years as a cue for them to walk
up towards the front of the Great Hall. Beside him, the Sorting Hat was
seated on a stool. Professor Mcgonagall appeared by his side with a piece
of parchment in her hand. The whole entire room was engulfed in silence
when suddenly the Sorting Hat opened up its mouth which in fact was a
ripped seam. A few first years jumped back when it began to sing its year
annual song, but most of the students were held transfixed. Once the song
had finished, Professor Mcgonagall began reading off the names from the
piece of parchment she had been clutching. "Atkinson, Rylan," was the first
name to be read off. The name callings and sorting continued on until ten
minutes later when the last name was read ( "Valkra, Zidane," ) and the
frightened boy was placed into Hufflepuff where everyone from Hufflepuff
cheered wildly.
Dumbledore finally stood up and everyone waited in anticipation for
his usual speech before the feast. "As you all know," Dumbledore began
heavily, "we have dementors stationed all around the school do to the
escape of Sirius Black. I advise you to try and not to get into a bit of a
spot with a dementor. It does not understand pleading for forgiveness, and
therefore it will not grant any whatsoever. It can not be fooled by
invisible cloaks," Oliver felt Harry slightly shrink in his seat beside him
and Ron cleared his throat, "so I advise you to not and trick a dementor as
well. In the usual, the forbidden forest is always off limits, and no
students are to be out of the castle and on the grounds during night doing
to caution," Dumbledore finished. Before he sat down again, he added
another comment. "With all that said, let us feast!" he exclaimed while
clapping his hands twice. Some students let out grateful sighs and eagerly
dug into the food which had been presented to them faster than a heartbeat.
Oliver scooped mashed potatoes onto his plate and reached for a slab of
sirloin steak. In doing so he glanced up towards the Slytherin table again
and was shocked to see that Aryianna was looking at him. She blushed and
averted her gaze and picked mindlessly at her food. "Um Oliver, can you
please move? You're positioned over the steak and I'd like to get some,"
Fred muttered, slighting shoving Oliver aside. "Right, I'm sorry," Oliver
apologized as he pulled himself away from the platter of sirloin steak and
straightened up in his own seat. He pretended that he was deeply immersed
in his food and didn't dare looking up again. It was hard to concentrate
while eating and have Aryianna Shelton looking right at you. It was
virtually impossible.
Once everyone was done with the feast, Dumbledore signaled that it was time for bed. The students picked themselves up heavily, for the feast had paid a heavy toll. "I feel like a cow," Ron moaned. "Are you sure you don't feel more like a horse? Because you sure were eating like one," Fred joked once again. A few of them laughed, including Ron. "Well at least we get to sleep it off, I need it anyway," Hermione muttered. She did sound exhausted, Oliver noticed, and bed did sound like a good idea. Suddenly Marcus Flint and Aryianna Shelton breezed past them as if they were no more than a couple of house flies. Oliver noticed, with a sinking heart, that Marcus had his arm wrapped around her waist and Aryianna was leaning into his embrace. "How did a monster like that get a beauty like her?" George voiced out Oliver's thoughts. "Oh come on, Aryianna Shelton is not that pretty," Hermione said grudgingly. Fred, George, Oliver, Harry, Ron, and Lee all looked at Hermione incredulously. "No you're right, Aryianna isn't pretty... she's beautiful," Lee said sarcastically. "Men," Hermione grumbled as she stopped in front on the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Password?" the Fat Lady asked. ""Floobywagut," Hermione bit out angrily. The portrait gave her a shocked look but allowed them to pass nonetheless. Hermione said nothing as she stormed up the stair case leading to the girl's dormitory. They heard her yank the door open, and then slam it shut. "By the way she's going about, it's as if we said something that offended her," Ron observed keenly. "Maybe she's jealous?" Lee offered helpfully. "Jealous?" Harry and Ron said incredulously at the same time. Then they burst out laughing. "If anything Hermione would get jealous over, it definitely wouldn't be another girl," Harry chuckled. "You never know," Lee muttered to himself. Oliver sighed as he made his way towards one of the big, fluffy arm chairs situated near the fireplace. He plopped himself down onto it, his legs hanging over the side of the chair. He closed his eyes and let his head drop back, only thinking of silvery blue eyes.... Oliver woke with a start and realized that he was the only one left in the Gryffindor common room. He growled angrily as he stood and stretched, his sore muscles protesting against him. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?" he muttered to himself. "Some friends," he added grudgingly. He stretched once more and cracked his neck, getting out the kinks. He started to make his way up the staircase towards the boy's dormitories, but decided against it. He wasn't that tired anyway. Oliver stood there for a second, contemplating on whether or not he should take a midnight stroll like he usually did when he couldn't sleep. He decided to anyway, even though he was deliberately ignoring Dumbledore's orders not to go out during the nighttime. He gently pushed the portrait open and quietly squeezed through the hole. The Fat Lady didn't wake too much of his luck. Oliver stole down the deserted corridor as quietly as he could. He wasn't too worried about the dementors, but then again he wasn't too keen in coming to contact with one. Oliver sighed and stared out the corridor windows. The moon was bright and beautiful; it illuminated the corridors, making it easier to see. A few stars sprinkled the night sky; they looked like a few grains of salt or sugar. Oliver sighed and found himself walking towards the Great Hall once again. He peered inside cautiously and his breath caught in his throat. There was Aryianna, bathed in the moonlight, and looking more beautiful than ever. She didn't seem to notice him but was intent on peering up at the bewitched ceiling. She had a content look on her face. Oliver cleared his throat loudly to announce his presence. Aryianna gasped and started, she quickly stood up and made a dash towards the other exit coming out of the Great Hall. "Wait," Oliver called out, his voice echoing against the walls. Aryianna skidded to a stop and peered over her shoulder. "Who's there?" she asked hoarsely. "It's me, erm... Oliver Wood," Oliver answered her. Aryianna straightened up fully and turned around to face Oliver. "Oliver? What are you doing out this late?" Aryianna demanded, though not in a harsh tone. "I should ask you the same," Oliver shot back at her, crossing his arms over his chest. Aryianna took a few steps towards him before answering. "Sometimes, I like to just come here and think. I like to get away from everything, you know?" Aryianna murmured, once again glancing up at the ceiling. "I do that too, when I can't sleep of course," Oliver admitted, taking a few brave steps towards Aryianna as well. "Then I guess tonight was one of those nights?" Aryianna asked teasingly. "Right you are," Oliver chuckled. The two had a few moments of silence between them before Oliver spoke up again. "Can I ask you something?" he ventured. "You already did," Aryianna said. Oliver cocked his head in confusion. "What?" he pondered. "Never mind," Aryianna laughed. "Go ahead though, ask away," Aryianna encouraged him. "Why Flint?" Oliver asked, crinkling up his nose at the name. Aryianna raised an eyebrow but her smile broadened nonetheless. "I guess he was the only one I was interested in," Aryianna admitted with a shrug, "I would never hear the end of it if I had gone out with a Ravenclaw, or a Hufflepuff, or even a Gryffindor," Aryianna said pointedly. "Besides, Marcus is cool, he's interesting, and once you really get to know him... he's quite charming," Aryianna ticked off Marcus's traits with her fingers. "You can see all that in Flint? Wow, that incredibly amazing," Oliver said mockingly. Aryianna lightly punched him in the shoulder and Oliver pretended it hurt him immensely. "I have a question for you then," Aryianna said after she had stopped laughing and Oliver's antics. Oliver nodded at Aryianna to allow her to ask her question. "Why me?" her question rang through the Great Hall. Oliver blushed deeply and looked down. "I've always been attracted to you," he murmured. Aryianna had to scoff at that. "Always?" she asked, arching her eyebrow. "Okay, I saw you yesterday and fell instantly in love," Oliver sighed heavily. "It's about time you got off of your high horse Oliver. I've been wondering when you were going to notice me," Aryianna said in a low voice and as she was talking, she got closer and closer to Oliver until they were face to face. Oliver thought for a second that Aryianna was going to kiss him. "Goodnight Oliver," Aryianna sighed, and gently pushed past him to leave the Great Hall. Oliver stood stunned for a moment before speaking up again. "Finally got off my high horse?" he said incredulously, his voice echoing around the empty Great Hall.
Once everyone was done with the feast, Dumbledore signaled that it was time for bed. The students picked themselves up heavily, for the feast had paid a heavy toll. "I feel like a cow," Ron moaned. "Are you sure you don't feel more like a horse? Because you sure were eating like one," Fred joked once again. A few of them laughed, including Ron. "Well at least we get to sleep it off, I need it anyway," Hermione muttered. She did sound exhausted, Oliver noticed, and bed did sound like a good idea. Suddenly Marcus Flint and Aryianna Shelton breezed past them as if they were no more than a couple of house flies. Oliver noticed, with a sinking heart, that Marcus had his arm wrapped around her waist and Aryianna was leaning into his embrace. "How did a monster like that get a beauty like her?" George voiced out Oliver's thoughts. "Oh come on, Aryianna Shelton is not that pretty," Hermione said grudgingly. Fred, George, Oliver, Harry, Ron, and Lee all looked at Hermione incredulously. "No you're right, Aryianna isn't pretty... she's beautiful," Lee said sarcastically. "Men," Hermione grumbled as she stopped in front on the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Password?" the Fat Lady asked. ""Floobywagut," Hermione bit out angrily. The portrait gave her a shocked look but allowed them to pass nonetheless. Hermione said nothing as she stormed up the stair case leading to the girl's dormitory. They heard her yank the door open, and then slam it shut. "By the way she's going about, it's as if we said something that offended her," Ron observed keenly. "Maybe she's jealous?" Lee offered helpfully. "Jealous?" Harry and Ron said incredulously at the same time. Then they burst out laughing. "If anything Hermione would get jealous over, it definitely wouldn't be another girl," Harry chuckled. "You never know," Lee muttered to himself. Oliver sighed as he made his way towards one of the big, fluffy arm chairs situated near the fireplace. He plopped himself down onto it, his legs hanging over the side of the chair. He closed his eyes and let his head drop back, only thinking of silvery blue eyes.... Oliver woke with a start and realized that he was the only one left in the Gryffindor common room. He growled angrily as he stood and stretched, his sore muscles protesting against him. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?" he muttered to himself. "Some friends," he added grudgingly. He stretched once more and cracked his neck, getting out the kinks. He started to make his way up the staircase towards the boy's dormitories, but decided against it. He wasn't that tired anyway. Oliver stood there for a second, contemplating on whether or not he should take a midnight stroll like he usually did when he couldn't sleep. He decided to anyway, even though he was deliberately ignoring Dumbledore's orders not to go out during the nighttime. He gently pushed the portrait open and quietly squeezed through the hole. The Fat Lady didn't wake too much of his luck. Oliver stole down the deserted corridor as quietly as he could. He wasn't too worried about the dementors, but then again he wasn't too keen in coming to contact with one. Oliver sighed and stared out the corridor windows. The moon was bright and beautiful; it illuminated the corridors, making it easier to see. A few stars sprinkled the night sky; they looked like a few grains of salt or sugar. Oliver sighed and found himself walking towards the Great Hall once again. He peered inside cautiously and his breath caught in his throat. There was Aryianna, bathed in the moonlight, and looking more beautiful than ever. She didn't seem to notice him but was intent on peering up at the bewitched ceiling. She had a content look on her face. Oliver cleared his throat loudly to announce his presence. Aryianna gasped and started, she quickly stood up and made a dash towards the other exit coming out of the Great Hall. "Wait," Oliver called out, his voice echoing against the walls. Aryianna skidded to a stop and peered over her shoulder. "Who's there?" she asked hoarsely. "It's me, erm... Oliver Wood," Oliver answered her. Aryianna straightened up fully and turned around to face Oliver. "Oliver? What are you doing out this late?" Aryianna demanded, though not in a harsh tone. "I should ask you the same," Oliver shot back at her, crossing his arms over his chest. Aryianna took a few steps towards him before answering. "Sometimes, I like to just come here and think. I like to get away from everything, you know?" Aryianna murmured, once again glancing up at the ceiling. "I do that too, when I can't sleep of course," Oliver admitted, taking a few brave steps towards Aryianna as well. "Then I guess tonight was one of those nights?" Aryianna asked teasingly. "Right you are," Oliver chuckled. The two had a few moments of silence between them before Oliver spoke up again. "Can I ask you something?" he ventured. "You already did," Aryianna said. Oliver cocked his head in confusion. "What?" he pondered. "Never mind," Aryianna laughed. "Go ahead though, ask away," Aryianna encouraged him. "Why Flint?" Oliver asked, crinkling up his nose at the name. Aryianna raised an eyebrow but her smile broadened nonetheless. "I guess he was the only one I was interested in," Aryianna admitted with a shrug, "I would never hear the end of it if I had gone out with a Ravenclaw, or a Hufflepuff, or even a Gryffindor," Aryianna said pointedly. "Besides, Marcus is cool, he's interesting, and once you really get to know him... he's quite charming," Aryianna ticked off Marcus's traits with her fingers. "You can see all that in Flint? Wow, that incredibly amazing," Oliver said mockingly. Aryianna lightly punched him in the shoulder and Oliver pretended it hurt him immensely. "I have a question for you then," Aryianna said after she had stopped laughing and Oliver's antics. Oliver nodded at Aryianna to allow her to ask her question. "Why me?" her question rang through the Great Hall. Oliver blushed deeply and looked down. "I've always been attracted to you," he murmured. Aryianna had to scoff at that. "Always?" she asked, arching her eyebrow. "Okay, I saw you yesterday and fell instantly in love," Oliver sighed heavily. "It's about time you got off of your high horse Oliver. I've been wondering when you were going to notice me," Aryianna said in a low voice and as she was talking, she got closer and closer to Oliver until they were face to face. Oliver thought for a second that Aryianna was going to kiss him. "Goodnight Oliver," Aryianna sighed, and gently pushed past him to leave the Great Hall. Oliver stood stunned for a moment before speaking up again. "Finally got off my high horse?" he said incredulously, his voice echoing around the empty Great Hall.